B”H

Gender: Biology or
Society?
TAL ELGAOI

Writing 303

Due: 02/08/11

Cover page
 Why are most males more aggressive than most females? Why are women more likely to enter
“nurturing” occupations? Are they just born that way? Biology certainly plays a big role in our lives. Biologically, a
woman has two X chromosomes but, a man has just one X as well as a Y chromosome. Does this biological
difference control our behavior? Does it make females more nurturing and submissive and men more aggressive
and dominant?

Before we’re even born, our parents prepare for our arrival into the world. Depending on our gender,

they prepare clothes with specific colors to “match” our gender. For example the baby room, they chose a specific

paint color, furniture, accessories, etc. but it all depends on the gender of the child they are expecting. We are

then born into this world full of expectations as to how we should behave, think, dress, etc. However, our

biological contents vary as well. Men and women are born with different body types. Men are stronger and faster,

women are more flexible and can bare babies.

So, does gender have to do with our biological content or society? By nature, men and women have some

biological differences but, it is life experiences that reinforced or contradict these differences. Through society,

men and women are taught different appropriate behaviors for their gender. Depending if we are male or female

society has traits which are ready for us to act upon. In our culture men are to prefer blue, use more mind and less

emotion while, women are to prefer pink, use more emotion and less logic, be more nurturing and have the

primary responsibility for taking care of home and family.

People are likely to appreciate girls' cuteness and boys' achievements. For example, a girl may receive the

comment, "You look so pretty!" for the outfit she is wearing. While this compliment isn't harmful in itself, repeated

over and over the message the girl gets is that she is most appreciated for her looks, not for what she can do. Boys,

on the other hand, are praised for what they can do "Aren't you a big boy, standing up by yourself!" Many parents

encourage and expect boys to be more active and to be rougher in their play than girls. A boy who does not like

rough play (and so goes against the gender role he has been assigned) may be labeled a "sissy." A girl who prefers

active play to more passive pursuits may be called a "tomboy." Children look to their parents for examples and role

models. If a girl sees her mother taking part in physical activities, for example, she will grow up with the idea that

it's okay for girls to play sports. If a boy sees his father helping to take care of the new baby, he will integrate this

image of "daddy as care giver" into his developing definition of masculinity. But just as parents can provide positive

role models, they too can serve as negative role models. For example, children who grow up with parents who are
in an abusive relationship have been found to repeat the same pattern as adults: male children of abusive

husbands often grow up to abuse their own wives, and daughters of abused wives can grow up to be victims of

domestic violence, because their parents have shown them that this is "normal."

As preschoolers, they use some sexual stereotypes to help them differentiate between men and women--

for example, to a preschooler, long hair may mean "female" and short hair, "male." Another influence and

reinforcement of gender roles comes from the toys children play with. During their infancy and toddlerhood,

children get most of their toys from parents and other family members; their choice of toys supports their own

view of gender roles. For example, parents may give their little girl a doll to sleep with, while the boy gets a teddy

bear. A grandparent may give a grandson a toy truck but never consider giving the same to a granddaughter. Such

gifts set children up early on for the roles they are expected to play.

As they get older, children are influenced in their choice of toys by television. Remote-controlled vehicles,

although they can be equally enjoyed by males or females, are generally targeted at boys by advertisers. Girls are

the advertising targets of the manufacturers of dolls, craft kits, and so on; advertisers are careful not to call boys'

toys "dolls" they're "action figures"! Again and again, we see toys and toy advertisement reinforcing the traditional

gender roles: boys are active and adventurous, while girls are passive and mothering. Parents need to be aware of

the messages TV advertisements and toys present to their children. Parents can reinforce sexual stereotypes,

whether deliberately or unwittingly. Not wanting to see a daughter fall and get hurt, a mother may forbid her from

climbing trees although her brother is allowed to do so with cheerful abandon, and his bumps and bruises are

taken in stride. Clothing manufacturers produce (and parents buy) clothing in gender neutral shades such as yellow

and green, but the traditional blue for boys and pink for girls are still favorites. Peer pressure is also a way of

reinforcing a culture's traditional gender roles. It can come in the form of taunting or teasing a child who does not

fit the traditional gender roles that other children in the peer group have been exposed to, even to the point of

excluding that child from group activities.

In conclusion, nature and nurture contribute to differences between men and women. Biologically, we are

born with different body types and hormones while socially, we are “trained” and expected to behave a certain

way. Societies have strict rules about activities, jobs and appearances which are based on deep-seated ideas about
what is appropriate for someone based on their gender. So, as we can see both biology is the starting point of

gender, but society is what carries it on throughout our life.