What are your thoughts on gender being a social construct?

Answer 1

I think gender exists outside of society. The biology of the two sexes is different. As children they play different. As adults they think differently and act differently. Much of this is physiological (i.e. their brains respond different to stimuli).

Different is not better or worse though. However, gender roles in society are completely a social construct. While I could care less what society tells me about genders and what they should do, I cannot ignore that men and women are not the same biologically.

Answer 2

Gender identity, is as you and I both know painfully well, not a social construct... however in my opinion, gender EXPRESSION or gender ROLES... are totally constructed by society... take any marker of masculinity and femininity and there are always exceptions to the rules. Nobody would have guessed I was trans and nobody saw it coming coz I blend in a little too well... but if I was the same person and born a girl people wouldn't be trying to convince me to go take testosterone and be a guy. then again, I do have a lot of girly stuff too... I guess I have an androgynous personality... does that make me less of a girl? I hope not :\... and that... was a rant o_O

Answer 3

Clearly, it is a social construct. That doesn't make gender division and differentiation any less real though.

There have been gender roles since pre-history. In fact, there was an extremely old, delicately balanced gender parity before the agricultural revolution. Men were hunters, women were gatherers, and both were equally valued in their roles.

Then women figured out that the seed begets the plant, food sources could be controlled (and thereby, animals could be domesticated), and this effectively devalued the role of men as hunters. There has since been an obvious effort to devalue the role of women in turn.

The story of Adam and Eve is an allegory to the agricultural revolution. Read up on it, it's fascinating stuff.

Answer 4

Gender is a state of mind and a degree of identification.
Sex is male v. female.

So, sure it's a social construct. The roles are defined by culture. In patriarchal cultures, males are the dominants and bread winners and females are the submissives and caretakers.

Depending on which you identify with determines your gender per cultural socialization. In this way, my thoughts are in agreeance with gender as a social construct.

Answer 5

I'm not sure if gender itself is a social construct as much as perceived gender roles are.

Answer 6

Gender is 30% genetics and 70% cultural. It is scientifically proven that testosterone causes muscle growth, male physiologica forn, l aggression, and in excess violent behavior,etc., whereas, estrogen causes fat storage in advance to give the woman the ability to gestate a pregnancy to term (not obesity), lactation, female physiological form. Biologically speaking women are the ones who bear children and also breast feed them, thus more nurturing by nature (usually). Men because of testosterone are more competative and have difficulties nurturing as by nature men are somewhat ADHD (not profound as seen in those need medication and not all the time, but usually). We see by research that men who are overweight by means of stored fat have higher levels of estrogen and less testosterone as thinner men, whereas, a woman who has little fat and have been body building have higher levels of testosterone and less estrogen as women who are average size and activity. Men begin to get more female like as they get fatter including gynomastisis (female breasts) and less body hair and less of a sex drive. Women who body build lose the majority of their breast tissue, have increased sex drive, and have shorter periods or lack of menstruation for months because of testosterone. Now with that all said, because of these physiological differences especially the conceiving, pregnancy, and suckling of baby society establishes cultural identities and rolls for men and women. Culture has the dominant hand in gender than does genetics, but cultural gender rolls are based on legitimate genetic differences as well as perceived (many incorrectly) roll differences of men and woman. If you raise a boy in a maternal society the boy will most likely grow up to be more nurturing, but will still exhibit traditional paternal society male behaviors because of hormones and vice versa for a girl. Yes in America and most of western civilization we have a paternal society which still believes that though women can work outside the home and hold leadership position we feel that women are better in service jobs, education, and/or stay at home taking care of children. Logically on a physiological capability of woman to breast feed and the natural bond between children and their mother it would seem best if woman were to stay at home until at least the children are all in school, but that isn't necessarily the way it should be...dads can feed baby with mother's milk, cook, clean, nurture children too and of course woman can be just effect in leadership as men provided a society can honor a woman in a position that is traditionally better for men. Gender is primarliy a social construct based upon real gender physiological differences, but a lot of this construct is based on distorted percepts.

Answer 7

Well I agree with the concept, honestly. I believe it was a way for men to "keep women in line." Similarly the way organized religion has.

Answer 8

i think that people have always been too judgemental when it comes to gender and that people need to just chill out and see that guys are gilrs now and vise versa

Answer 9

An interesting read:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/dr_money_prog_summary.shtml

Answer 10

Both nature and nurture, any other idea is unrealistic.