Are Gender Roles determined by genes or socialisation?
What is gender? It is something that everyone has but doesn’t think about it much, they know they are either male or female and simply take is for granted. We behave in a masculine or feminine ways that have become a habit to us through life, so that we don’t give our behaviour any thought, we think it is natural to us.
I believe gender roles are made by both, but the socialisation plays a very important part. When a baby is born we question its sex, but why do we bother? There are sill families who want sons that cannot have them, vice versa for girls. It’s because of all the past influences past down from generation that boys are strong rough and tough and that girls are quiet sweet cute, of course this is very stereotypically of me but it’s true. From the moment of birth, see boys as firmer, better co-ordinated, stronger and more alert, while girls are seen as smaller weaker and prettier, even if boy is a six pounds and girl is strapping eight pounder. We have to ask the question are men different from women. Of course, they are different in aptitude, skill and behaviour, but then, so is every individual person. So why do we make such a fuss about it? It seems unreasonable to suggest that the sexes are different because their brains are different, but then no two human brains are the same.