Do you know what gender envy is?
This post promises to put you through.
We live in a society where, whether we want it or not, women must try harder to achieve something.
Sometimes, even performing the same professional work, they must show that they are more valid than men to keep the job.
Their skills, resistance, assertiveness, negotiation skills, availability, ingenuity, are put into observation.
Oftentimes, the female gender looks at those skills that other people demonstrate and that they have not worked on themselves.
It is a common aspect that leads to gender envy, which should undoubtedly invite us to reflect.
What Is Gender Envy?
Gender envy is a phrase used by trans people to mean the very idea of envying a specific style, look or experience in terms of gender.
We can describe it as that feeling, accompanied by envy for a certain gender.
Gender envy occurs because you wish you could present your gender in the same way that they do.
Envy is seeing that others achieve the recognition that we do not get by doing the same.
It is also not having the skills that other people demonstrate and that are lacking.
Origin Of Gender Envy
The term gender envy originated from one of the famous concepts proposed within Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis, specifically within his theory of psychosexual development and female sexuality, which is the idea of ”penis envy” or “pensineid”.
According to Freud, it would be a feeling that arises in girls when they discover that they are not anatomically the same as boys, seeing that they do not have a penis.
It often occurs in young girls with the desire to possess male genitalia.
Gender envy, specifically in females is mainly related to those cultural and educational aspects that have sometimes placed them in a situation of inferiority compared to the male gender.
Is it perhaps different from what men experience?
As curious as it may be to us, some studies give us interesting data.
For example, the male gender is known to feel upset when someone rivals him in status and power.
In most cases, gender envy indicates the following:
- It is a phenomenon that every human being experiences towards the opposite gender and that often arises unconsciously.
- It is also a repressed emotion that we try to hide even from ourselves.
- Likewise, and in the case of women, envy is another aspect of those cultural burdens, the product of several centuries of contempt and exploitation to which gender has been subjected.
Gender Envy in The Feminine
Envy in the feminine is in the repertoire of the excluded.
It is not talked about, and even the women themselves avoid recognizing these internal processes in themselves.
More, about these instances, have been mentioned above, but also, the female gender experiences this reality regularly within the family when parents value male siblings more highly.
This will eventually lead to gender envy.
Gender envy in men
In the case of men, they show higher scores in the aspect of that envy centered on status.
Still, unlike men, hostility between women is generally harmless.
Most times, it seems there’s more of what the male gender envy in the opposite gender such as:
- Free expression of their emotions when they feel bad.
- The comfort and support they get during their unpleasant moments, compared to men.
- Their multitasking ability: being able to handle different tasks at a time.
- The absence of baldness.
- Their ability to live longer, among others.
These are what men either admire or envy in the feminine.
Envy is not exactly feeling distressed because another has something that we do not possess, be it’s an object, a state, or a condition.
Women do not envy more than men and vice versa.
We all experience this reality.
Gender envy works rather on the logic of wanting the satisfaction that the opposite gender experiences.
Having the knowledge about gender envy and how it originates, can help us understand ourselves better and how we see others.