Gender and the Meaning of Difference

Abstract

This chapter tries to rethink the psychology of gender from the vantage point of constructivism and deconstruction. It examines various constructions of gender and identifies the problems associated with the predominant meaning of gender, that of male-female difference. The chapter shows how a deconstructive approach can reveal alternative meanings associated with gender. Constructivism challenges the scientific tradition of positivism, which holds that reality is fixed and can be observed directly, uninfluenced by the observer. From a constructivist standpoint, the real nature of male and female cannot be determined. Constructivism focuses our attention on representations of gender rather than on gender itself. The view of male and female as different and opposite and thus as having mutually exclusive qualities transcends Western culture and has deep historical roots. Male-female difference is a problematic and paradoxical way to construe gender.