Schmidt 1

Alexis Schmidt
Dr. Jennifer Bryd
WGST 2310-001
September 12, 2015
Anne-Fausto Sterling
What does the Nancy Duke Professor Emerita of Biology and Gender Studies, a writer to
4 published books and many articles, and a feminist all have in common. This here describes Dr.
Anne Fasuto-Sterling. She is a great leader into the steps of gender analysis and many dynamic
theories today. She takes her understanding of molecular biology and helps bring forth new
theories today. She is still alive and waiting for her chance to apply a new dynamic systems
theory. Her big topic of study though is about her gender studies she has written books like
Myths of Gender and Sexing the Body.

Schmidt 2

First I am going to talk about Anne-Fausto Sterlings books

and why she wrote them. Anne Fausto-Sterling played
many different roles in her life as I said above. She does not
just explain the biological aspect behind it, her books go
into the social and psychological aspect behind gender and
sex as well. This enables her to state and make a claim
about gender and sex that many people may not have
thought about. For instants in her book Myths of Gender
her second chapter is labeled A Question of Genius: Are
Men Really Smarter than Women? When reading the
chapter she posted tests about IQ levels, scores on standard
math tests, and studies of findings of sex differences.
Within the chapter she is not just using a biological
standpoint, but bring in psychologist like Eleanor Maccoby
and Carol Nagy Jacklin. She is also proving her statement
using not just their studies, but many others as well. In the
very beginning of her book she makes a statement that says
Genetic punning aside the question nature versus nurtureor, as sometimes more ponderously phrased, biological
versus social determinism-remains a hotly debated topic.
Although many of the arguments explored in subsequent chapters of this book are posed in this
either/or fashion, some scientists and social theorists (myself included) no long believe in the
scientific validity of this framework. (Fausto-Sterling, Anne, 7) The quote was written by her
and is part of the introduction to the book. It was very interesting to ready through and the quote
was brought to my attention for many different reasons. Part of me when reading it did not make
sense to me, since she is a scientist I thought that would be her idea behind all her books, but it
proves wrong in the quote where she states that she no longer believes in the scientific validity of
the framework. It now makes sense for what she all does today on helping people understand
gender and their bodies. She wrote these books so that everyone can read them and understand
for themselves, she is not just some biologist and feminist, but a great teacher and someone who
cares for her community.
Second, I will discuss Anne-Fausto-Sterling findings from her biological ways. She has
been put in many books, articles, and studies. She has even been put on Research Gate the
number one researcher for scientists. She has done these to further learn about a topic that is
close to her heart. She has been in many articles starting from 1971 all the way up till today. She
is working on new theories even today. Her newest theory is called the Dynamic Systems theory.
The theory is talking about how we as people understand the cultural difference becomes bodily
difference. A key part in the theory is that rather than arriving preformed, the body acquires
nervous, muscular, and emotional responses as a result of a give and take with its physical,
emotional, and cultural experiences. This theory can affect the studies from gender differences to
human sexuality and how they are understood and applied today. The thing though that I like is
she is testing, studying, and questioning the theory. In her article on her main website she makes
many statements and there is one where she questions and phenotype and then she tries to place

Schmidt 3

it in steps from First, to understand the origin Lastly, to establish a theoretical basis. She was
talking about the four goals that were major and needed to be understood on the dynamic
systems.
Third, Anne-Fausto Sterling, the feminists. She has done many things with helping out
the studies of gender and sex. She was a teacher at Brown University teaching molecular,
biochemical, and cellular biology, and gender
studies. Although these last couple of years have
taken off and is working with Women`s and
Gender Studies Faculty and MIT.
Many
people have
found
her to be a
great
way of
studying and
learning
the
basics of
feminism. In
her
earlier years
she
wrote an essay dealing with intersexuality, it was called The
Five
Sexes: Why Female and Male are Not Enough.
This
article was a big deal when it came out. An article
was
written about this essay and many others and it
quotes
into a sustained feminist analysis of the ways
that the interpretive environment literally shapes the body. While many theorists-notably Judith
Butler- have made strong but often abstract argument for strict constructivism that often
neutralizes bodies, Fausto-Sterling addresses how this actually operates on the materiality of
living bodies. Intersexuality is the case study she uses to explore the intricate and complex
relation between body and world. (Garland-Thomson, 25) This quote was chosen because it was
not by her, but told a large amount about Anne and her studies dealing with gender, sex, and the
world. Anne Fausto-Sterling is a feminist at heart, she wants to let the world know through her
knowledge, study, and teaching there are many things that are around us that many do not know.
Anne Fausto-Sterling is an amazing and intelligent woman who has done many things for
society today. She has opened many eyes not just in science, or theories, or gender studies, she
has done them all and connected them in a way many people have not. She has not just written
articles and books, she brought new theories to the table and PBS even did a video on her and her
studies, it is called Two Sexes are not Enough. Which is based off one of her articles she wrote
in her early years. Dr. Anne Fausto-Sterling paved a road to new ideas and studies, she opened
the world to gender and sex, what will she do next?

Schmidt 4

Work citied
Book
Fausto-Sterling, Anne. "The Biological Connection:An Introduction." Myths of
Gender: Biological Theories about Women and Men. 2nd ed. New York: Basic, 1992.
7. Print.
Article

Schmidt 5
Garland-Thomas, Rosamarie. "Feminist Disability Studies." Signs 30.2 (2005): 15571587. PsycINFO. Web. 14 Sept. 2015.
Paraphrased Citation
Fausto-Sterling, Anne. "Biography: Anne Fausto-Sterling." N.p., n.d. Web.