What is the truth of sex genders?

[Chrissi]

Originally Posted by Kilroy_x

Right, and society is an effect tracable purely to biology, so if we're mincing hairs here...



Sure, I apologize, I wasn't aware of how the word was being used. Nevertheless, in a more abstract manner biology remains the root and sole cause of gender.

You're the only one "mincing hairs" here. Gender and sex are completely different things. In western culture we're taught that they are the same, but they are not, and this is fact. To view them as inescapably identical is to hold this very closed-minded concept. Gender is a spectrum, not a binary thing. You COULD argue that sex is binary, but it's not really either. And don't give me any chromosome crap. XX=female and XY=male are not the only two options - they are just the most common.

Originally Posted by chickendude

The only difference between the genders is sex, and societal implications caused by sex.

Ignoring sex, there is really no difference between males and females sociologically.

In some areas, yes. In other areas, no. You cannot say gender is tied to sex - it just tends to be, for us in the west, and in other countries as well. But not all places are like this. There is plenty of gender variation running amok.

Depending how long/whether you lived in India, and where you lived, you might remember the hijras.... (yes I know their condition is poor, but...) they are considered to be a third gender, though their sex is usually male. There are other societies with "third gender" constructs as well, mainly natives "two-spirited" people.

I'd just like to give some of you something to think about. If you think sex is tied to gender, think about this one: a very effeminate man. Now, in the west, we like to call these men "weird" or "gay" or "unnatural" or, depending how manly you are, "a threat to my own masculinity". But if this effeminate man fulfills all of our society's expected female gender roles, how can you call him a person of the male gender? Just because he has a penis? In some other cultures this sort of person would be considered a woman, or a person of a separate gender.

Gender is a combined effort of what society and ourselves consider our role to be. Gender is very hard to put a finger on if you aren't using biology - which you shouldn't be, because they are not alike. When a baby is born, does it have a gender? I'd say it does, to the extent that when the parents see that it has a certain genitalia, they will treat the baby differently. What's the big question when a baby's born (if you haven't yet determined it with ultrasound)? "Is it a girl or a boy?" We place so much emphasis on which sex the baby is that we forget that it does not determine the child's gender, apart from how we treat the child. Sometimes, treating a child as a certain gender can cause them to believe they are of that gender. But other times, the child "knows" this doesn't feel right, and seeks to define their own gender identity. Thus, it is a combined effort on the part of the self and society.