What Makes a Woman & What Makes a Man?
Society has set up specific binary guidelines as to how men and women should act and behave, their gender roles masculine or feminine, and how they should look according to outward physical appearance, their sex male or female. There are two sexes which equal two genders, no gray area and nothing in-between According to society this is what defines an individual as a man or a woman. In the simplest of terms, women have an XX chromosome and men have an XY chromosome. However, it is more complicated than chromosomes and genes, society plays a huge role in determining the answer to what does it mean to be a woman and what does it mean to be a man.
Merriam Webster’s online simple definition of a man is: noun, an adult male human being; a man or boy who shows the qualities (such as strength and courage) that men are traditionally supposed to have; a woman’s husband or boyfriend (Man, 2015). The simple definition for woman: noun, an adult female human being; a woman who has a specified job or position; all women thought as a group (Woman, 2015). One thing that is apparent in these definitions is the use of two words, human being. The question would not beg to be asked and explained if it really was as simple as chromosomes, genes, and being a human that makes a woman a woman and what makes a man a man.
There are biological and physiological differences between men and women. Men and women have reproductive differences and there is on-going research into the brain and behavior variances between them. Men have testes and a penis, are taller, more muscular, have greater spatial ability, are more independent and career focused, are aggressive and suppress their emotions (Knapp, Sex & Gender, 2015). On...
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The topic of men and women and what makes them who they are is complex and not just about what chromosomes, internal and external genitalia they have or how their brain functions. The mindsets of man, woman, male, female, masculine, feminine, transgender and gender neutral are not easy to quantify and require more understanding and study. As a society more awareness and understanding is on the horizon. The only way to make a difference in how people are viewed is to first acknowledge individuality. Society is slowly starting to recognize that there are individuals who do not fit into the socially constructed ideas of sex and/or gender. We are starting to make changes and have a long way to go, but, progress is progress. Ultimately, how you view yourself is what makes you a man or a woman, male or female, gender and not what society tells you to think or feel.
The way I view gender is a way to express yourself. ...Gender is just a doorway, and so is sexuality, race and age.
The clusters of social definitions used to identify persons by gender are collectively known as “femininity” and “masculinity.” Masculine characteristics are used to identify persons as males, while feminine ones are used as signifiers for femaleness. People use femininity or masculinity to claim and communicate their membership in their assigned, or chosen, sex or gender. Others recognize our sex or gender more on the basis of these characteristics than on the basis of sex characteristics, which are usually largely covered by clothing in daily life.
The human species is qualified as a man and women. Categorically, gender roles relative to the identifying role are characterized as being either masculine or feminine. In the article “Becoming Members Of Society: Learning The Social Meanings Of Gender by Aaron H. Devor, says that “children begin to settle into a gender identity between the age of eighteen months and two years (Devor 387). The intricate workings of the masculine and feminine gender roles are very multifaceted and at the same time, very delicate. They are intertwined into our personalities and give us our gender identities (Devor 390). Our society is maintained by social norms that as individuals, we are consciously unaware of but knowingly understand they are necessary to get along out in the public eye which is our “generalized other” and in our inner circle of family and friends which is our “significant others” (Devor 390). Our learned behaviors signify whether our gender
Around the world gender is genuinely seen as strictly male or female. If you step out of this “social norm,” you could be considered an outcast. This disassociation includes, biological males/females, interssexed, and transgendered individuals. These people are severely suppressed by society because their gender identification, behaviors, and even their activities deviate from the norm. Most Americans are exceedingly devoted to the concept that there are only two sexes. Therefore, the constrictive American ideals of male and female gender identities inhibits growth and acceptance of gender expression.
Throughout today’s society, almost every aspect of someone’s day is based whether or not he or she fits into the “norm” that has been created. Specifically, masculine and feminine norms have a great impact that force people to question “am I a true man or woman?” After doing substantial research on the basis of masculine or feminine norms, it is clear that society focuses on the males being the dominant figures. If males are not fulfilling the masculine role, and females aren’t playing their role, then their gender identity becomes foggy, according to their personal judgment, as well as society’s.
Gender is not about the biological differences between men and women but rather the behavioral, cultural and psychological traits typically associated with one sex. Gender is socially constructed meaning it 's culturally specific, it 's learned and shared through gender socialization. What it means to be a woman or man is going to differ based on the culture, geographical location, and time. What it meant to be a woman in the US in the 19th century is different than what it means to be a woman in the 21st century. As cultures evolve over time so are the ideals of what it means to be man or woman.
In this article, Shaw and Lee describe how the action of labels on being “feminine” or “masculine” affect society. Shaw and Lee describe how gender is, “the social organization of sexual difference” (124). In biology gender is what sex a person is and in culture gender is how a person should act and portray themselves. They mention how gender is what we were taught to do in our daily lives from a young age so that it can become natural(Shaw, Lee 126). They speak on the process of gender socialization that teaches us how to act and think in accordance to what sex a person is. Shaw and Lee state that many people identify themselves as being transgendered, which involves a person, “resisting the social construction of gender into two distinct, categories, masculinity and femininity and working to break down these constraining and polarized categories” ( 129). They write about how in mainstream America masculinity and femininity are described with the masculine trait being the more dominant of the two. They define how this contributes to putting a higher value of one gender over the other gender called gender ranking (Shaw, Lee 137). They also speak about how in order for femininity to be viewed that other systems of inequality also need to be looked at first(Shaw,Lee 139).
The word gender refers to a general classification of human beings into male and female with socially and culturally constructed characteristics, behaviors, attributes and roles preconceived and labelled as appropriate for each class. The society and culture today have placed human beings in a box which to a large extent dictates how we act in the world.
What this means is that gender is based on what pronouns people are and how they present themselves, meaning their shape, social ranking, and their sex. Furthermore, the dictionary also explains that gender is, “the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex,” (Merriam-Webster). This ultimately explains that there are the two sexes, male and female, yet gender adds to those two depending on the looks and traits of a person. This is a very traditional definition of gender and does not necessarily incorporate the newer ideas and views of gender in our society. Google also uses the traditional definition of gender when it explains that gender is, “the state of being a male or female,” (Google). On the contrary, the Oxford Dictionaries add that gender is, “also used as a sign of a range of identities that don’t stick to the traditional idea of only male and female,” (Oxford Dictionary). This is the modern definition of gender because it extends further than just male and female. In fact, in our society today there are sixty plus gender identities that range from the typical male and female but
“Physical Differences Between Men and Women.” Dr. James Dobson’s family talk. Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk. All Rights Reserved, 2013. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.
The sex and gender binary is a socially-constructed classification of sex and gender into two distinct and biological forms of masculine and feminine. The binary is a restricting concept that enforces the ideology that solely two genders exist—it is a social boundary that limits people from exploring gender identity or mixing it up (Larkin, 2016). As Mann depicts it, the binary constrains us to take on one gender identity, and to follow through with the expected roles assigned to that gender. The implications are that it compels people to fit into the binary and follow the patriarchal, heteronormative traditions of society (Mann, 2012). However, the binary was not always so clear-cut, but certain concepts from scientific research such as the
In order to grasp the concept of social construction of gender, it is essential to understand the difference between sex and gender. Biologically, there are only two reproductive genital organs that are determinants of sex: the vagina and the penis. Sex is established solely through biological structures; in other words, genitalia are the basis of sex. Once a sex category is determined, gender, a human categorization socially attached to sex, is assigned based on anatomy. Gender typically references social or cultural differen...
Identities are an important part of the human experience. One of the many identities that creates a person is gender. Society, being the entity establishing social norms and social roles, plays a part in effecting the individual’s gender, and how they choose to express themself. The underlying or overlying identities also have the same effect. Gender is not only an identity, it is a lifestyle inside and out. Gender, like race, class, and sexuality; is not limited to the binary scale, and that is normal, natural, and human. The concept of gender is man-made, but it forces one’s hand to analyze the thought processes behind an individual's perception on gender through self, through society, or through the dichotomy and/or correspondence of the
Sex and gender are terms that are mixed up from day to day and seen as similarities rather than differences. Sex is what distinguishes people from being either male or female. It is the natural or biological variation between males and females (Browne, 1998). Some of these variations are genital, body hair, and internal and external organs. It is the make-up of chromosomes, men have one X and one Y chromosome and women have two X chromosomes, which are responsible for primary characteristics (Fulcher and Scott, 2003).
The differences between women and men are not solely biological. Our society’s culture has established a set of unwritten cultural laws of how each gender should act, or in other words society has ascribed a stereotype. Men’s gender identity has been one of masculinity, and masculinity is defined as referring to a man or things described as manly. What does manly mean though? Is a male manly if he is “Mr. Fix-it”, or the jock, or if he sits on the couch on Sunday watching football? This latter statement is a stereotype of men, that has been around for decades, and is current as well, but starting with the 1960’s a man’s role started to change, despite the stereotype not changing to accommodate it. For the past 40 years one can see how men have taken on roles stereotypically ascribed to women, such roles including being the “stay-at-home mom”, which we can find an excellent example of in the 1980’s film “Mr.