The importance of role

It can be easy to forget the term gender role which is arguably the most important in the expression, identity and role triad. If someone fulfills a role, they are adopting a function which helps feed into their identity.

A mother is a role we normally associate with a genetic female but arguably all of the tasks that a mother performs aside from child birth could be done by someone who wasn't born genetically female. The role is adopted as a long term investment which reminds us how important this function can be.

We can think of a woman as also fulfilling a role in society, and see her as more than just what plumbing she was born with. There are nurturing qualities that a woman brings to the table relating to her essence that men are less prone to provide.

So when we reflect on gender and its impact in society we need consider all three: expression, identity and role. This is irrespective of the fact that some roles have tended to become increasingly decoupled from birth sex.