Dude, men and women ARE inherently different. I identify with the plight of women, and I'm an avid supporter of new-wave feminism, but it's ridiculous to try and suggest that men and women are identical at their cores. I don't believe that "gender" is a societal construct, and even if the separation and differences between men and women biologically has been stretched and distorted by modern consumerism and sexism, there must have been an initial impetus that drove "society" in that direction.
I think you guys are getting caught up in sexism. Saying that " gender" exists isn't equivalent to saying that one sex outweighs the other. First of all, it obviously must exist at this point in time, since we're discussing and arguing about it. This is the case, regardless of whether "society" created it or if it was self-generating instead. Secondly, I think that you guys are debasing biology to an unhealthy degree. Biology doesn't have to mean that girls like pink things and playing with dolls, and boys like violence and hitting. Think about things on the surface: I'm never going to be able to think like a female, because I don't have the same organs. I'm never going to give birth, and I'm never going to have a period or anything like that. That's important, and for all you know, contributed to this divide from the very beginning. In the end, while the human mind can be considered through an esoteric lens, its functioning has a basis in the physical realm. Your very opinions against using "biology" as evidence of a gender divide is a result of your biology making you think. So don't discount it.
Lastly, I think you should consider what you mean by "society." Culture isn't stagnant, and although "society" is essentially used to refer to the amalgamation of all human cultures, I'm going to assume that most of us espouse a "Western" or American sensibility when it comes to that. There are certainly cultures and subcultures (even within America) that don't follow "the societal norms." And yet, it seems archetypal that, regardless of who's in power, or whether anyone has more power (in terms of one sex vs. another), people recognize a gender divide. I don't currently have any evidence to support this, but from what I've remembered reading in the past, people have attempted to raise boys and girls in somewhat reversed roles, and it hasn't worked. This isn't because of "society," but because of these innate differences.
We respond differently to the world around us, and that shouldn't be a problem to anyone. Trying to deny gender is like trying to deny race––we're all people, and people should be treated equally, but it's okay (in fact, it's encouraged) to be different. I know Laura was speaking out against confining individuals to social prison cells, but even new-wave feminist scholars widely accept "gender." "Gender" doesn't harm anyone mentally or physically––any damage done to anyone through sexism and sexist behavior is the fault of the individual or of other "societal constructs"––not an "innate difference" between men and women, if there is one.
Dude, men and women ARE
Dude, men and women ARE inherently different. I identify with the plight of women, and I'm an avid supporter of new-wave feminism, but it's ridiculous to try and suggest that men and women are identical at their cores. I don't believe that "gender" is a societal construct, and even if the separation and differences between men and women biologically has been stretched and distorted by modern consumerism and sexism, there must have been an initial impetus that drove "society" in that direction.
I think you guys are getting caught up in sexism. Saying that " gender" exists isn't equivalent to saying that one sex outweighs the other. First of all, it obviously must exist at this point in time, since we're discussing and arguing about it. This is the case, regardless of whether "society" created it or if it was self-generating instead. Secondly, I think that you guys are debasing biology to an unhealthy degree. Biology doesn't have to mean that girls like pink things and playing with dolls, and boys like violence and hitting. Think about things on the surface: I'm never going to be able to think like a female, because I don't have the same organs. I'm never going to give birth, and I'm never going to have a period or anything like that. That's important, and for all you know, contributed to this divide from the very beginning. In the end, while the human mind can be considered through an esoteric lens, its functioning has a basis in the physical realm. Your very opinions against using "biology" as evidence of a gender divide is a result of your biology making you think. So don't discount it.
Lastly, I think you should consider what you mean by "society." Culture isn't stagnant, and although "society" is essentially used to refer to the amalgamation of all human cultures, I'm going to assume that most of us espouse a "Western" or American sensibility when it comes to that. There are certainly cultures and subcultures (even within America) that don't follow "the societal norms." And yet, it seems archetypal that, regardless of who's in power, or whether anyone has more power (in terms of one sex vs. another), people recognize a gender divide. I don't currently have any evidence to support this, but from what I've remembered reading in the past, people have attempted to raise boys and girls in somewhat reversed roles, and it hasn't worked. This isn't because of "society," but because of these innate differences.
We respond differently to the world around us, and that shouldn't be a problem to anyone. Trying to deny gender is like trying to deny race––we're all people, and people should be treated equally, but it's okay (in fact, it's encouraged) to be different. I know Laura was speaking out against confining individuals to social prison cells, but even new-wave feminist scholars widely accept "gender." "Gender" doesn't harm anyone mentally or physically––any damage done to anyone through sexism and sexist behavior is the fault of the individual or of other "societal constructs"––not an "innate difference" between men and women, if there is one.