Identity

Identity & Gender/Geography

According to Valentine Moghadam, “Identities can be formed in connection with available opportunities, resources and audiences” (21). How an individual comprehends himself or herself can depend on what is available to them in life. When considering a persons gender, Western society recognizes gender to be a binary concept: male and female (Fausto-Sterling 1). Everything we do in life is assigned a gender on the basis of the male/ female binary, and living comfortably outside of what is accepted under this gender binary can often be difficult to achieve. Certain identities fail to achieve their full potential based on the binary, and what is considered socially accepted. According to Domosh and Seager, women's works is often domesticated, and “out of the “public” sphere (40, 43). If identities are formed based on what’s available in life, then based on this statement women don’t have the same opportunities as men and therefore their identities are limited to social standards.

Intersectionality also plays a part in identity formation. When various systems of oppression come together, it can form a privileged or disadvantaged identity. In the film “Paris is Burning”, one of the commentators mentioned that being gay is already at a disadvantage for employment, but being a black and gay man is even more detrimental. Systems of oppression and the relationship an individual has with them, also plays a major part in comprehension of the self, and the opportunities that identity has in life.