Doing Gender: Journal Article by Candace West and Don H. Zimmerman

Contexts & frameworks

The article “Doing Gender” by West and Zimmerman provides a foundational understanding of how gender is constructed through social interactions. It introduces critical frameworks that help analyze the interactional nature of gender and its implications for societal norms and power relations.

Sociological Roots and Ethnomethodology

West and Zimmerman’s article “Doing Gender” (1987) emerges from the sociological tradition, especially ethnomethodology, which studies how social order is produced in everyday interactions. They argue that gender is not a fixed trait but an ongoing accomplishment people perform during social interactions. This approach shifts focus from biology or institutions to the micro-level actions where gender is enacted and evaluated. The article differentiates sex, sex category, and gender to clarify how gender is actively constructed, not just assigned at birth.

Interactional Basis and Accountability

The core idea behind doing gender is that gender is a routine, interactional accomplishment requiring constant work. People must "do gender" to be recognized as a man or woman, engaging in behaviors culturally associated with their sex category. This process is unavoidable; individuals are held accountable for their gender performance according to social norms. The concept highlights the omnipresence of gender across social settings and its role in reinforcing social hierarchies and inequalities. West and Zimmerman emphasize that gender is both an individual and institutional accomplishment, deeply embedded in social relationships and power dynamics. Their framework builds on earlier sociological insights while extending feminist and poststructuralist critiques of fixed gender categories.

Influence on Feminist Theory and Research

“Doing Gender” critically influenced feminist theory by reframing gender as a dynamic social process rather than a biological or static role. This perspective opened new avenues for studying how people negotiate gender norms and identities in various contexts. It challenged essentialist views of gender and underlined the significance of performance, accountability, and social setting. By emphasizing the interactional and institutional dimensions of gender, West and Zimmerman’s work has shaped research on gender inequality, identity, and power structures, becoming a foundational concept across sociology, gender studies, and related fields.

Key themes

• Gender is a routine social accomplishment performed in everyday interaction.
• Sex, sex category, and gender are analytically distinct concepts influencing gendered behavior.
• Doing gender involves accountability to societal norms about masculinity and femininity.
• Gender is interactionally produced, not a fixed trait or biological destiny.
• The performance of gender reinforces the social order, including gender inequality.
• Gender is omnipresent and relevant in all social situations, shaping identity and power.

Motifs & problems

The article uses gender performance as a central image, highlighting how everyday actions—clothing, speech, posture—act as "identificatory displays" that continually create and reaffirm gender categories. The interpretive crux lies in understanding that these performances are not mere expressions of innate differences but active social constructions that maintain the appearance of natural gender binaries. This sheds light on how gender is sustained through interactions and how "doing gender" positions individuals within systems of power and inequality.

Study questions

• How do West and Zimmerman distinguish sex, sex category, and gender?
• In what ways is gender "done" during social interaction?
• Why is the concept of accountability crucial in doing gender?
• How does the theory challenge biological determinism of gender?
• What role does routine social interaction play in sustaining gender inequalities?
• Can "doing gender" ever be avoided in social contexts? Why or why not?
• How might this approach inform efforts to change gender norms?
• What are the implications of seeing gender as interactionally produced rather than inherent?

Critical approaches & debates

West and Zimmerman's "Doing Gender" is foundational in feminist and interactionist scholarship for framing gender not as a fixed trait but as a social performance continually enacted in daily interactions. Feminist readings emphasize its challenge to biological determinism and its focus on accountability within gendered institutions. Marxist and intersectional critiques argue that it insufficiently addresses structural power imbalances and the intersections of race and class, emphasizing the need to integrate broader systemic inequalities beyond micro-level interactions. Postcolonial scholars question its western-centric assumptions, calling for more nuanced cultural contexts. The debate centers on balancing agency and structure in gender production.

Key passages

A pivotal passage explains that doing gender "is not always to live up to normative conceptions of femininity or masculinity; it is to engage in behavior at the risk of gender assessment". This highlights that gender is an accountable social performance embedded in interactions, making it unavoidable in societies that enforce binary sex categories, thus shifting gender from essence to process.

Bibliography

West, Candace, and Don H. Zimmerman. “Doing Gender.” Gender & Society, vol. 1, no. 2, 1987, pp. 125-151. DOI:10.1177/0891243287001002002. Foundational ethnomethodological study.
West, Candace, and Sarah Fenstermaker. “Doing Difference.” Gender & Society, 1995. Extends the framework to intersectionality.
Fenstermaker, Sarah. “Doing Gender.” Major Reference Works, 2007. Overview and critical summary of the concept.