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Gender Roles In Karhide: The Gethenian Social Standard

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Gender Roles In Karhide: The Gethenian Social Standard
The Gethenian social standard regarding relationships in Coming of Age in Karhide is a mirror opposite of the norms prominent in modern society. The androgynous makeup of Gethenians allows Le Guin to shatter an outsider’s perspective of binary gender roles. Traditionally, it has been important to know who the father of a child is. Yet, in Le Guin’s short story, children rarely know who their “getter” is. Additionally, individuals can go through periods of kremmer experiencing both the female and male sex, preventing gender roles from being predisposed onto Gethenians. With the constraints of gender gone, Le Guin can create a world were having multiple sexual partners is encouraged, and a world that allows the acceptance of both heterosexual

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