The fa'afafine's role in society is much based on the idea that they can do the work
of women, it is just they have the strength of the men. This third gender plays a key
and interesting role in the early stages of Samoan culture. Although this idea that
it is the youngest male sibling that ends up the fa'afafine, it is an odd coincidence
that generally in a large families the 3rd or 4th male born, are born homosexual. Is
this something that is a learned behavior?, or is it a innate behavior? that the child
is awaiting to let out. If this is just a Samoan cultural thing why does this occur
in the outside world and that it is not accepted as a norm. The only difference is
the idea of the fa'afafine, which is the third gender identity to which they cannot
intermingle with other fa'afafine's themselves, only straight men. This is because they
dress, act, and behave as women and in turn are treated in this third gender category.
One factor of this fa'afafine phenomenon is that this third gender of the Samoan culture
is that it completely fabricated by the culture and the family of the young male who
is being brought up. Some situations the boy does not want to part take in becoming a
fafafini and in terms of happening in today's culture and society it is much more
accepted for the young males to have choice, but back in the day he would have to
become a fafafini no matter what. The fa'afafine's role are the basic duties a woman
has just their strength capabilities exceed that of a woman. This Samoan subculture
is slowly dying due to the pressing norms that society creates.
