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1800-1900c. (Period of Enlightenment) also known as modernity-- is largely the reason we have the gender performative roles we have today. With the developement and the continual evolution of: maths, astronomy, science, time and the polemic charts( the grid), the divide between man and nature became increasingly wider. Man (supposedly) could control and so did control nature (so the introduction of industry, cities, time, maps etc etc.) Religion and god were pushed to the side--along with superstition from the medieval era-- Anatomically (Latin) before the Enlightenment man and woman were asigned the same "named" body parts....men=penis, women=inverted penis, men=gonads, women=inverted gonads. I was amazed at this information. There is a diagram..I can't remember the name of it though (sorry). So it is true that with the establishment of medicine female body parts were eventually re-named--and the event of birth gave women a place within nature. So our cultural narratives came to be; men "controlled" nature = men "controlled" women. All subjects viewed as masculine, therefore controlling the outer world were considered masculine: knowledge, landscape (property), wealth etc. All feminine aspects of nature were atributted to females: birth, beauty, "natural" land, peace, superstition etc. (which is were the idea of witches came in, herbs, mid-wives etc). So I agree birth and the biological functions of women have a lot to do with the gender roles we perform today. The Postmodern expulsion of metanarratives are gradually changing the gender roles, our subjectivities are changing. I think the most important thing to remember is that we are born with a sex and we are given a gender to perform.
""Of men, wealth, laws a solid frame, A place where every wise man goes: GOPLACIA is now my name.""
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