Beyond the Binary (Roundtable)

location_on Location: Emanuele C

(Links to papers / posters are embargoed until 4/7)

All times in Eastern Time Zone

• assignment_ind Sears, A., Moore, M., Card, J., Manke, K., Harrington, H., Coleman, A. & Bonilla, M. “ Beyond the Binary – Changing Perspectives on Gender Roles and Identity ”
  Gender identity is a person’s intrinsic sense of being male, female, or an alternative gender, such as nonbinary and gender fluid, which may or may not be the same as the sex assigned at birth (American Psychological Association, 2015). The construct of gender has been a controversial topic in society for several decades. Women and men have been categorized into personality traits, career choices, and overall societal roles based on gender. Throughout the history of gender roles, two main perspectives have been adopted: the biological (Berenbaum et al., 2011) and the social (Lorber, 1994) perspective. Many believe that sex and gender share the same meaning, whereas others believe they can coexist and mean two different things. Our research examines these perspectives in hopes of educating others on how perspectives placed on the construct of gender affect people, on a societal level and on an individual level. The increased awareness of gender constructs and differing perspectives has led to the development of more gender inclusive language, which will also be discussed. Recently there have been increased discussions regarding gender roles and our study is calling for further education, inclusivity, and awareness of the challenges still facing communities today.