Gender and Sexuality - Questions for Discussion

3. Do you think that the arguments presented in this text apply to Singaporean society? Why or why not?

In the first part of the text, it stated that sexual differences are ingrained in all of us since the very beginning, to the extent that it has become so pervasive and influential in our lives. In addition, the text argues that "gender socialization begins as soon as an infant is born." I believe that such a phenomenon is virtually universal in the developed world, with Singapore being no exception. For instance, accessories for infants such as clothes, toys, etc. tend to be either for boys or girls rather than be unisex. This is most blatant in the fact that the colour scheme for such items tend to be blue for boys and pink for girls.

Furthermore, the text argues that gender is a social activity and not an innate quality, "something we all have to 'do' in our everyday actions, day in and day out." It says that "the subtle ways which we do gender are so much part of our lives that we don't notice them until they are missing or radically altered. This is most certainly relevant to Singaporean society too. Such a phenomenon is most easily seen in the fact when people of a certain sex do not exhibit their supposed gender traits. For instance, when a man acts effeminately, he will often get ostracized or be treated as if he was "different". This just shows how gender stereotypes are deeply entrenched in most modern societies today, including Singapore.

Eugene, Vionna, Sabrina, Nicholas, Ivan