Philosophical Investigations
Socialized Stereotypes
The differences between how men and women act can be explained by the way we are socialized as children. Gender is a performance that everyone acts out in order to fit the roles society expects, even young kids. Gender roles are purposely and inadvertently taught at a young age. From birth to adulthood, gender identities are taught through different stereotypes and gendered expectations. Many children cling to ideas of gender stereotypes because they have yet to find their own identity. Looking through a philosophical lens of gender performance, I investigate why a seven-year-old boy might believe that playing house is a game only for girls.
The Angry Feminist
Are all feminists angry, man-hating, and abrasive individuals? Should they be taken seriously? Is sexism a substantial problem? The enemies are not necessarily men, but rather the institutionalized sexism, norms, and expectations that target women. Looking through a feminist philosophical lens of intersectionality, I examine what defines a feminist, the harmful anti-feminist stereotypes, and the different oppressions women face in society. Where sexism roots from is irrelevant; what matters to the feminist movement is if sexism can and should be changed. Society’s internalized expectations and sexist norms are breaking as feminism evolves.
Redefining Sex Education
Teaching reproductive health as abstinence-only education lectures the ideology of virginity until marriage. 80% of abstinence-only curricula contain misleading, false, or distorted information about reproductive health. An abstinence-only program has no impact on pregnancy, teen abstinence, or the age of being sexually active, so why are we still teaching it? I wrote this letter to evaluate a deliberation on the option of implementing more comprehensive themes and stronger values in sex education curricula. Teaching sex as a combination of comprehensive-based, psychology/emotion-based, and integrated subjects ultimately benefit students to be prepared for their future.