Why Deborah Frances-White says binary framework of gender is an outdated Western concept

Time of India

02-05-2025

In many Western societies, gender is often viewed through a binary framework—male and female—closely tied to one's biological sex. This perspective has been deeply ingrained through historical, religious, and social institutions. However, this binary understanding doesn't necessarily apply universally.
Recently,
Deborah Frances-White
, Guilty Feminist host, spoke about this in volumes in her book 'Six Conversations We're Scared to Have'. "There is a new visibility of trans, non-binary and gender-nonconforming people - and not just as punchlines on sitcoms, perceived as outliers who can be othered precisely because they don't conform to gender norms," she writes.
"Despite this new attention, gender-nonconforming people make up a very small minority of our society. And in order to see if there are meaningful lessons to be learned about the social progress of adoptees and gay people when it comes to this conversation, we need to ask, are gender-nonconforming people really a cohort who have always been with us and are currently marginalised?," she asks in her book.
The social construction of gender
by Taboola
by Taboola
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"There have always been people who exist outside of the Western
gender binary
. You may have heard that many Indigenous societies have people who identify as a 'third gender'. However, many scholars who belong to Indigenous cultures argue that the idea of a 'third' gender implies a Western binary that does not exist in Indigenous cultures in the first place. For there to be a third, we must begin with the concept of two, which isn't the assumption of most, if any, Indigenous societies," The Standard cites an extract from her book.
Anthropological studies have shown that numerous cultures recognize more fluid or entirely different gender constructs. For instance, some Indigenous cultures in North America acknowledge Two-Spirit individuals, who embody both masculine and feminine qualities. Similarly, the Bugis people of Indonesia recognize five distinct genders. These examples illustrate that the Western binary model of gender is not a global standard but rather one of many cultural interpretations.
The idea that gender is socially constructed is not new. Sociologists and gender theorists have long argued that gender roles and identities are shaped by societal expectations and cultural norms rather than being strictly determined by biology. This understanding allows for a more inclusive and flexible approach to gender, recognizing the diversity of human experiences and identities.
Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyěwùmí, a Nigerian sociologist, argues in her work "The Invention of Women" that the concept of gender as understood in the West was not present in Yoruba society prior to colonial influence. She posits that colonialism introduced and enforced a gendered hierarchy that previously did not exist in the same form. This perspective suggests that what many consider to be universal truths about gender are, in fact, culturally specific constructs that have been disseminated through historical processes like colonization.
"There are many models of thinking about gender"
This idea explores the fluidity and relativity of concepts like age and gender. It suggests that both are subjective and change depending on the context. For example, age can seem different depending on where you are and who you're comparing yourself to. Being a twelve-year-old might seem mature in the context of a primary school, but in other situations, it could seem very young. Similarly, being seventy years old might be considered quite young in a retirement community, but in other settings, it might be seen as old.
The same concept applies to gender, which is often defined by societal labels like "man" or "woman." However, these labels don't always reflect the complexity and diversity of people's lived experiences. Gender identity is not always straightforward and can shift or evolve based on how someone feels or how society perceives them. Just as age isn't a fixed point but rather something relative to different perspectives, gender can be viewed along a spectrum, where individuals may find themselves somewhere in between or outside the traditional categories. The idea is that just as age is understood in relation to context and perception, gender too can be experienced in ways that go beyond rigid definitions.
"We have lots of concepts like this. Colours are dark or light on sliding scales. Is the music high or low? Loud or soft? Some people are more 'masculine' and some people are more 'feminine', and some are a (sometimes changing) blend, and that doesn't necessarily correlate with body parts," she explains.