More than Male and Female
Mrs. Doubtfire. Yentl. Just One of the Guys. She’s the Man. Tootsie. These are just some of the Hollywood “gender bender” blockbuster movies that have made a killing in the box office. They are entertaining because they touch on familiar gender stereotypes. While we can’t escape the stereotypes, we can learn why they exist. Trinity Western magazine sat down with Associate Professor of Education and Co-Director of the new Gender Studies Institute (GSI), Allyson Jule, Ph.D., to learn more about the inescapable question of gender and why studying it is so central to understanding who we really are and why we act the way we do.
What comes to mind when people hear the word “gender?”
People think male or female, but gender is the socialized/learned behaviours that come with being born male or female. Male and female are physiological realities, but masculine and feminine are known as gender. Being masculine and being feminine are acquired behaviours, learned ways of being in the world. Gender identity aligns with culture, race, age, generational values, socio-economic status, and education. It’s fluid; it’s something we learn.
Why is gender so important to study?
In the Social Sciences, gender plays a foundational role because it is understood as a key variable in predicting life choices, successes, and limitations. It’s particularly fascinating because we can be more conscious of why we do the things we do, why we think the way we think, why we need certain things, and what we give up along the way. People often say to me, “But men and women are different.” Of course they are, but this isn’t the point. Gender studies explores what difference the differences make.
Just how much of a role does gender play in the way we communicate with each other, and why?
There is research that suggests masculinity and femininity are their own distinct cultures (that is, we belong to certain groups of people because we share behaviours, attitudes, values, and habits of belonging). But language use plays a major role in this habit of belonging. This belonging (or not) has been a main lens for my research: how men and women talk in certain contexts-with each other, in single-sex groups, in public versus private conversations, and particularly in the classroom. For example, teachers have subtle expectations of students and of themselves that align with their perceptions of gender. As a result, the classroom becomes a key stage where children rehearse gender roles.
What research are you currently involved in with regard to gender?
I have two projects on the go concerning gender studies. One is an interview study with mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, examining how they talk about one another. I’m interested in discovering how talk frames the view of the other, revealing and creating a certain dynamic. Feminist theory helps me understand issues of threat, fear, hope, and vision in such relationships. The other project is a book about gender in Christian higher education. I also previously co-edited a collection of essays on the related topic of Christianity and feminism, entitled, Being Feminist, Being Christian: Essays from Academia. I think the intersection of gender roles with a religious identity is a fascinating one.
Tell us about the GSI at TWU.
Most universities have had a Women’s Studies program for well over 30 years, and some are beginning to change their names to include gender more inclusively (that is, to include the study of masculinities). However, Trinity Western is the only evangelical Christian University in Canada that houses a GSI and a gender studies minor.
One of the main goals of the GSI is to nurture a culture of inquiry–not simply to provoke. Gender is a part of being human; it has various aspects to it. The GSI involves faculty from across the humanities, the social sciences, and the sciences. Our plans to build a community of learners include: organizing a gender-themed book club, hosting feminist film nights, producing a monthly newsletter, and leading two annual events, including a lecture evening and an academic conference/workshop.
What is your vision for the GSI five years from now?
The Institute’s five year plan includes offering a gender studies certificate and a major in gender studies. We have many faculty who use gender as a key part of their research and their course material. We want to tap into that expertise. The possibility of creating a dynamic, energetic, informed, and intelligent place of gender scholarship at twu is real. The GSI is here to propel new ideas and new ways to understand each other and ourselves.
Find out more at twu.ca/gsi
by Erin Mussolum '95
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