Doing Dress and the Construction of Women's Gender Identity

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to build on and strengthen the understanding that occupation is central to the creation and expression of identity. The first goal is to explore the ubiquity of dress in Western society, as well as its seemingly mundane presence in daily life. The complexities and nuances of this occupation are explored. The second goal is to examine the occupation of ‘doing dress’ through the lens of women's gender identity. The authors utilize the specific lens of women's gender identity due to the significance of dress as a marker of gender identity. This article concludes with the need for more studies and analyses in occupational science that focus on dress and its importance to identity.

Key Words:

• Occupation
• Dress
• Identity
• Women's gender