Are the differences between gender differences socially defined or genetic (biologically based)?

Answer 1

Some are biological (such as different build and physical body) others are reinforced by society.

Answer 2

It depends on the society that you live in. There are gender differences when children are really small and they seem biological eg. boys always seem to prefer to play with guns and girls with dolls or whatever.
However, as time passes by if the society permits for men and women to do what they want, for example women are able to be in the army and men can take up jobs which are normally seen as feminine jobs or whatever then this gender difference disappears. But, if society does not permit that then it will remain and people may hold beliefs such that women can't go into the army, men can't take care of children and only women can do that and so on.

Answer 3

As always, when dealing with nature-nurture questions, the correct answer is that both have a great deal of influence. We're not empty vessels or sponges that passively take in everthing that the environment "feeds" us. And we're not perfectly determined by our genes or bodies, either. Rather, it's both a mix, and the interaction between these influences that shape who we are, including the difference between sexes. And sometimes, the differences can be blurred, either because of genetics, or because of a given contexts or experiences. A person can also sometimes decide for oneself how "masculine"/"feminine" one will be.

Answer 4

I'm sure you already know girls and boys are different, physically.

But socially, I am convinced everything is nurtured - and not genetic.

When a baby is born, do you treat a girl and boy differently?

Do girls and boys interact differently with adults?

Do girls and boys learn how to play different games from each other?

Are girls and boys taught to make different decisions in life?

The answer is yes to all.

There is no way that a girl and boy can grow up identically in a social way! That would be taboo!

Also note, humans are not pre-programmed (like ants). Everything we know – is learned from infancy to the grave.

Answer 5

Most of the traditional socially defined differences have disappeared.

Answer 6

Yes, if girls are female and boys are male, this is probably genetic.
Men have more upper body strength than women--genetic
Men think deductively; women think inductively-most likely genetic.
Men are usually more aggressive--testosterone poisoning in some instances-genetic
Women are usually more protective of their children--genetic in probably all species except sea horses.
Just a few ideas here.