The songs I chose for this assignment represent the American attitude of women and men gender roles in society.  After reading about genderism, I began to see why it is a difficult “ism” to grasp. Gender roles change fluidly depending on the society and group. Also, as represented in the songs, there seems to be underlying tension between male and female gender roles. In this reflection I will explore how gender roles are represented in the song, how oppression is represented, and how it plays out intersectionally in higher education.

Most people know the recognizable lyrics of James Brown & The Famous Flames’ (1991) song “It’s A Man’s World.” The lyrics of this song remind me of the dominating narrative of men making the world go around. Lorder (2013) explains “[a]s a structure, gender divides work in the home and in economic production, legitimates those in authority, and organizes sexuality and emotional life” (p. 328). An example of this attitude in the song is “man made electric light to take us out of the dark” demonstrating the divide of the work and economic production. This is also in contrast to tagline of the woman’s emotional and sexual support role; “it wouldn’t be nothing without a woman or a girl.”

Another song that many people know is “Who runs the world (Girls)” by Beyoncé. The lyrics remind me of Lober’s (2013) explanation of how group members respond to forced gender roles. 

“In almost every encounter, human beings produce gender, behaving in the ways they learned were appropriate for their gender status, or resisting or rebelling against the norms. Resistance and rebellion have altered gender norms, but so far they have rarely eroded the statxuses.” (Lorber, 2013, p. 327)

In Beyoncé’s song, I do not see her changing any of the norms but asserting her position as a woman in the “man’s world”. Lyric lines such as “I work my nine to five” and “smart enough to make these millions.”

"Girl in a Country Song” by Maddie and Tae has a similar message. In this song, the artists speak to the objectification of women in country songs. In the chorus it says “like all we’re good for is looking good for you and your friends on the weekend, nothing more.” Again, this is a representation of the structure of gender roles in country music and how women are trying to resist those norms without much of an outcome.

In order to resist gender oppression, “women’s liberation” typically leads to “a dismissal of race and class as factors” (Hooks, 2013, p. 340). It was interesting artists used the word girl instead of woman since girl is typically attributed to youth. I wonder if purpose is to reclaim the strength of the word? In this sense, I see how the lessening of race and class combined “with sexism, determine[s] the extent to which an individual will be discriminated against, exploited, or oppressed” (Hooks, 2013, p. 340). This could be one reason the word girl was used. Another reason may be to strengthen the feminist movement by “centraliz[ing] the experiences and the social predicaments of women who bear the brunt of sexist oppression” (Hooks, 2013, p. 342).

As people take a closer look at the issue of genderism in light of intersectionality, it becomes a lot more complicated. Though the artists I chose are of different race, gender, and sex they all combat the traditional view of gender roles in America. The promoted societal gender roles not only oppress men over women but also men over men (who do not fit the standard mold) and, women over women (who do not back the feminist movement). Within these contexts, not all people may be looking for equal rights but potentially equitable opportunities.

In the higher education setting not only will it be important to understand how genderism is propagated in structure and why it is sustained despite resistance and rebellion to it. It will also be important to understand how gender roles are express in other intersecting identities. As I navigate these factors, my hope is they will contribute to creating an evenhanded environment that allows students to exercise their individual strengths through their gender identity.

References

Beyoncé (Performer). (2011). Run the World (Girls). On Beyoncé. New York, NY, U.S.A.: C. Records.

Brown, J. &. (Performer). (1991). It's a Man's World. On Star Time. New York, NY, U.S.A.: U. Records.

Tae, M. &. (Composer). (2015). Girl in a Country Song. On Start Here. New York, NY, U.S.A.: R. Records.

Hooks, B. (2013). Feminism; A movement to end sexist oppression. In M. Adams, W. J. Blumenfeld, C. Castañeda, H. W. Hackman, M. L. Peters, & X. Zúñiga, Readings for Diversity and Social Justice (Vol. Third, pp. 340-342). New York, NY: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

Lorber, J. (2013). Night to His Day; the social construction of gender. In M. Adams, W. J. Blumenfeld, C. Castañeda, H. W. Hackman, M. L. Peters, & X. Zúñiga, Readings for Diversity and Social Justice (Vol. Third, pp. 323-329). New York, NY: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.