Discourse and Gender

Abstract

Discursive approaches typically draw upon constructionist and poststructural theories of meaning. Poststructural theories of meaning highlight the pervasive relationships between knowledge and power. According to poststructuralist theories, knowledge about sex and gender is part and parcel of the ways sexualized and gendered identities are normalized and regulated. For example, gender discourses produce a binary classification of sex as male and female – a system that ignores or marginalizes people who are intersex such as hermaphrodites. Biological discourses such as the male sex drive are used to justify and legitimate the sexual exploitation of women through rape and prostitution. Multiple meanings are highlighted through studies of discourse. For example, research has shown that many versions of masculinity exist and that they are changing. Nowadays traditional gender stereotypes persist alongside new ones such as metrosexual men.