Women and Men are made not born. Debate.
Human differentiation on the basis of gender is a phenomenon that affects every aspect of person’s daily life. Women and Men are neither born nor raised, but instead are a complex tangle of biology and sociology. Firstly, the term ‘gender’ refers to the socially constructed categories of ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ and the attributes and behaviours that are assigned to the categories by society. Conversely, ‘sex’ refers to the universal distinction between men and women based on biological and physical differences as characterised by internal and external sex organs, hormones and genetics. Gender development is a fundamental issue because some of the most important aspects of people’s lives, such as the conceptions they hold of themselves and others, the socio-structural opportunities and constraints they encounter, and the social life they pursue are all affected by societal gender-typing. Biological determinism, sex role socialisation, social learning theory, social cognitive theory and sex role modelling are all important theories and influences on these crucial gender-typing developments.
If there is a definitive relationship between sex and gender, it is logical to assume that the sex of a person will determine their gender, implying that sex and gender are innate; a position which is referred to as Biological Determinism. Each category, male or female, provides a gender identity, sexual orientation, personality structure, and gender based beliefs and attitudes. From the biological determinant standpoint all these social components are supposed to be consistent and congruent with one’s biology. Nyalunga (2007, p.1) concurs that Biological Determinism, also called Genetic Determinism, is based on the belief that all differences that exist between men and women are strictly biological. Biological Determinism is often used to support generalizations about men and women through hormone differences and brain...