Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Kaylene T. White
FHS-2450-F15
Jonathan Higginbotham
Kaylene T. White
FHS-2450-F15
Now what does that mean? It simply means that however manly or womanly we act is
based upon cultural norms we learn as young children. It all happens from many different places,
parents, friends, school, media, the list could go on and on. In my personal opinion parents are
the biggest contributing factors on the gender identity we chose. From even before birth we are
influenced to act a certain way, preconceived notions on how a child should be raised, toys that
only girls/boys can play with, the paint color of the nursery walls.
So in conclusion what constitutes maleness or femaleness? Well the answer is quite
simple, gender identity obtained through both biological and sociological environments. So how
we were born, raised, and the environment in which we were raised in all have a contributing
factor on who we are and how we act.
Question: How can the expectations and assumptions for each sex differ so greatly from one
society to another?
Answer:
A study was performed by Margaret Mead, in her book Sex and Temperament in Three
Primitive Societies so goes on to states that within the three societies they show completely
different norms regarding sex differentiation than we do. The people of the Mundugumor society
exhibit aggressive behaviors, while the Arapesh society shows the complete opposite traits.
(Crooks & Baur, 2014, pg. 124)
So to answer to the question it really all comes down to the environment in which the individual
is being raised in. Some parents make their children abide by the gender norm that they were
assigned to at the time of birth. With that in mind, many cultures follow different rules when it
some to the separation of sexes.
Jonathan Higginbotham
Kaylene T. White
FHS-2450-F15
Question: Do any of the behavioral differences between men and women have a biological
basis?
Answer:
In the text Crooks & Baur explains that during the time of conception many factors play
the role of determining our gender and our sex. It takes 23 pairs of chromosomes to complete a
DNA strand in a human body. In one of the pairs on the DNA strand called the sex
chromosomes lays our future gender identity, in the pair it consists of an XY or an XX
chromosomes which will determine which sex and gender we will be assigned. If however one of
the chromosomes had an anomaly on the short arm of the gene, that could be the deciding factor
on which course our brain will develop during pregnancy resulting in it leaning more towards
maleness or femaleness. (Crooks & Baur, 2014, pg. 114)
Jonathan Higginbotham
Kaylene T. White
FHS-2450-F15
Reference List
Crooks, R., & Baur, K. (2014). Our Sexuality (12th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth