WOMENST 1A03 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Atomism, Menstruation, Johns Hopkins University
21 Apr 2017
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Document Summary
The egg and the sperm: how science has constructed. Scientific reproductive biology relied on stereotypes central to our cultural definitions of male and female. Implies that female biological processes are less worthy than their male counterparts, therefore that women are less worthy than men. All major scientific textbooks depict male and female reproductive organs as systems for the production of valuable substances, such as eggs and sperm. Depicted as the debris of the uterine lining, the result of the death of tissue. Sperm on the other hand, is often described w/ a sense of awe, and is seen as remarkable. The making of sperm is considered valuable while menstruation is not. Ova follicles are present at birth and most of them degenerate, whereas sperm is constantly produced in large amounts. To avoid negative connotations, scientists could begin to describe male and female processes as homologous.
