Gender Differences and Gender Socialisation - Term Paper Example

Introduction Throughout history, various scholars have evaluated gender issues. Gender can be defined as the inner sense of one’s being that is psychological in nature. This is not considering the outside physique emanating from the sexual organs that one has. It is known that human beings have two distinct genders. These are the male and female or feminine and masculine. Differences have continued to be noted among the two genders throughout history. This includes aspects relating to the roles of each gender. This also includes behavioural differences that are highly witnessed in their day to day interactions. There are also differences in skills, abilities and the roles played by feminine and masculine genders. This paper therefore answers the question as to whether gender differences are as a result of socialisation. (Kimmel, 2004) Discussion Socialisation in the society can be traced in various aspects such as beliefs, norms and the values that are upheld in a society. It is however quite essential to note that these are usually impacted by the dominant people within the society. The beliefs, norms and values are usually evident in the institutions and frameworks found within a given society. They include the religion therein, education, media and organisations or the workplace. Proponents of the statement that gender differences emanate from socialisation process assert that this is initiated from birth. They clearly argue that once a child is born, the parents start training him or her to behave in a certain manner that relates to her gender. The child therefore grows up while adhering to the do’s and don’ts that she or he is socialized into. For instance, the girl child is usually bought for dresses while the boy child is given trousers or shorts. This is very common is almost all societies across the globe. Even in societies where girls wear trousers, there is a difference in the types of trousers that they are made to wear. The boys on the other hand are never given girls’ dresses. (Hyde, 2005) Diverse attributes and traits among the feminine and masculine genders are as a result of the socialisation process. This makes individuals in each category to identify with the traits and the attributes. For instance, the boy child is usually socialized in such a way that he embraces the characteristics such as independence, achievement, competition and assertiveness. That is why many men don’t easily consult in case of a problem as compared to women. This also includes the socialisation that as a boy or man, he has to suppress his emotions. That is why when a boy is hurt, the parents or adults in the society don’t encourage him to cry. (Pease, 2002) Research shows that when children are born, they go through some form of socialisation process. When children are still very young, they are oriented to the fact that they are either boy or girl. They therefore know this fact at a very young age. The socialisation process may be through suggestions, discouragements from doing one thing or the other. In such a case, parents, teachers and guardians tend to encourage children of a particular gender to take up certain tasks and discourage from others. For instance, boys are usually highly discouraged from tasks that are considered feminine such as cooking and beauty tasks. This makes them shun away from professions such as being a salon technician etc(Hyde, 2005) Further research shows that self concept in a child is as a result of the attitudes passed on from what his parents approve or disapprove. As the child starts education, the ideas from his parents are reinforced by teachers and colleagues. Children get to know the behaviour that is appropriate or inappropriate from other sources such as television, movies etc. They believe in the information passed on and that’s where they accrue their sense of identity and self concept. This explains why there are gender differences in the society. (Pease, 2002) In fact boys are told men are not supposed to cry and therefore crying shows that they are weaklings and woman-like. This explains the differences in such behaviours. On the other hand, the girl child is usually socialized or encouraged to be neat, humble, cooperative, compassionate, caring and submissive. This is usually a preparation for the role of a mother. This therefore shows that gender differences are as a result of gender socialisation. (Kimmel, 2004) They are therefore transferred from one generation to the other through interactions. Some of the interactions may be intimate, others formal or informal, while others may be acquired in professional organisations. According to this information, biology has nothing to do with the differences between the male and female gender in the society. Various arguments are still being put forth on whether the differences between the male and female gender is as a result of the socialisation process. According to gay theorists and feminists, these differences are witnessed in societies that are dominated by men and come about due to the socialisation process in the society. This is actually termed as oppression that is patriarchal in nature. This is in such a way that the oppressors tend to confine females into roles that they consider to be feminine in nature. (Lindsey, 2005) They still argue that biology is not the reason for the differences between men and women all over the world. In fact, some feminists assert that the concept of having female and male genders is but a myth. This concept is highly witnessed in the western culture where the feminists say that the sexes may be more than five. Gay groups also continue to propagate these arguments by saying that it is possible to change from one sex to the other. This also includes changing the dressing code among the males and females. These two are referred to as trans-sexualism and cross-dressing. Further research however shows that there are major genetic differences between the female and males. This also includes differences in the hormonal components in men and women. According to Lindsey, (2005) there are diverse weaknesses and strengths that are evident in the two genders. According to Lindsey, (2005) these differences emanate from neuro-endocrinological diversities among men and women. (Lindsey, 2005) Scientists confirm that the hormonal differences in male and females have an impact on their behavior and therefore the differences in the two sexes. It is asserted that testosterone hormone is very high in men. This makes them to strive towards dominance in the society. On the other hand, the same hormone is in very low levels among women and this drives them towards roles that are nurturing, natural and less dominant in the society. (Kimmel, 2004) Scientists say that the assertion that there are no differences between men and women is just a mere denial of the reality that is highly evident in the physical realm. Scientists assert that the differences between masculine and feminine gender is inherent and can be traced from conception. It is said that the chromosomal differences affect the behavior of men and women. According to the scientists, every human being has a total of twenty three chromosomes that are found in a single cell. Of these chromosomes, twenty two are similar in both genders. However one chromosome in male and female is different. The females in this case have the Y chromosome while the males have the X chromosomes. Scientists therefore argue that this is the reason why there are differences between men and women and therefore socialisation process is not the cause. The chromosomal differences result in differences in sexual orientation among men and women. This is evident from the cellular level in both sexes. It is therefore argued that the differences between men and women do not come about as a result of socialisation after birth but from conception process. This is when the child starts developing in the womb. As earlier on illustrated, the males have very high testosterone hormone that affect their behavior. The other sex hormone that highly affects the behavior of men and women is estrogen. This explains why boys tend to pick car toys in the supermarkets while girls pick dolls. Feminists still argue that this emanates from socialisation but according to science, the difference in sex hormones affects the behavior of boys and girls. Various tests carried out by scientists relating to the hormones show that the differences in behaviour are definitely as a result of the sex hormones. Scientists carried out tests on female monkeys by injecting testosterone hormone. Initially the female monkeys were really caring and nurturing their young ones as compared to their male counterparts that were very aggressive. (Kimmel, 2004) When high doses of testosterone hormone were injected in the females, they became very aggressive and even abandoned their babies. They fought a lot and were noted to behave like males. This therefore explains that gender differences are not as a result of socialisation but are due to biological differences. Research carried out on one year olds proves this fact. This was carried out by blocking the children’s mothers with a barrier. The one year old boys reacted by trying to push the barriers away while the girls started crying almost immediately. This definitely shows genetic differences that influence behaviour of the boys and girls. (Newman, 2006) Scientists have also sited differences in brain make up between male and female as the cause of differences between the genders. This has been shown to be the cause of the differences in the way women and women think. Scientists say that just like the human body is sexually oriented, so is the brain. There are sex-specific factors that can be noted in the brain of men and women across the globe. This according to scientists, the sex-specific factors in the female and male people’s brains are easily noted in the primitive areas. (Lindsey, 2005) This also includes the neocortex which consists of the regions that have higher brains. Research clearly shows that the central nervous systems’ neurons are found in the neocortex part of the brain. This is approximately seventy percent of the neurons in the central nervous system. The neocortex has two major segments that are joined together by a network of fibres. This joining is called the corpus callosum. The fibres are approximately two hundred million in number. Scientists also assert that the language of a human being is controlled by the left hemisphere. On the other hand, the left hemisphere of the brain tends to control the vocal intonations, spatial relationships, emotional stimuli, facial expressions and general body movements. Scientists clearly say that the differences in the genders are therefore as a result of biological differences. This is considering the fact that the overall processing of information in women and men is quite different. It is known that this difference is mainly due to the diversity in the splenium part of the brain. This is in relation to the differences in volume of splenium in men and women. In this case, women have a larger splenium as compared to their male counterparts. The larger the splenium means the larger the waves from the brain. Scientists continue to elaborate that when women are handling problems tend to solve them using both hemispheres of their brain unlike their male counterparts who use only one hemisphere. This explains why women tend to solve problems with a lot of emotions while men don’t show the emotions. (Kimmel, 2004) It is also asserted that the differences in the sex-specific aspects of the brain in women and men make them to communicate in different ways. There are differences that can be noted in women that emanate from this factor. For instance, women are very good in communication, noticing hidden meanings, noticing details that are emotional and the visual clues. Other differences that are noticeable relate to the way male and females react to danger. Males tend to react by fighting back and therefore showing a lot of aggressiveness. On the other hand, females react to danger by seeking for protection from someone or a group of people. They also tend to soothe their offspring at such a time. Scientists explain that the way the males react to danger has everything to do with their nervous system which in turn affects their adrenaline levels. This shows that due to various differences in the brain of females and males, their abilities are also quite different. It is asserted that the differences in men and women do not connote superiority and inferiority between but show the specialisation in the two genders. According to various scientists, male gender is more skilled in handling geometrical reasoning, mathematics and sciences than their female counterparts. This also includes the ability to have a three dimensional visualisation unlike women. This assertion is countered by feminists who argue that this is just an issue of societal expectations. Scientists also say that girls will tend to perform better in languages, vocabulary, reading and generally are good listeners. The differences between feminine and masculine gender is not only in relation to their brain but also other physical factors. (Lindsey, 2005) It is known that there are differences in women’s and men’s strength. It is obvious that men are stronger than the women. That explains why they easily carry out manual tasks while females strain when carrying out the same duties. Men can easily endure very high physical pressure unlike ladies. The differences illustrated can be traced to the genetic make up of the two sexes. It is also very clear that the muscles in men are quite masculine and strong. This is unlike women’s muscles that are very tender and feeble as compared to that of men. The differences are also shown to be as a result in different hormones present in the female and male body. Researchers indicate that women only have approximately fifty six percent of the strength that the men have in the upper torso. The whole strength that the men have is approximated to be twenty percent more than what the women have. This definitely explains the differences between the masculine and the feminine gender. (Newman, 2006) It therefore nullifies the fact that gender differences are as a result of socialisation. The analysis of transsexuals’ feminists and bisexuals’ assertions shows that they are baseless. This is considering the fact that differences between masculine and female gender are as a result of genetical differences or their DNA make up. These differences are highly evident from conception and not after the children go through socialisation in their immediate society. (Newman, 2006) Conclusion In conclusion, scientists assert that gender differences have nothing to do with socialisation but everything to do with hereditary factors. It was noted that hormonal differences in men and women influence their behaviour. On this note, scientists assert that men very high testosterone hormone that makes them strive towards dominance and exhibit high aggressiveness. Other scientific factors that bring about gender differences include the human brain. There are sex-specific aspects that can be noted in the human brain. The females tend to use both sides of the brain while the males actively use one. That shows differences in skills in the two genders. Men tend to be good in mathematics and geometrical reasoning. Women are good in languages, vocabulary, reading and generally are good listeners. While human beings have twenty three chromosomes in one cell. One cell in both genders is different. The males have the X chromosome while the females have the Y chromosome. This results in gender differences evident in men and women. Scientists also show that women have only eighty percent of the strength that men have. This emanates from muscle differences. All this shows that gender differences are not as a result of socialisation but genetic factors. References: Hyde, J. (2005): The Gender Similarities Hypothesis. American Psychologist, 60 (6):581-592 Kimmel, M. (2004): The Gendered Society. 2nd ed. New York: OUP Lindsey, L. (2005): Gender Roles: A Sociological Perspective; Upper Saddle River; N.J; Pearson Prentice Hall Pease, B. (2002): Men and Gender Relations; Melbourne; Tertiary Press Newman, D. (2006): Sociology; Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life (6th ed); Pine Forge Press: California Read More