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First, it's important to make a distinction that many people fail to realize.  The sex of a person, whether they are male or female (or intersex, but that later), is NOT the same thing as being a man or a woman.  Being male or female is strictly descriptive of one's anatomy.  It only denotes if they biologically have a penis or vagina, THAT'S IT!  Being a man(boy) or woman(girl) is another social construct we as people have created.  We associate certain behaviors and traits to men and women.  Biology is impartial to these constructs.  Now of course, if you take the average man and the average woman, it's likely the man is physically stronger than the woman is.  Although this may be true, it is no indicator of how well a woman can drive, or the notion that a man has to be the primary supporter of his family.  What's even more surprising is that not only do men have certain expectations where gender is involved, but women tend to fall right in line with those expectations as well.  This phenomenon is known as collusion.  For more information, please see that section on the main gender page.  As you think more about what you just read, try to think back to what type of toys you played with as a child? What activities did you engage in as a teenager?  How did you begin to understand relationships between women and men?  Answering these questions will help you understand more about your personal socialization process, and help you begin moving to where you want to be.

 

 

 

The Basics

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