The Sex Hierarchy Creates Gender

In her 1999 Preface to Gender Trouble, Butler stresses the connection between sex inequality and gender: as soon as a male/female distinction is made, the “woman” is created as a subordinate to man, and the performative acts that support this dominance are created. Additionally, Butler identifies the place of sexuality in this relationship: since the “woman” exists as the object over which the male dominates, the creation of gender entails the support of a heteronormative framework. Thus, Butler claims, the male/female categorization of bodies cannot be made without creating a woman/man dichotomy in which the woman suffers, and the expectation that “woman” and “man” exist to be heterosexual beings.