I have chosen to do a post on a supplementary article that I happened to chance upon, the works of Kessler and McKenna, Gender: an ethnomethodological approach. I have chosen to do so because Kessler and McKenna play a crucial role in denaturalizing gender constructs as well as systematically challenging the conventional natural attitudes towards gender. I also thought this would be a good topic to cover as they have been mentioned in some of our compulsory reading texts. Their concept of gender attribution serves to demonstrate the idea that sex is nothing independent of gender. I will attempt to briefly outline a few salient ideas in their works, paying special attention to their concept of gender attribution and show how it maintains its relevance even in contemporary times.

The concept of gender attribution refers to the idea that sex carries no meaning independent of gender (Kessler & McKenna 1978). The concept raises the idea that while biology determines our sex it does not determine the gendered identity and roles that we take on and perform. It also concerns the manner in which we categorize any person into either being male or female almost subconsciously. Simply put, gender attribution serves to be the foundation for comprehending gender. Kessler and McKenna have noted that gender attribution has been largely dismissed as being natural. The notion that gender roles and identity are naturally determined by sex is examined next.

In the greater framework of Kessler and McKenna’s research is the idea that gender is seen as natural and they question the ‘naturalness’ of gender as well as how it is formed (Kessler & McKenna 1978). In questioning the naturalness of gender they inadvertently question the sustaining androcentric realities which has perpetuated itself through history. The authors have attempted to separate the natural and prescriptive attitude towards gender in order to understand how gender is formed in everyday life. These insights into gender would help in better understanding why it is deemed as natural in the first place.

Several of the natural prescriptive attitudes highlighted by the authors include the idea that there are only two genders and any deviation from this is not taken seriously (Kessler & McKenna 1978). Every single person must be classified according to these two genders and that the dichotomy between men and woman are natural as well as membership to a gender group is only natural. In highlighting these seemingly simple and natural processes, the authors have allowed for the creation of an alternate framework in understanding gender. Gender attribution ties in with the idea that gender is so deeply entrenched that it is often performed and left unquestioned therefore making it appear to be natural.

I would also like to spend a few sentences talking about why Kessler and McKenna are significant to me. I would like to highlight that till today they have not received much recognition for their contributions to gender despite it being novel and significant. Their research also served to challenge many ideas that were very prominent at the time, arguing that sex was not the sole determinant of everything. The writings were also published during the second feminist revival where research on gender was still very much in its formative stages. This is in some regards, an attempt to give credit to the innovative works of two brilliant thinkers.

Kessler, J. S. & McKenna, W. 1978. Gender: an ethnomethodological approach. New York: Wiley.