Is Gender Identity the Result of Biology - 946 Words

Human beings are born sexual. They develop a strong sense of being male and female, the human behaviour of being a man or a woman is called gender identity. The characteristics of being a man or a woman involve biological, psychological, and sociological factors. People from all cultures have acted in relationships in different ways that are influenced by their cultural traditions and laws about sex. Human sexuality and how males and females act within the relationship can be considered as physically influenced by biology, for example hormones, brain centres, networks of nerves, and sex organs all shape the character of the male and female. However there are various arguments to this. hjwatson24, please do not redistribute this paper.†¦show more content†¦They state that hormones are linked to the activity of the brain, which can influence the nervous system, which can in turn influence behaviour, personality and emotions. This has been tested through animal experimentation. Some studies showed a link between testerone levels in human males and aggression. Others showed how castrated male rats tend to fight less, while female rats given extra hormones are more aggressive in life than those who have not been given them. This has been criticised by Ruth Bleier (1984), who states that there are numerous flaws in animal experiments, because it would be dangerous to assume that humans behave exactly like animals, furthermore the experiments that were carried out where under un-natural circumstances (laboratory conditions). Anne Oakly agrees with this argument and backs up the criticism of the hormonal explanations by referring to a study she carried out consisting of a boy who underwent an operation at seven months so that she took on the appearance of a girl. At seventeen months old her name was changed from a boy to a girl and later she was dressed in girls clothes. Afterwards her mother commented on how feminine she had become. This strongly suggests that it is environmental influences that have changed her behaviour and not biological matters, because no changes to hormones in the brain were made. ThereShow MoreRelatedGender And Sex Are Kindred, But They re Not1418 Words   |  6 Pages Most people believe gender and sex are kindred, but they’re not. There is a difference between gender and sex. According to OpenStax, â€Å"Sex is how society classifies a person’s genetic and biological anatomy. Gender is how an individual views their identity, regardless of sex. Sex is biological in nature and determines one s biological destiny. Gender, on the other hand, helps define one s role within society†. 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