ABSTRACT
In contemporary Western theory, gender is defined as a social construction related to, but often not fully dependent on, the biological differences between birth sexes. Modern and contemporary Western society has tended to treat gender as a binary distinction between man and woman, but there is a growing awareness of a more diverse array of options. Feminism has meant a number of different things in Western history and continues to evolve as a concept: in broadest terms, it seeks to adjust the relationships between women and men and between women and the world. Theorizing gender in theatre is thinking about socially constructed relationships about gender as a performance, about the biases in theatrical structures, and about equality of representation. When applied specifically to women, these concerns fall under the broad category of feminism. The chapter emphasizes the diversity of comments on gender being made and the openness of world theatre to gender-based criticism.
