Mckenna Donaldson

English 110 030

12/3/16
Creative Revision Portfolio
Gender in Different Cultures
Gender. What is gender?
Gender is an identity one adapts to when being born into society. Gender can be given, or
it can be discovered by the individual of that culture. It is formed by the societal constructs and
ideals that are favored by that culture. It is then acted out subconsciously by the actions, choices,
and daily life performed by the people.
The idea of what gender is and how it looks varies from culture to culture, and every
gender has stereotypes and stigmas associated with it. In fact, gender is so important that it has a
monopoly over politics, religion, and even business. Due to this, gender can have no true
definition, but a collection of different interpretations and perspectives.
According to Facebook.com, a widely used social media account, there are 58 registered genders
just in the United States of America. So if there are that many genders in the USA, what does
that say about other cultures across the globe?
Anthropologist, historians and even psychologists have spent years studying different
genders in different regions of the world and have discovered some interesting information.
Information that has helped other countries develop better relationships with others, and have
made tolerance spread further in the world. When studying different genders in the world it is
important that one must maintain an open mind and resort from being ethnocentric.
To begin, according to different traditions, gender can be more than a physical attribute, it
can be a spiritual identity. For example, In Sudan Africa, there is a tradition known as the Nuer
Ghost Marriage. For this marriage, if a male family member has passed away, another brother
can take the place of his deceased brother and essentially become him. He then can marry a
woman and have children with her, however, the legal father of the children is the deceased
brother. This tradition helps keep family lines and relationships continuing for generations to
come. Gender changes for marriage is not uncommon, another common tradition practiced by
the Nuer people is women transitioning into men. If a woman is unable to produce children, she
can become a male and marry another woman, from there, the wife is impregnated by another
male. Due to this marriage, the woman who has transitioned is then viewed as the legal father of
the children, this helps add more family members and create bigger family connections.
Another example of gender changing to suit the needs of a society is Bacha Posh in
Afghanistan. Afghanistan is paternal country, meaning that the family name, wealth, and
property gets passed down through the father. This means that the status of women is very low in
Afghanistan and women do not have as many freedoms as men do. For example, women are not
allowed to leave the house without a male to accompany them, women also cannot have jobs
either. So when a mother is unable to have a son, this creates problem for the family. As a result,
women have found a way to cheat the system by creating a gender known as Bacha Posh
dressed as a boy. From a young age, mothers dress their daughters as boys and treat them as
though they are boys. This allows them to get a better education, a job, and have all the freedom
of a boy. The only catch is that once Bacha Posh reaches puberty, they must transition back to
being a girl and obey those societal rules.
The last example of different gender roles is the Lhamana of the American southwest
Zuni Tribe. For many Native American tribes, the spiritual world is very important and plays a

big role in their society. A common factor in Native American tribes is having a local Shaman, a
healer and connection to the good and evil spirits. A shaman can be a man or a woman, but more
commonly, they are both, or two-spirit. This means that they identify as mixed genders and
possess the qualities attained from both. According to the Zuni tribe, men are responsible for the
universe and women are responsible for the family and tribe. This belief is an influential factor in
the gender of the shaman because it influences their spiritual powers and their role on the culture.
One of the most well-known Lhamana is Wewha, from the Zuni tribe located in New Mexico.
WeWha was known as being a very Strong and intelligent figure in the Zuni tribe, and was a
prominent figure in the protestant religion.
Gender is an influential aspect of every culture and helps set the morals, stereotypes, and
even rules for a society. While gender is all an illusion, it is one of the most important aspects a
society can have to help it function properly.
Citations:
Goldman, Russell. "Here's a List of 58 Gender Options for Facebook
Users." ABC News. ABC News Network, 13 Feb. 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.
O'Niel, Dennis. "Sex and Marriage: Marriage Rules (Part 2)." Sex and
Marriage: Marriage Rules (Part 2). N.p., 29 June 2006. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.
Nordberg, Jenny. "Afghan Boys Are Prized, So Girls Live the Part." The
New York Times. The New York Times, 20 Sept. 2010. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.
Roscoe, Will. "The Zuni Man Woman." THE ZUNI MAN-WOMAN -- In Life
Where There Are Only Differences, `Good'/`Bad' Are Merely Ideas. N.p., n.d. Web. 11
Dec. 2016.