What does it mean to “do gender”? Word Count: Between 700-900 Words
Choose two contexts (e.g., in class, at Thanksgiving dinner, Saturday morning in the residence hall, at the grocery store, Friday night at a house party, a wedding, or a job interview).
What gender rules that differ in each context. That is, ask: What gender rules that apply to one of these contexts do not apply in the other? (For example, it is the rule that women wear at least somewhat revealing clothes at a house party, but this breaks the gender rules for attire at a job interview or Thanksgiving dinner.)
How different are the rules for each context? How would people respond if we followed the gender rules for one context in the other? Do some contexts require more gender differentiation than others? Why? What does this teach us about the naturalness of gender performance? Our own cultural competence? Gender as a set of rules?