Is gender behaviour learned or innate?

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Sociology                                                                              

Is gender behaviour learned or innate?

The sex of an individual is established by our biology. The variations in hormones, chromosomes and physical appearance determine whether we are male or female.

The understanding of ‘gender’ has been socially constructed. Masculine and feminine stereotypes have been constructed within society. These stereotypes encourage people to behave in a way that is ‘appropriate’ to their sex and effect the way that individual thinks, feels and acts. The key debate is whether sex combined with gender roles is innate and biologically driven or is it due to socialisation?

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 The social constructionist view of gender dismisses the idea that genes are responsible for the way that we think and behave. Instead there is the belief that our ‘gender’ is shaped by our societal environment. From the moment someone is born people conform to the gender stereotypes, particularly the parents. A classic example would be the conception that girls wear pink and boys wear blue. From this other people will start to treat that individual according to the ‘norms’. Baby girls are almost always handled with great care whereas baby boys are often handled in a much more physical manner ...

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