Column:

Gender identity impacts the workplace

By Erica Zucco

Published Oct. 23, 2009

I've never thought of myself as someone who purposefully performs gender.

I act, talk, dress and behave, for the most part, like a woman is expected to — but I've never really specifically identified as a woman.

I guess other statuses have always been more important to me. Journalist. Friend. Student. There was never really time or necessity to think about the female part, and even when I did, I rarely had to try to play the part. I just was.

For one of my classes I read an article about how a transgender woman puts on her make-up every morning and does her best to consciously perform characteristics Western culture expects out of the female gender: crossing her legs, taking up as little space as possible, not speaking up over a room full of "men." After I'd finished my homework, I went to get ready for a shift at the TV news station where I report. I applied the standard two coats of foundation, powder, copious blush, two shades of eye shadow, eyeliner, lipstick and lip gloss, and it hit me — I perform gender for a living.

Well, I don't get paid yet, so it's not exactly a living. And when I do get paid, I plan to report for a living, not perform gender. But that performance is still a part of my job. Make-up itself represents roots in gender -- blush and lipstick were in some cultures originally meant to simulate arousal, making the women who wear them desirable. For me, this isn't problematic. If I have to identify my gender, I'd identify as female and I don't think anyone would argue. But for other people, it isn't so easy.

This isn't a big tirade against the evils of cosmetics or TV news. I like TV news and cosmetics are fine. But even if you choose not to perform conventional gender when at home our out with friends, there are some workplaces where it's almost necessary. How often do you see a gender-neutral television reporter or anchor? Sometimes, but here's the thing: Business casual clothing or even more so, suits, are made to either make a "man" look bigger, more imposing and masculine, or to make a woman look classy and powerful, but still soft and feminine.

I won't be the 1,000th person to discuss the patriarchal structure of the American workplace, but I will bring up a piece of advice a woman at a women's leadership conference imparted a couple weeks ago.

"Don't always take the notes, and if they ask you to go get coffee for a meeting, say no." What she meant was as the only woman in a meeting full of men, you'll be expected to perform secretarial duties and you should set a standard of not doing that. A lot of the work-age women in the conference echoed her advice.

There's a group of students and faculty members working to make gender identity and expression part of MU's non-discrimination policy. If the proposals are approved, it could be a step forward for the freedom to express ourselves the way we want to, whether we're accidentally (or purposefully) performing expected genders. We might not have complete security in our first workplaces, but this is a step in the right direction — if a large and influential university reminds us our gender status is significant in terms of identity but non-discriminatory of a person's worth, maybe companies with a business casual dress code will be next.