Gender Differences

In what ways are gender differences related to persistent gender inequalities?



To start this essay I would like to start quitting this: “Your sex is who you are biologically. Your gender is what society expects and prescribes for you based on your biological sex. Our gender can be important because it helps us organize our world in this environment of controversy about women and men’srights”. (Pollack, 2008).

The citation is worth mentioning because it shows how sex, gender and gender inequalities are related to each other. Moreover, the differences between sexes have historically been used as an argument against equal rights because most of the people claim that the differences (physiological and physical) are so extreme that it could be hardly possible to consider man andwoman in all societies, the same. This considers the long‐running debate about nature in the development of gendered identities. “In everyday life and some branches of psychology, the argument that differences between women and men are attributable to hormones or chromosomes is widely held” (Giddens, 2009).

For all of this, in this essay I am going to analyse and evaluate Gender Socializationtheory, which differences also mentioned the biological differences and how they upon in society. Moreover, to identify how physiological and emotional differences affect and differ males and females.

Furthermore, I will link and evaluate how all of these differences are related to persist in gender inequalities and in which certain situations this is more present.

➢ Physical differences:Here is where Gender Socialization, which according to Giddens is the tendency for boys and girl based on his or her sex. To understand more this concept, I am going to present the following examples:

1. The fact that most of the males are more stronger and more aggressive than females:



As reported by Doctor Eitzen, “Men are over 30% stronger than women , more robust and has a greaterproportion of muscle mass than the average women, especially in the upper body” (2000, p. 203) this male characteristic is caused by androgens which make males taller, heavier, and more muscular. Moreover, this is due of men's higher levels of testosterone. Evidence of this is provide by Gustafsson who indicates that on the average, man possesses 50 percent more brute strength than woman (40percent of a man’s body weight is muscle; 23 percent of a woman’s). (2004, p.21)





It is these factors that make men seem stronger and therefore more capable to do certain works like Construction, Athletes (specially, football and basketball players) Navigation, Aviation and Military Service. It seems true to me these factors man are noticeable and considerable to state differences betweenmales and female. However, I cannot say I agree with the popular statement that certain jobs should not be done by women or by men. Personally, I think that in some sports and Military activities, the physical superiority is very significant too and it is not only about muscle mass. As a consequence, nowadays a lot of women suffer discrimination even in work placement where strength it is noneeded.

Evidently, in most jobs places women and men causes that man and woman do not have an equal status; it is men who become plant managers and women who are responsible for secretarial duties. I find this unfair because I would really like to see more women in the parliament, the army and all kinds of industries.

2. Procreation:


Woman has several unique and important functions:menstruation, pregnancy, lactation. Woman’s hormones are of a different type and more numerous than man’s. For instance, it is assumed that women and the status of women in the family parallel their status in other social institutions. Moreover, there are those who say that men have to be in charge of the financial maintenance of the family than women. In the roles of wife and mother a woman earns no...