This final reflective essay discusses what allowed me to get the most out of this course, how I used what I learned in lecture to formulate my own opinions, and why I think this was so beneficial to my learning experience. 

I’ve said it in other reflective essays before during my time taking this course, but the most important and influential thing I’ve learned while studying both gender in my own culture and in that of other cultures is my own personal awareness to the culture of biology. You can read the numbers in the statistics and read a thousand articles, but this does you no good unless you challenge yourself on the things you are reading and internalizing it to the fullest degree. A major part of my learning process is to first digest the information and ensure I understand what I just read and then, secondly, to test and question it, ask why and how, and to consider what I learned from all angles to get the most from and most substantial impact from it. This process has been accelerated by the writing of my thoughts in the Artifacts. By using the Artifacts as a way to put my thoughts and words into writing and to actual see what I was thinking I often found myself picking apart my own thoughts and moved to asking others around me on their thoughts just to make my opinions fuller and more well-rounded.
One example in particular was during my writing of Artifact 7: Her Thoughts and My Thoughts which I used to “discuss and put into words both my girlfriend and my thoughts regarding female menstruation.” During lecture we discussed how different the culture surrounding menstruation was in different part of the world from the Jewish community regarding it as almost a sort of “holy time” where the female can’t even touch another male and must be cleansed upon completion to Africa where it is regarding as dirty and females can’t even live in the same house during their cycle. I used class time to develop my worldwide impressions on the various levels of acceptance and then challenged this with my own personal assessment of the culture within the United States. Furthermore, I built upon this even more by asking my girlfriend to share with me her thoughts and experiences so that now I not only had what I learned in class and my own thoughts, but her firsthand accounts of the things she had seen and been through as a result of the culture surrounding it. This was the Artifact that I felt I had learned the most because I had multiple sources of knowledge to pull from to formulate my own thoughts on the subject.
It, however, was the first Artifact, Artifact 1: Sex, Gender, and Me, that really got me thinking and opened my eyes to so many different concepts that I hadn’t previously considered. My intent was to express “my hopes for our culture as a whole and my opinion on how misinformation or at the very least not being informed at all is what creates the most problems when it comes to gender roles and respect.” This again inspired very in depth conversation with my girlfriend on fundamental concepts like the definition of sex and gender as well as less clear cut discussion on why these topics hadn’t ever come up before and how this creates such a prominent problem of being uninformed. During the writing of that particular Artifact, I came to the realization that understanding sex and gender could have rippling affects throughout many different sex and gender based issues. If everyone was able to become informed I believe it would shatter the notion that anyone is less capable then someone else simply because of their biological make up and certainly because of how they identify. In the Artifact I mentioned that I came to realize just how restrictive the incorrect use of these terms could be and with the help of the handouts given in class have made great improvements in correctly classifying gender related issues. This, again, plays into the idea of being more aware of both my knowledge level and where I want to be which has factored so heavily into my experiences with this course.

The third Artifact that I think had the most effect on me was Artifact 3 -Mind the Gap. I used this Artifact to really ask a lot of questions as to why there was such a difference between males and females when it came to a variety of situations from the wage gap to gender inequality and even offered a few possible solutions that I thought may help. With research I did on the side I was able to come to my own conclusion that may be the wage gap was narrowing. This inspired more thought and allowed me to make new connections as I considered the possibility of the first ever female president and how this might cause things to change even more rapidly. I used this artifact to ask some of the bigger questions that I really had never considered before like how I defined gender gap, asks what issues I can see our nation facing today, and asks how we can solve these issues (Artifact 3).

Throughout the course my main goal that dictated how much I would really get from the course itself was to just be able to ask myself questions. I wanted nothing more than to be presented with an issue, learn about other cultures and how it is handled all throughout the world and then prepare and present my take on the subject. The Artifacts allowed me to not only discuss the information that was presented to me in detail, but also allowed me to flip the issues and present them in my own way. They helped to generate conversations between myself and my girlfriend in an environment where I was more comfortable with talking ideas out and allowed me to make my way the entire way around an issue before coming to any real conclusions. I can definitely say that without having to write these artifacts I would have come out of this class with a much less rounded concept of the biology of gender and the culture that completely encompasses it. I also would have been a lot less aware of where I stood in the middle of it all and would likely just have been simply persuaded by the things I read and saw rather than the beliefs I have formulated myself.

Cadet Jonathan Verhoff

VMI Class of 2017

BI218X

HR: None

Artifact 7 seeks to discuss and put into words both my girlfriend and my thoughts regarding female menstruation. It will elaborate on both today’s culture regarding menstruation and the issues that come up during menstruation.

I think that even here in America, female menstruation is viewed as being dirty and gross and so women choose to hide it in the presence of males. To me, it has always just been something that happens and something that indicates that you are healthy and definitely not something that should be shamed or hidden away necessarily. Honestly, I think it should be held in high regard, or at least higher than we do here in America. It’s an incredible thing that the body can do this and does this hundreds of times throughout a lifetime and yet we think it gross and foul because it’s bloody and smells poor at times. Just from what I’ve experienced with my girlfriend the past year I can definitely sympathize with the hassle it can be and the limitations it might put on you during a cycle. That all being said I still think it to be an incredible process and something that more people should be exposed to so that they can understand what is really going on and dispel this myth that it is gross and should be hidden.

My girlfriend has many of the same thoughts regarding this as I do, but this past week I skyped her and asked her to just talk to me about how she felt about menstruation, her experiences with it and her thoughts on the culture of it here in America. The first big thing she mentioned was the price of tampons and the luxury taxes that females experience, but males do not. To her it seemed absurd that tampons and the like are not deemed necessarily when all she’s ever heard all her life was that you must remain clean during your cycle and must do all you can do to hide it so that things go normally as they would, but that to get the things that would allow this she would have to pay significantly. She also voiced how uncomfortable getting her period had been throughout her life and again, to ease the discomfort, she would have to pay for birth control while men never seemed to really think about how much extra this could all be. Talking to her about this really opened my eyes to other aspects of the menstruation cycle that are not discussed as nearly as much as we both believe they should be.

We both agreed that the culture surrounding menstruation is the real problem here. We think young girls are scared to deal with their cycles because of the way we handle it. To change this it will definitely take a lot of work, but to start everyone needs to be informed and shown how important of a biological process it is and how with proper care and cleanliness it really could be a non-event, but instead we make it up to be this much bigger deal than it is and refuse to talk about it.

Cadet Jonathan Verhoff

VMI Class of 2017

BI218X

HR: Asked girlfriend for her thoughts on the menstruation process and culture surrounding it

Artifact 6 seeks to describe both male and female circumcision as well as to provide some background information involving both events and give historical context to their origins. It also will compare the two, but will also show the significant difference in how they are viewed on a world wide level.

Male circumcision is most prevalent in the United States and the Middle East due to religious teachings. It holds actual medical purpose as a circumcised penis has less of a chance of contracting HIV. There are at least three different methods to preforming circumcision and take please at a variety of different times of the child’s life from birth to teenager to even older. It is surprising that the practice is not more common as the only difference is in the lowering of the risk of HIV, but this could be due to others not having access to proper medical facilites to ensure a healthy surgery. There are tribes all throughout Africa, but one in particular performs circumcisions on males as they come of age in the field and then force the males to survive for a period of time in the field while they heal. There it has taken on cultural significance as being the final test to become a man. Female circumcision is quite different on the other hand.

Female circumcision or as it is sometimes called, female genital mutilation, involves the process of cutting off and ultimately removing parts of the female external anatomy. It is cross-cultural and cross-religious having no particular ties to any one group. Unlike in males which one has one type but multiple methods, FGC (female genitalia cutting) has 4 different ways to be classified which depends on how much genitalia is removed. While male circumcision has a medical purpose, FGC does not, but rather is practiced to help promote ideas such as: maintaining cleanliness, faithfulness to husband, control of promiscuity, and to ultimately enhance male sexual pleasure. Cases of FGC are most prominent throughout Africa and without proper medical equipment the procedure can be quite dangerous and many of the “surgeons” have no formal training.

It can be said that although very much so different, both male and female circumcision have purpose, but it clear to see that one is not so decent and just. Both practices are used as a means of coming of age in certain cultures while at other times, in other places they are practiced just as part of the cultural norms. Regardless of the reason for doing it I believe we should be doing it right and safely and with the proper equipment to ensure things go as smoothly as possible. It is interesting to see such a significant health gap that I had never even given a second thought to before.

Cadet Jonathan Verhoff

VMI Class of 2017

BI218X

HR: NONE

This short reflective essay seeks to form connections between the two films watched in class, Guyland and Pornland.

Having seen these two films back to back it was clear to see how they both complimented one another. Guyland discuss what it is like to be a boy growing up today and makes special note of the concept of “adultolecence” which is this prolong period in between adolescence and adulthood. Kimmel comments on there being 5 major events that define entrance into adulthood and how today’s statistics suggest that it is taking both males and females much longer to hit each of these major events. He claims this could be do to a variety of different issues from economy to just not leaving the nest. Pornland, however, looked at how the porn industry has changed our sexuality.

      Pornland comments on how far porn has come in recent times and how it has reaffirmed certain stereotypes, but has more importantly promoted ideas of dominance, violence, and ownership. It changed the natural sexuality of the human body and has given it this very raw and intense edge. Dines speaks on how the porn industry itself and the ease of access and age at which we do has put into kids minds how “a real man should act” long before the kids can even learn what is actually true. This redefines how men approach relationships and women in general if they have no other experience.

     These ideas, I think, are very closely related. We aren’t getting married and moving on with our lives because our ideas of sexuality have been so skewed by the porn industry. We are chasing something that doesn’t actually exist.

Cadet Jonathan Verhoff

VMI Class of 2017

BI218X

HR: NONE

Artifact 5 discuss health risks and stereotypes for both males and females and how the gender health gap has not necessarily gotten better, but has changed in the last 50 years. 

While personal gender identification is a common issue that many deal with it is not something we all necessary must face. The idea of gender stereotypes and the profound affect they can have on overall health. Especially true in the 50 and 60’s, how a man and women were supposed to behave, they way the y look, and the jobs they held were set with little options for anything else. Today things are different. We are certainly more progressive, but it’s still evident that these stereotypes still hold even today.

There are certain stereotypes that apply particularly to men. Masculinity and the need to have big broad shoulder, muscles, and to be distant when it comes to emotions are just a few. It can often be difficult for smaller men to go to the gym and work out because of the pressure of seeing other stronger men and feeling weaker just by seeing them. There is also a great desire for testosterone because the idea that testosterone is what makes a man a man is forced onto us all throughout our lives. We typically ignore health issues ad prefer to think that we are just being weak and that by ignoring it we are strong. This an lead to even greater health issues as nothing is checked up on and we ignore rather than treat. The “manly lifestyle” as i’ll call it leads itself to greater inherent health risks combined with the desire of avoiding rather than addressing presents unique health issues to that of many women.

Women have had to deal with a vast assortment of very different issues from the women’s rights movement to contraceptives to inequities in research on women’s health and illness. It really wasn’t until the rights movement was well underway that we payed any real attention to women’s health.  Contraceptives were originally available only to married women only in 1960 and wasn’t available to all women until 1972 despite the benefits being on the pill can have besides just birth control. Ine the 60-70’s “pain during sex or lack of interest in sex was seen as psychological (being frigid”. Both men and women alike have always and likely will always been subjected to gender stereotypes which demand conformity for fear of being different.

Men have historically chosen ignorance over recognition of health issues and women have had to deal with the lack of research pretty much up until recently. Sex can definitely matter when it comes to being healthy as there are certain health issues that only affect males or only affect females. There are also some diseases like heart disease that affects the two differently and even at different stages in life. In order to close this health gap between males and females as well as different races there needs to be more research.

Cadet Jonathan Verhoff

VMI Class of 2017

BI-218X

HR: NONE

Artifact 4 discusses third gender, the concept of two spirit in some Native American cultures and how these concepts help reinforce the definitions of sex and gender.

          Third gender describes either one’s self or societies identification as being neither male or female, but rather intersexed. The biggest struggle I have come across while learning about third gender and transgendered individuals is recognizing that it is not them wanting to be male or female, but rather that it is what they are in their own head. Just as I am a male in my head they are what they are despite their anatomical sex. Being intersexed allows individuals to belong to their own identification rather than being forced into something they are not.

          The idea of “two spirit” in Native American culture is interesting. It agian describes ones gender rather than sexual orientation. There were many important Native individuals who regarded themselves as being two spirit and were highly respected in Native American culture. It is also fascinating to see that according to “Two Spirit: The Story of a Movement Unfold” that there were various native cultures that allowed same sex marriage even before it was legal in the state. The Native American LGBTQ movement is founded in the fact that their “history is just as much wrapped up in the story of Indian Country as is each other.” This makes sense as there are many Native American cultures which rely heavily on having both masculine and feminine attributes to make the whole person.

          Doing all of this research and seeing how different cultures, even my own, deal with and identify this concept of third gender just helps to reaffirm my learned definitions of sex and gender. Sex deals with your anatomical identification while gender refers to your personal identification which may be different then the expected normal. Third gender pertains to this middle ground stance where neither male nor female fits and allows individuals who identify as intersex who at birth have a mix of the defining characteristics that define male and female to belong to their own group. It’s not a simple question of is it 0 or 1, its now a question of 0, 1, 2, and everything in between.

Cadet Jonathan Verhoff

BI-218X

VMI Class of 2017

HR: NONE

Artifact 3 seeks to express the fews I have on the global gender gap as I have learned about it as a result of this course. It discusses a few of the things I personally have noticed in our country and attempts to offer some solutions as well as compares the gender gap in a few countries all throughout the world.

   The global gender gap is the differences in the way males and females are treated, the things they are expected to do, the resources they have readily available, and ultimately the quality of life. It’s sad that there is such discrepancy in the way healthcare is accessible throughout the world, especially when comparing men to women. When compared to other countries the US ranks 28^th in terms of the global gender gap in 2015 (The Global Gender Gap Report 2015). The top few countries, particularly the Nordic countries have a socialist based economy which lends itself to a smaller gender gap as healthcare is public and everyone has access to the same options. The US does not rank very high on this list, but it is not very surprising when you do a bit of research on the pay gap between male and female’s here in the US. The US Women’s Soccer team is vastly underpaid compared to their male counterparts according to a PBS news article published by Laura Santhanam. Seeing things put out so obviously like in the article it is clear that the US still has a lot of work to do to in order to close this gap.

       With this in mind, I believe that the US must first fix the wage gap as this is likely one of the most prevalent and not talked about issues that affects thousands upon thousands of women. There is also the issue of the luxury tax on things like tampons and pads and other feminine hygiene products, which are essential to staying healthy and are needed regularly. It doesn’t make sense that women should have to pay for more something that is a necessity while the definition of a luxury tax itself is “ a tax placed on products or services that are deemed to be unnecessary or non-essential” according to a definition found on Investopedia (investopeida.com). These items allow a women to remain clean and healthy and yet the must pay significantly more for no apparent reason.

Now that the US is looking at its potentially first female president it will be interesting to see if we can’t make hte 10 ten contries in terms of the gender gap. With the US’s history in segregation, the women’s rights movement, and now the fear of immigrants it is no surprise that we still struggle with this gender gap and even a nationality gap if there is such a thing. That being said if you do the research it becomes apparent that the gender gap has been narrowing, but has since stalled since the last major improvements in the 1980’s (econlib.org). The US has much work to do to further close the gap in the years to come.

Cadet Jonathan Verhoff

VMI Class of 2017 BI-218X

HR: <http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/GenderGap.html>

< http://www.investopedia.com/terms/l/luxury_tax.asp>

<http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/data-how-does-the-u-s-womens-soccer-team-pay-compare-to-the-men/>

Artifact 2 discusses the gender roles and patrilineal based culture as seen in China and compares and contrasts it to the only remaining matrilineal culture found in China, the Mosuo. This artifact goes in depth on the bases for China’s patrilineal society and it’s implications today after millenniums of traditions.

China has always been an agricultural based society and it has required it’s people to do labor intensive based work. This combined with the practice of female foot binding contributed to  a very distinctive gap between the roles of male and female and how the society as a whole viewed them. The structure of Chinese society mitigated any potential resistance to state power. Under this system men were rewarded simply for being men and women had all power stripped from them and helpless and truly believed that things were supposed to be this way. This understanding came after thousand of years of tradition and despite laws and regulations in place today the differences from China today and China 150 years ago is somewhat less significant than might be expected.

In Chinese culture a male son is prefered over all. There are many ceremonies that only a son can perform, they carry on the family name and  get payed more to help support the family all while women’s pay is given to the husband or father, the are looked at as child bearers and housewives, the would be forced into child marriage. This alone created a feeling of required obedience to the male. Even Confucius preached obedience to Emperor, son to father, and woman to man and because of this, male dominated society became what was expected. While all of this was the normal in the vast majority of China there was another culture in China that varied extraordinarily, the Mosuo of China.

In Mosuo society gender roles are defined very differently. Woman still learn the same basic household skills, cooking, cleaning, livestock care, and weaving while men primarily focus on food production. This is very similar to the greater China, but what is so vastly different is that Mosuo families define their lineage by the females side of the family. Males and females practice “walking marriages” which replaces marriages in the typical interpretation. They are essential relationships that are very fluid rather than the strict obedience based relationship that marriage in China affords. Again, women hold the power in these relationships as it is the male that embarks on these nightly visits and must then leave in the morning. At it’s very core Mosuo culture is not entirely different from the rest of China, however, it’s distinctions are of note and provide a unique way of life that can not be found anywhere else in China.

Looking at China as a whole it is interesting to see the two different structures with regards to gender roles. Even more interesting is it to look at the reasons behind it. Thousands of years of philosophical text and code lead to where China is today. Great improvements have been made in the last 50-100 years as far as equalling the gap between males and females, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.

Cadet Jonathan Verhoff

BI218x

VMI Class of 2017

HR: None other than handout provided in lecture

Artifact 1 seeks to provide some information on my background and upbringing and as a result it establishes my beliefs coming in to this lecture. It also expresses my hopes for our culture as a whole and my opinion on how misinformation or at the very least not being informed at all is what creates the most problems when it comes to gender roles and respect.

          Prior to enrolling in this course, I really did not even give much thought to “sex” and “gender,” much less think

about what either one of the terms meant. From pre-school to high school, I attended a private and Catholic school.

The curriculum and the lack of resources, never really allowed for any education on gender and sex outside of

religious text. Before lecture, I thought that the terms “sex” and “gender” were interchangeable and both described a

person’s biology. Now that I know the differences between the two concepts I have begun to think more about how

each one of the terms affects an individual’s life.

          Being more educated on the difference, I know better understand how restrictive these terms are on people. I

can better grasp the difficulty that transgendered individual may face. Biologically being one sex and personally

identifying as another. I believe that the lack of education regarding the matter is what causes such conflict and

controversy around the world, but more specifically in the United States (i.e. the “Bathroom Bills”). I think that if all

were educated on the topic and understood that gender is nothing other than a concept that society itself has created,

then people would be more understanding. This understanding, in my opinion, would also shatter the notion that

women are less capable than men, and therefore deserve to be paid less for holding and completing the same role as

a male counterpart.

          The implications on the way that we define sex and gender are tenfold. As I previously mentioned, just by being

more educated and better understanding the terms our society will adjust the roles that it ascribes to gender into

making them equal and as a result the expectations of both genders will also be equal. This goes beyond the home or

workplace, in my opinion it will lead to decreasing levels of homophobia and a more welcoming culture.

Jonathan Verhoff

BI218X

VMI Class of 2017

HR: NONE

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