Since I was my diplomatic team’s gender equality expert, it fell to me to explain the difference between ‘gender roles’ and ‘biology’ to a Russian diplomat. I chose the example of dogs. I explained that female and male dogs do not disclose different behavioural traits (gender) according to their biological sex. The Russian diplomat responded by telling me they had kept many female and male dogs in their time. The female dogs, according to the Russian diplomat, were always needy and emotional. By contrast, the male dogs were always strong, and never barked except when someone threatened their owner.
Source: Twitter (@DecodingTrolls)
The anecdote is both funny and diagnostic. The author, serving as his diplomatic team’s gender equality expert, tried to explain the difference between gender and biology using the most neutral example imaginable — dogs. The Russian diplomat’s response was to gender the dogs: female dogs are “needy and emotional,” male dogs are “strong.” The gender lens is not optional when engaging with Russian counterparts — it is baked into how they perceive everything, including animals.
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