Butler "Gender Trouble"

Playing gender is concept we have discussed heavily in communications courses.  It is thought that we are not necessarily born with gender, but we learn gender.  Society holds certain expectations for how females are to act and look, as opposed to how a male is to act and appear, thus we learn to act our gender through hopes of upholding of societal gender norms.

Feminist theory would like to challenge this to some extent.  If society's beliefs help mold our "feminine" or "masculine" growth, we must make sure society holds acceptable and fair ideals of the female and male genders so that we can be influenced in a proper form.  Society has placed certain characteristics on the female gender that some deem unfair, thus projecting females to act out that form, and others to expect the same from them.  This influences occupation, salary, treatment, and all aspects of gendered life.  As we discuss in communications, feminists are not seeking female domination, but rather fair treatment for the sex.  Similarly, Butler states "although the claim of universal patriarchy no longer enjoys the kind of credibility it once did, the notion of a generally shared conception of  'women,' the corollary to that framework, has been much more difficult to displace" (193).  Women have had difficulty displacing their gender expectations in society.  Even though they have gained ground, and male dominance is not as present or strong as it used to be, women are still struggling to change societal norms.