Feminism pt. 3

[cinnazimt]

Rules for answering the question:

• If you're not a feminist but still care about gender issues, I don't mind you answering or critiquing it however you want.
• If you have a hard time answering, feel free to discuss why.
  
• I'm pretty curious about what people think, so feel free to write a billion page essay and post it here, email me, or

Comments

guessi'muptodatenow

[van_drama]

hm... i guess i feel "b" is how i think. i don't neccessarily believe that biology determines gender and gender roles. but i do feel they play a part. even if that part is something as tiny and insignificant as "oh i have a cunt. i am a female". (or i have a a penis. i am a male. or i have a cunt but i don't identify as female..etc.) without the biololgical "blueprint" of what gender we "Are", we cannot choose to accept or reject the roles that go with being said gender.

that sounds pretty cyclical re-reading it.

basically, if i didn't know that biologically speaking, i am female- if you couldn't tell or there was no physical/biological definition of gender(sex) what would it mean to me if someone to say "you run like a girl" or "only boys can be construction workers". nothing, right?

Re: guessi'muptodatenow

[cinnazimt]

It seems like you're saying gender roles are decided entirely by psycho-social processes that culture places on us and we buy into because of some arbitrary marker (genitals). But it doesn't sound like you think we have any natural aptitudes or detriments because of hormones or brain structure. Does that sound right to you?

Thank you for sharing all of your thoughts!

Re: guessi'muptodatenow

[van_drama]

yes. i think that's what i was thinking

Emily!

[anonymous]

My answer is in between e and a/b. I think that gender roles are mostly determined by the psycho-cultural/social process. However, I do believe that there is a good bit of biology mixed in, and that this process is incredibly dynamic.

[dreamlit]

B. Or maybe D/E. I'm not really sure. Nevertheless, I think a lot has to do with biology... not simply genitalia but chemicals and whatnot. However, the social/cultural stuff has an effect as well.

THIS is the question I'd love for science to answer but I don't think it will.

[aranna_elenna]

I'm with anonymous Emily! in that I'm either somewhere in between A and B, leaning more towards B, or E. E just seems like a roundabout answer to say the question can't be answered, and I like thinking questions CAN be answered.

[anonymous]

Since my background on the subject comes from psychology, I'd say B, but husband, whose background is biology, would probably say C. I think it's difficult to sort out--though not impossible--and the truth might best be told in E.

[anonymous]

-mjk