What will I learn about: Gender is best understood as a vast, shifting landscape rather than a fixed, objective binary of male and female?

Gender is best understood as a vast, shifting landscape rather than a fixed, objective binary of male and female.

What will I learn about: The traditional Western view of gender relies on reductive assumptions that conflate biological sex, identity, expression, and orientation?

The traditional Western view of gender relies on reductive assumptions that conflate biological sex, identity, expression, and orientation.

What will I learn about: A genderless society would still have biological variations but would assign them zero social significance or behavioral expectations?

A genderless society would still have biological variations but would assign them zero social significance or behavioral expectations.

What will I learn about: Historical cultures like the Yoruba demonstrate that seniority and other traits can be far more important than gender in determining social hierarchy?

Historical cultures like the Yoruba demonstrate that seniority and other traits can be far more important than gender in determining social hierarchy.

What will I learn about: To truly understand gender, we must first 'unload our baggage' by questioning what we consider to be natural, objective, or normal?

To truly understand gender, we must first 'unload our baggage' by questioning what we consider to be natural, objective, or normal.

She/He/They/Me

For the Sisters, Misters, and Binary Resisters

Robyn Ryle

★ 2.5 / 5(377 ratings)

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Society & Culture

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡How do historical examples like the ancient Greeks' 'one-gender' model or the Mohave people's 'three-gender' system challenge our modern understanding of a strict male/female binary?
💡If a matriarchal society isn't simply 'patriarchy in reverse' where women dominate men, what unique social and economic structures actually define it?
💡How does the medical treatment of intersex individuals—specifically the contrast between 'concealment-centered' and 'patient-centered' models—reveal the ways society rigidly imposes gender assignments at birth?

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Key Takeaways from She/He/They/Me

✓Gender is best understood as a vast, shifting landscape rather than a fixed, objective binary of male and female.
✓The traditional Western view of gender relies on reductive assumptions that conflate biological sex, identity, expression, and orientation.
✓A genderless society would still have biological variations but would assign them zero social significance or behavioral expectations.
✓Historical cultures like the Yoruba demonstrate that seniority and other traits can be far more important than gender in determining social hierarchy.
✓To truly understand gender, we must first 'unload our baggage' by questioning what we consider to be natural, objective, or normal.

Learning Tools

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Mind Map

She/He/They/Me

The Concept of Gender+

Societal Gender Structures+

Gender Norms & Socialization+

Power Dynamics+

The Individual Journey+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 9

According to the text, what is the primary flaw of the 'common sense' or traditional view of gender in modern Western society?

A. It fails to recognize that gender is solely determined by chromosomes and genetics.
B. It conflates biological sex, gender assignment, identity, expression, and sexual orientation into a single binary concept.
C. It assumes that gender norms can only be changed through extensive medical intervention.
D. It suggests that gender identity is entirely unrelated to physical anatomy and biology.

Question 2 of 9

How would a hypothetical 'genderless society' treat differences in human reproductive systems?

A. It would legally mandate that all individuals look and behave identically to eliminate physical differences.
B. It would use reproductive differences to assign social roles but withhold political power.
C. It would acknowledge physical differences but attach no social status or behavioral expectations to them.
D. It would surgically alter individuals at birth to ensure physical uniformity across the population.

Question 3 of 9

How did the ancient Greeks conceptualize gender, according to the text?

A. As a society with infinite genders based on individual behavior and personal expression.
B. As a society with three genders, including a specific gender-variant category for adolescents.
C. As a two-gender society where men and women were entirely distinct but equal human types.
D. As a one-gender society where women were viewed simply as inferior versions of men.

Question 4 of 9

What does the comparison between an 18th-century wealthy Southern man and a Northern artisan illustrate about gender norms?

A. Masculinity is an objective, unchanging biological trait across all human history.
B. Gender norms intersect with other dimensions of society like class, race, and regional culture.
C. Physical strength has always been universally prized as the ultimate masculine trait in America.
D. Historical societies were generally more patriarchal than modern 21st-century societies.

Question 5 of 9

What does the anthropological study of the Mundugumor and Arapesh tribes by Margaret Mead demonstrate?

A. Gender norms are human conventions that must be actively taught to children, rather than laws of nature.
B. All human societies naturally gravitate toward a patriarchal structure regardless of their location.
C. The concealment-centered model of gender assignment is a universal human practice.
D. Biological sex determines whether a society will be culturally aggressive or peaceful.

Question 6 of 9

Why does the text argue that Rwanda is not fully free of gender inequality, despite having a high percentage of women in its legislature?

A. Women are legally barred from participating in the country's economic markets.
B. The society remains strictly nonhierarchical, preventing women from exercising true authority.
C. Women in power are still expected to perform traditional subservient roles at home, such as domestic labor.
D. The government strictly enforces a concealment-centered model for all its citizens.

Question 7 of 9

What is a defining characteristic of the 'patient-centered model' for treating intersex infants?

A. Doctors immediately perform irreversible surgeries to match the infant's external genitalia to male or female norms.
B. The infant is assigned a provisional gender without irreversible procedures, allowing them to revise it later in life.
C. Medical records are hidden from the patient to prevent confusion about their gender identity as they grow up.
D. The infant is legally classified as 'agender' until they reach adulthood and can choose their own category.

Question 8 of 9

According to the text, what is 'heteronormativity'?

A. The assumption that a person's gender expression will always match their gender assignment.
B. The belief that being straight is the 'normal' or default sexual orientation.
C. The practice of dividing society into strictly male and female roles.
D. The worldview in which men and masculinity are seen as superior to women and femininity.

Question 9 of 9

Which of the following accurately describes the difference between a cisgender person and a transgender person, based on the text?

A. A cisgender person conforms to societal gender expressions, while a transgender person does not.
B. A cisgender person's biological sex, gender assignment, and gender identity align, while a transgender person's identity differs from their assignment.
C. A cisgender person is strictly heterosexual, while a transgender person can be pansexual or asexual.
D. A cisgender person supports the concealment-centered model, while a transgender person supports the patient-centered model.

She/He/They/Me — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
2The traditional view of gender is simplistic, reductive, and deeply problematic.
3There could be societies with no concept of gender at all.
4There could be societies with one, three, or even infinitely many genders.
5Two-gender societies can differ greatly based on their gender norms.
6Gender norms are passed on to children through gender socialization.
7A two-gender society may be patriarchal or matriarchal.
8Gender inequality appears in many different domains of social life.
9Matriarchy is more than patriarchy reversed, and real equality might mean going beyond two genders.
10For each person, the gender journey starts with a gender assignment.
11Gender assignments may be strictly enforced on individuals.
12Gender assignments can be applied more flexibly, allowing room for diverse gender identities.
13Gender expression and sexual orientation influence how each person experiences gender.

She/He/They/Me Summary & Overview

She/He/They/Me (2019) provides readers with a unique opportunity to explore the many concepts and phenomena of gender. Weaving anthropology, global history and gender studies into a fascinating blend of empirical information and theoretical speculation, author Robyn Ryle opens our eyes to the sheer vastness of the possible forms that gender can take.

Who Should Listen to She/He/They/Me?

People interested in fighting for a society that has more gender equality
Those seeking a deeper understanding of masculinity and femininity
Individuals interested in doing away with such dualities altogether

About the Author: Robyn Ryle

Robyn Ryle is a professor of sociology and gender studies at Hanover College in Indiana. She’s the author of the textbook Questioning Gender: A Sociological Exploration, and her academic writing about gender inequality has appeared in SAGE Publications’ Investigating Social Problems textbook and the Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexuality. For general audiences, her essays have appeared in Gawker, StorySouth and Little Fiction/Big Truths.

She/He/They/Me

If You're Curious About These Questions...

Listen to She/He/They/Me — Free Audiobook

Key Takeaways from She/He/They/Me

Learning Tools

Mind Map

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

She/He/They/Me — Full Chapter Overview

She/He/They/Me Summary & Overview

Who Should Listen to She/He/They/Me?

About the Author: Robyn Ryle

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