What do you think defines a "woman"? A "man"?

Question

In an era where we are recognizing the dis-asscociation of physical gender/sex vs. mental gender, what is a "woman"? If you are a male-to-female, you think of yourself as a woamn, but you may run into other definitions in society. For example, a MtF can never carry a baby, but does that make her any less a woman? And if we beleive that it does, are we then saying womanhood is defined by reproduction? Is a FTM any less a male for not being able to reporduce sperm? Are we more than "male" and "female" or are we just the some toalt of our parts?

Answer 1

Social expectation defines a "woman" and a "man", and people unto themselves, for themselves, might choose to define "woman" and "man" with their own set of expectations or social dynamics if they are aware that they may do this.

(Some people are aware of these things and choose not to attach a gender identity to themselves whatsoever; such as, "I constantly wish my parents had never put a gender on me (whether boy or girl), because gender doesn't say anything about me, it doesn't communicate anything that anyone might ever need to know about me. " (www.myspace.com/my_other_me).

Some say "trapped in a mans/womans body" however it is less common to hear something like "i'm an intersex person trapped in a mans/woman's body" because society doesn't expect it, doesn't produce and advertise emotional responses for it, and thus many sexes bounce within a polar, binary system of only two recognized sexes, largely due to the concept of a binary-only gender expectation system (man/woman).

In the same way, some people may decide to stop attaching "masculine" or "feminine" meanings to things if they have come to an awareness that these things are also subject to changing cultural expectations and thus are not intrinsically biological, but social concepts created by people of whom gather traits, and group them under a term attaching social meaning to them.

Answer 2

I think such distinctions are largely for society's comfort. You are what you feel you are. Defining who is "woman" by who can get pregnant is ludicrous, given the large number of women who cannot get pregnant (and not to mention all of us who simply don't wish to do so). And who is "man" by who can produce sperm? Well, there are lots of infertile men out there, too.

And don't get me started on most of the supposedly innate differences. I've known far more nurturing men than I have women. I love the hard sciences, and I was born and continue to identify as female. Statistically speaking, many things--like women's supposedly greater ability to read faces--are not all that far apart for either sex. Gender is a spectrum, not a binary.

For that matter, so is sex based on physical characteristics. For the not-insignificant number of intersex people in the world, the dividing line between "male" and "female" is fairly arbitrary.

Answer 3

Praise be to Allah Haraam is that for which the one who does it will be punished and the one who abstains from it will be rewarded, if the reason for his abstinence is following the prohibition of Allaah. 'i believe things like " love"(attraction to the opposite gender) is haram too(including loving your own wife/husband).Because it wil never benifit me in the hereafter,since its not a form of worship.And it makes you forget about Allah and hereafter.Noone is worthy of getting more attention then Allah!' 2nd part of your question: You misunderstood! Islam teaches us to be truthful and realistic. Usually, we love because of Allah and we hate because of Allah. Islam teaches us that a male and female can build up a good relationship founded on marriage. All those stories of media and movies are not helpful to make a person comply with the teachings of Islam. We do not say love is halal or haram because it is a feeling. Maybe it is not under control. You can judge what is under control. But people who fall in love are in many episodes away from the cleansed and pure atmosphere. Marriages that are usually good and lasting marriages are those that start at the least affection. That affection grows after marriage and maybe it will grow until the couples continue their companionship at the Jannah. And Allah knows the best! Jazakallah!

Answer 4

First of all, gender and sex are completely different: sex is the scientific definition of what you are---you either have male genitalia or female genitalia. Gender is the social definition we give ourselves----like feminine and masculine. Technically, a male-to-female person who has undergone complete surgery was a male sexually, now is a female sexually, but has always considered themself to be a "she" gender-wise. What you are talking about is the difference between transgendered and transsexual.

Answer 5

You know, I realize that people, such as MtF, think of them selves as a specific gender (female)...they are male. They were born male and they are male. Just because they had a disfiguring operation to make them "look" female, does not make them a female/woman.

Many people tell you, "Oh, she (meaning "he") has always thought she was a female." "Oh, I have always wanted a girl." WHAT?? When you have a parent that has these screwed up concepts, gives the impression to the child that they are unhappy with the child's original gender (since children wish hard to make their parents happy when they are little--even if it is for attention), confusing a child from the begining, and possible other screwed up points in life (who knows), then you are not going to have a person happy with whom they ARE. I can understand a person being gay--but they are still a specific gender.

Maybe I am missing something here. I just might not truly understand.

Answer 6

Man and woman are basically differentiated by biological and psychological attributes. Some times, a man may get trapped in a woman's body and vice versa. While the sex transformation can help, it cannot complete what should be a natural process. They will never experience the joys and sorrows of parenthood.

Answer 7

If you feel feminine inside than you are a lady,If you feel masculine than you are a man.You have to live your life by what is in your heart not by what is on the outside but what is on the inside.I hear people say all the time you have to do or be who you are well this is a perfect example.They say they dont look at skin color or your looks so they need to prove it.They cant say one thing and mean something else.You can not live a lie.You actually can but it is not who you are.

Answer 8

Same species, but gender is different. Every created matter has two faces. Life and death, day and night, body and soul, male and female, even chromosomes have two faces.

Answer 9

A woman has a Virgina and can go through menstruation, unlike a male transgender weirdo. Just like a man has one less rib than a woman and has a prostate and penis, unlike these weirdo transgender females.

Answer 10

You bring out an interesting point. Without the existence of men, women would just be humans. We need our 'opposite' in order to define who we are...