Eduardo Ochoa-Campa
What are your definitions of "man" and "woman?"
I find it hard to define what a man and a woman is. Honestly, I just think of a man as a person with a penis, and a woman as a person with, of course, a vagina. I mean, isn't that enough? The reason why we call a man a man and a woman and a woman is to differentiate them by their gender, so why add any more "definition?"
Are there any specific gender roles that you think should be there? Are there any you wish did not exist?
I strongly believe that our society should be gender role free. I grew up with a single mother who had to play both gender roles set by our society, so I've always believed that men and women should be able to do whatever and think in any way they feel, and that they should never be limited.
Do you conform to the society's gender expectations? Is there anything you do that is not usually associated with your gender? If you do conform, is it more because society expects you to or because you identify with the expectations?
I do think I mostly conform to the gender roles set by our society, but not because I'm pressured into doing so, but because I'm fine with the expectations.
A lot of the time when it's socially acceptable for a man to expose his chest, a woman has to cover hers. Yet when it is socially acceptable for a woman to show her legs, arms, and cleavage (think dresses), the same is not acceptable for a man. What are your thoughts about these two situations?
Well the situations are definitely unfair, but are they really important? To me they're just superficial. What is important about the effects of gender roles is how they affect people's perspective.
In many cases, women and girls are encouraged to embrace their masculine side, while feminine men and boys are looked down upon by society. What do you think about this? Why do you think femininity is seen as less than masculinity? How does this relate to discrimination in the workplace?
What you've said here is very true. I think femininity is seen as less than masculinity because femininity is characterized as a weakness, as a thing that get's you nowhere in life, and as a thing that only makes you pretty and girly. This leads to discrimination in the workforce because people who are seen as weak and only pretty aren't desirable as workers. On the other hand masculinity is characterized as a strong thing, which is desirable in workers.
Is it important to make the world a more welcoming place for gender nonconforming people? If so, how can this be done?
It really is an important thing to make this world a better place for gender role non conforming people. I think that the only way to do this though is the way it has been so far; through social reform.
