SOC101Y1 Lecture Notes - Bechdel Test, Gender Role, Neuroplasticity
Document Summary
People continually distinguish between males and females and evaluate them differently. Boys and girls are not identical at birth: genetic and hormonal differences do launch males and females down somewhat different development paths. A concept used by neurologists to explain why experience (i. e. learning) regularly changes. Your brain is what you do with it: we are the kind of interactions we have and the influence of others that surround us ad are exposed to, who we are is a product of our experiences. Every task you spend time on reinforces active brain circuits at the expense of other inactive ones. Sociologists use the terms sex and gender to distinguish biological sex identity from learned gender roles. A person is born male or female (or some combination) but becoming a mean or a woman is the result of social and cultural expectations that patterns men"s and women"s behaviour, attitudes, and physical appearance.
