ANTH 353 Lecture 2: Sex as Seen in Society
Document Summary
Sex as seen in society: beyond nature/ nurture debate. Nurture: environmental influences including social and cultural influences: challenge status quo. Reinforce agenda for change: baby x. Dichotomization of sex and gender: sex and associated physical features. Recognition of two sexes often treated as natural and morally right. Often seen as the pru(cid:448)ie(cid:449) of (cid:858)hard(cid:859) science. Often treated as based on objective unbiased facts. Biological sex associated with nature: gender defined as a human invention and/or social science construct. Often treated as marked by cultural bias. Gender associated with culture: nature/nurture debate. If it is asserted that men as a group are more aggressive than women as a group that is due to. Nature: (inherited traits, biological influences) e. g. higher levels of testosterone. Nurture (cultural influences) e. g. training in aggressive sports, playing with guns, etc Posited as an either/ or proposition minimizes the reality. Ex: in studies linking testosterone and aggressiveness.
