Gender Communication- Personal

Personal:
This past year I was president of an organization called “Big Sisters” at my school. Big Sisters is the largest female community service organization at my school. As I looked back at my experience, I realized that in order to fulfill my role, I had to possess both masculine and feminine qualities. This would make me androgynous. I understood that I needed to maintain order within the group, so I had to become a more assertive individual. When another girl would step into my “territory”, I had a higher need for dominance. I thoroughly enjoyed talking in front of a big group because I felt very powerful. After my experience as being president, I have found that I now crave responsibility and leadership. Both of these qualities have been defined by society to be more masculine. Though as a female, I also felt the need to be nurturing towards the girls when things became difficult. If one girl explained to me that her week had been filled with tests, I would often let her off the hook when it came to fulfilling her required hours. If someone approached me and seemed troubled, I picked up on it quickly and became kinder to that individual. If a problem arose, I would sometimes back away from the situation. Though looking back, I can remember many times that I became more argumentative because of my position. It was common for me to not implement rules because it caused confrontation, and I cared deeply about my relationships with the girls. During this time, I also had a Co-president, Sophie. She and I worked together in a very positive manner. Most of my actions were performed to better our relationship. At times, I would also take things into my own hands because I wanted to be seen as the better president. This is something that society expects from a man because they have a need for dominance. Our shirts for Big Sisters were hot pink, which further emphasized the fact that we were an all female organization. I can only conclude that I have been shaped socially because I too believe that males and females posses different qualities. I also believe though, that my performance was purely based on my individual qualities and not my feminine or masculine characteristics.