The Gender Blur

By: Deborah Blum

Summary:

In the "Gender Blur" Blum is questioning the theory of Nature vs. Nurture. Is the way you envision yourself as a person, male or female, purely genetics and biology or the way you were raised and through behavior. Blum touches on the fact that men tend to be more aggressive than females, which could be caused biologically from male's large amount of testosterone. Are children conditioned to be a certain way? Once born a baby is immediately dressed as a boy or a girl, and get to play with certain toys based on their sex,  boys are held strictly to trucks and dinosaurs as girls get dolls. If a boy does not obtain a certain amount of testosterone will he be more feminine? The question of Nature vs. Nurture is unclear but future studies might reveal an answer.

 

Response:

It is tough to tell whether it is all biological or just us humans following social norms. In my own opinion I think of it as a mixture of both, yes the level of testosterone in your body is a factor just like every other neurotransmitter is a factor, but I do feel that people's social upbringing has a huge role. If you were a girl and your parents dressed you as a boy and gave you all of the toys a boy would most likely play with it is highly likely you would start school and relate more with the young boys in your class possibly causing you to feel more like a boy and growing up thinking of yourself more in that way. Biology is a main factor but the opinion of others and socialization I think has a bigger impact.