Abstract: In the 1970s, gender theory emerged under the influence of the research of the American psychoanalyst Robert Stoller. Scholars in women studies who rely on gender theory focused on the social construction of gender identity, elaborating on how the discourse around men and women shape masculinity and femininity, and how masculinity and femininity construct the  hierarchy of men and women. Under the influence of gender theory, researchers conducted research in four areas: the analysis of symbolic images, the construction of different disciplines, the distinction of social roles and the internalization of value systems. Gender theory also prompts us to accept the generalized power and ignore the function of contexts, leading to the narrow-mindedness, rigidity and stereotyping in women studies.   

Key words: sex, gender, women studies, generalized power