The Discoursal Construction of Gender

Abstract

In this chapter I address some issues of gender and discourse which I feel receive insufficient attention in the literature. I look mainly at the notion of construction in relation to discourse and gender, assuming that discourse constructs gender in some sense. I also consider performance, assuming that discourse can be actively used, and discourses produced, to perform gender. A third assumption is that the concepts of construction and performance are related, but not the same thing. A fourth is that both can be achieved in speech and in writing. I also consider how claims of construction and performance might be empirically supported.