Reply #45: gender, nature and more

[veganwitch]

first id like to concur with many of the things already mentioned in previous posts.

girls in school (middle to high) now are daughters of the first women who were told they could be whatever they wanted to be (and those opportunities really were open to them--with still much left to be done). thusly, they are telling the same to their daughters. therefore there is that expection, especially middle to upper class for girls and young women, to go on to college and not simply for pink collared jobs.

also, the expections on boys and young men, especially young men of colour, is not towards the same goals. what role models to young men of colour have? they are either sports/movie stars or in jail. hmmm. doesnt leave many options that are going to motivate someone for good grades and hard studies.

these are social factors, not only the environment in which you are raised but also how you are simply treated because of your sex. this is gender. whether females are more adept to social skills and males mechanical is a "chicken or the egg" question. are females more socially-able because they are expected to be so and those skills are taught to them? are males really more inclined to build/destroy things because its in their genes or because they are given toy tools and told to "help daddy" fix the car, the sink, program the VCR?

gender/behavioural binaries ignore the fact that there is spectrum of sexual identity (intersexed folk as well as transgendered and transexuals) and that in any analysis of behaviour/data a good majority is going to be found in the middle (bell curve anyone?) yes i majored in english (and women and gender studies) but i was originally a chemistry major. ive never been one for really knowing how to fix a car (other than standard good to know stuff) and computers but i like knowing how shit works. where does this put me? and everyone else on the planet?

and on another simple level, do we really want to resort to such simplistic thinking? because men have, by nature, the ability to penetrate and grow stronger/gain more muscle mass, does that mean they are going to be violent and abusive? because i have a uterus does that mean that barefoot in the kitchen is what i want my primary identity to be? biological determinism and gender roles based on only two sexes alone has been the basis of all oppression because one has to follow the other, one on top one on bottom. instead lets appreciate and allow to grow all identities and all skills in all people.

edit: for clarity.