Gender Qualities Of Gender Essay

Throughout history, many professions have been categorized as either masculine or feminine. Whenever people hear the words teacher, nurse, stewardess, or prostitute, they usually think of these professions as feminine. Interestingly, while there is little linguistic symbolism in most feminine careers, many masculine professions end in “man.” Out of the many professions that end in “man,” the words “policeman,” “fireman,” “chairman,” “businessman,” and “weatherman” seem to be five of the most commonly used ones, from my personal experience. The meanings of these words, and especially the masculine qualities they imply, such as strength, bravery, dominance, and intelligence, describe gender stereotypes in past societies. However, the emergence
and popularity of the gender-neutral and feminine versions of these words describe somewhat of a societal shift in gender norms.
Policemen and firemen are viewed as heroes in society because they are willing to put themselves in dangerous situations to protect their citizens. As heroes of our society, policemen and firemen are expected to have a lot of courage and physical strength: qualities people associate with masculinity. This could be a reason why both of these words end in “man.” There are some people who use the term “policewoman,” however, the term “firewoman” is very uncommon. From the 1950s to the 1980s, many of the famous cop shows, such as Hawaii Five-O, Dragnet, and Miami Vice, usually had male protagonists. However today, many popular cop shows such as Castle, Rizzoli and Isles, and The Blacklist, display female protagonists. Many societal trends are displayed in the media, and this shift from male protagonists to female protagonists in cop shows displays how the law enforcement fields are not male-dominant anymore. The suffix “man” in policeman and fireman sets the societal expectation that the people in these career fields will be men. However, currently, the use of gender-neutral terms such as police officer and firefighter are as common as the use of policeman and fireman, which suggests a societal shift away from gender norms and stereotypes from past societies.
The words chairman and businessman both describe positions of leadership and authority.
I believe that when these terms were created, fields which required leadership skills and an education, such as these, where heavily male-dominated because domination is historically a masculine trait. From its origins, our society was structured so that only men were in leadership positions. In fact, throughout history, most the famous businessmen and leaders have been men, such as Warren Buffet and Henry Ford. However, today, there are many female leaders in the business industry, including Marissa Mayer and Meg Whitman, proving that careers in business are no longer male-exclusive. Yet, the suffixes of businessman and chairman describe societal expectations that people in these careers should be male. However, currently, the terms chairperson and businesswoman are relatively common. In fact, the first known use of “businessman” was in 1826, while the first known use of “businesswoman” was only in 1844 (Merriam-Webster). More shockingly, the first known use of “chairman” was in 1592, while the first known use of “businesswoman” was only in 1971 (Merriam-Webster). The emergence of gender-neutral and feminine versions of businessman and chairman, again, showcases a shift from “traditional” gender norms to more modern ones, in which men and women are treated relatively more
equally.
It is interesting that the term “weatherwoman” is unpopular because there are numerous women in the meteorology field, today. The field of meteorology most likely started off as male-dominant because of the education requirements. Meteorology requires extensive study in the fields of physics, math, and atmospheric science (The College Board). These fields fall under the male-dominated “STEM” category of study, which is probably why the term “weatherwoman” was never popularized. Until recently, women were not encouraged to pursue STEM fields. Interestingly, currently, there are two popular ways to refer to a “weatherwoman:” meteorologist, the gender neutral term, and weathergirl. “Weathergirl” is somewhat of a sexist term because it ends in “girl,” which implies youth and ultimately, immaturity. While “man” connotes strength and dominance, “girl” connotes weakness. Unlike the other feminine versions of words discussed in this paper, “weathergirl” doesn’t exactly describe any progressive gender norm reform because it suggests that weatherwomen are not as intelligent or mature as weathermen. This suggests that society still expects or trusts male meteorologists, rather than “weathergirls.”
With the exception of “weathergirl,” although meteorologist is still a popular and gender-neutral term, many gender-neutral and female versions of career words which end in “man” are currently popular and defy gender norms from previous societies. Although there are still some feminine versions of these words that are relatively uncommon, this increased popularity and emergence of certain gender-neutral terms and “feminine terms” suggests that current society may be moving away from gender stereotypes from previous societies, such as males holding leadership positions and being heroes.