HREQ 1920 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Michael Kimmel, Social Darwinism, Determinism

• School: York University
• Department: Human Rights and Equity Studies
• Course: HREQ 1920
• Professor: All

Document Summary

So far we"ve addressed how historically western philosophers and then medical science used naturalistic accounts to explain how biology (sex) determines men and women"s social and psychological behaviour (gender). In these models or different accounts, biological sex such as our reproductive anatomies (uteruses and penises), our brain structures, our hormones are believed to lead inevitably to gender. Sex is male and female; gender refers to our cultural definitions of masculinity and femininity that is, the meanings of maleness and femaleness. As michael kimmel defines gender as the cultural and social meanings, experiences and institutional structures that are defined as appropriate for those males and females. A biological model of sex difference is what is considered the nature side of the nature/nurture debate and is believed to determine our personalities and gendered behaviours. In the 18h century most explanations of gender difference had been provided by religion.