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What Does It Mean to Be a “Man” or a “Woman” in the Twenty-First Century? An Ethical Imperative for Public Administration

In the twenty-first century, the question at someone’s birth continues to be “is it a boy or is it a girl?” The indoctrination of baby girls continues with their receiving pink items and baby boys receiving blue items. This preoccupation with gender norms as a societal construct remains conventional in today’s culture. Examples of this phenomenon are pervasive and persistent. The divergent types of toys given to children are instructive: girls receive dolls, and boys receive action figures; girls receive play kitchens, and boys receive video games; girls receive makeup kits and boys receive toy guns. Gender-neutral toys, however, may provoke a healthier and better understanding of one’s own gender. Individuals who are born intersex defy gender norms. Nonetheless, intersex individuals generally are assigned a gender shortly after birth, as decided by a doctor and parent(s). This initial decision may result in later turmoil for developing individuals as they claim their own gender identity. Young boys throughout history have been given the message that boys don’t cry and that men are fearless, show no emotion, are strong and the protector of their family. Conversely, many girls still are given the message that they should not assume the same capacity of agency as boys, they should remain available for domestic tasks, and they continue to serve as the primary caregiver for children and aging parents. This special Public Integrity symposium invited proposals to address this concern in a rigorous examination of traditional gender roles and gender fluidity in a changing society. A variety of empirical topics was considered; for example: parenting a gender-neutral child, bringing up bisexuality in a relationship, is gender an ethical construct? Public Integrity received thirty submissions for the symposium. The following articles were selected after an extensive process of peer review.