Discovering the Answers: The Research Process

Before starting this inquiry process, I assumed that researching gender and gender roles would be rather simple; it seems to be a hot topic these days, so I thought that would mean there would be lots of information on the subject. Nope. I've noticed that since everyone has a gender of some sort, most articles are very biased and were created with the intent to influence the reader in one way or another.

(http://chrissanders.org/2017/01/know-your-bias-2-anchoring/)

Knowing this, I've stuck as hard as I can to the C.R.A.A.P outline to insure that all of the information I use is as unbiased as humanly possible. I've found multiple university studies on gender and its biological roots. These studies are grounded heavily in facts and less in opinions, which many other sources tend to use to flavour their articles. I've also tried my absolute hardest to only use articles written in the 2010s, which lets me get relevant and recent information while still giving me some leeway.

While researching, I've found a lot of information about transgenderism. I do take it into account, but I also make sure that it doesn't overwhelm my project, as transitioning from one gender into another is not the focus of my ISU, even though it provides fresh perspective to the notion of gender and gender roles.

(https://giphy.com/gifs/gender-p3FD4OPzUtSG4)

When checking to see if websites are reliable, I check to see if the opinion I form at the end of reading is mine or the authors. If I'm able to pull someone else's opinion from an article, that's generally a pretty large red flag that the piece I'm reading is biased. When finding websites, I also check to make sure that every website is a .edu, .org, .gc.ca, .gov, or a source that I already trust, like National Geographic.

When it comes to tracking my information, I opened up the Notes application on my computer and post each link along with a brief description of what the link leads to. In general, I tend to not properly cite all of my sources until near the end when I have them all. It's just easier for me, and in the past it's worked pretty well.

(http://legallydrawn.com/blog/2009/7/31/my-reliable-sources-have-confirmed-that.html)

Although it still feels fairly early in the inquiry process, I still wish I had done more research earlier. I have had a very busy past week with a lot of family events getting me taken away from doing schoolwork at home, so I really haven't had any time to sit down and research for a solid portion of time. If I were to do the ISU research again, I'd want to do it at a time where I wasn't extremely busy for some of the most crucial parts of the inquiry process. It's unfortunate, since it was specifically last week when I was busy, but I think I'll be able to catch up now that I have some more free time.

Overall, I'm interested to see this project develop into something greater, and it's kind of cool to see how many other people, universities, and organizations have dedicated their lives to providing information on the topic of gender. I have to thank them, since without them my project would be solely based on opinions and assumptions, and I hope to see where I can go with their information from here. I can't wait to keep going.

(http://imgur.com/gallery/Bjj4yWC)

Finding a Direction: The Research Question

The world is a strange place. From birth, we are given a role that we are raised to play based on our genitals. We're given personality traits, interests, certain clothing, hair length, and even colours that we must adhere to in order to fit in. But why?

Society as a whole loves to put people into boxes. People are lazy, and making assumptions about other people is simply easier. Because of this, we unfortunately create stereotypes, preconceived notions about other people based on certain factors, which harm everyone. A perfect example of this is gender and gender roles.

(https://www.theodysseyonline.com/lets-debunk-traditional-gender-roles)

People often see gender as very binary. Only girls can like dancing, only boys can like cars. Only girls can sew, only boys can fight. Girls are confusing, boys are oblivious. The list goes on and on. That's awfully restrictive, and at this point in time, rather pointless.

I chose my question because gender is something that affects everyone, including myself. We are all praised for the stereotypes we align with, and shamed for the ones we do not. I know this all too well. In general, I have much more stereotypically feminine interests than I do masculine. I love baking, I know how to crochet, I like pink, scented candles are amazing, and I'm very interested in design.

(https://vintagetraveler.tumblr.com/post/155659912742)

It's not easy to defy social convention in public, or even at home for that matter. People are always ready to judge, and just the thought of that is enough to set me off from acting [even more] feminine [than I do now]. I change the way I act around people to seem more normal, and there comes a time when you just have to stop and ask yourself: Why? 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GBT37_yyzY)

I felt compelled to do the question: "Are gender roles still valid in modern society?" as soon as I heard about the project. I often feel so forced into a box that it's suffocating, and the idea of gender and what a male must be is always lingering in the back of my mind when I make decisions. In fact, the only reason I was hesitant to do this question in the first place was because I felt that I wasn't the best spokesperson for this question. I'm not trans. I don't wear makeup. I don't challenge gender every single day and scream injustice whenever someone feels less-than because of their gender. Who am I to talk about gender?

That's when I realized that that's what made it such a good question. Everyone suffers from gender roles. Not just the trans community, or women, or those who openly challenge the people who try to define them every single day. The idea of gender is a spectrum, and every single person on the spectrum is hurt by a forced gender binary. I don't think people should have to hide themselves to seem more normal, I think we should accept people because of their differences, not despite them.

(http://itspronouncedmetrosexual.com/2015/03/the-genderbread-person-v3/#sthash.HXyttGTc.dpbs)

In my research, I hope to discover that society does, or will soon, share my opinion that gender roles have become outdated, and that we as people need to be more open and accepting of our differences; because, as much as we don't like to hear it, people can't live their entire lives in boxes.