Gender identity as social construction rather than biological determination

Women and men are made, not born. Debate this statement

Women and Men Are Made, Not Born

The statement that - "women and men are made, not born" - invokes the notion that, it is not by birth that one acquires their gender but rather by the process of socialization. This brings into perspective the need to understand what gender is and whether, biological determination of gender at birth is sufficient. This paper discusses the statement drawing arguments form scholars and gives the authors stands on the issue.

Arguments for At birth one is not immediately aware of the social skills required in life perform or make it given the society expectations. There is a need for one to be initiated and guided through the stages of growth where lessons are given slowly. This teaching process creates a modeling process that direct one towards what the society expects of them. Eventually, it is the individual's choice to take the lessons to become what they feel comfortable with.

From a classical reading by Mead, it is deduced that individuals acquires a self being through social activities and social experiences. These occur and faced during the development process where one is exposed to various socialization processes and agents. Individuals are not born with an identity that Herbert argues is acquired in development stages of an individual (Mead G.H., 1934).

The development stages equip an individual with their respective identities which allow for the formation of a self. If, one is not taught about their gender in the social development stages through the society's gender role division, one would not appreciate and recognize their biological make up.

In the social construction, it is contended that the gender of an individual is determined through the process of socialization. An individual will be guided upon birth to, orient their talk, walk and action to reflect what society expects of them. The process of socialization right at the onset gives an individual what society expects from them. Any action that is not in line with the society's expectations will be reprimanded. This creates space for appreciation of one biological make up to become what the society wants of them. The end product of the socialization process creates a Woman or a Man (Frank L.K., 1948).

According to Mead the expectations of the society make Women and Men act like women or men respectively. A man will have a way of expressing themselves in the society differently from a woman. The self-consciousness that one carries is not an aspect that is acquired at birth but rather one that is learnt. The consciousness is what is referred to as "the self" and it is what makes us define a Women and a Man (Mead G.H., 1934).

The recognition and differentiation between a women and a man as deduced from Mead's argument is made possible by, how one presents themselves in the society. The processes of making a man and women clearly dictates what an individual will say for a given situation (Andolina M.W. et al., 2003). The self-awareness also works to ease the pressure of presenting oneself in society by allowing one to choose how to present self through conceptualizing what society expects of them. The concept of self-awareness is instilled through the socialization process that is argued to be the creating process of a women and a man.

Conclusion

The argument for and against the statement women and men are made and not born create a rift that clearly show that both sides have been justified. It is clear from the arguments given that the two sides have clear arguments. However, the point-of-view that the two side base their argument is different. The proponents for the statement have based their argument, not on the biological aspect but rather on the process that the end is achieved. The creation of a woman or man in the society is a process. The process defines the expectation of a society and molds the individuals first to realize self and then embrace what society expects form them (Benner D.G. And Pennington B., 2004).

The success of the process of development to be a woman or man determines what society refers one as -- a woman or a man. According to (Darwin C., 1859) the process of development is clear to show that the making part of it is through cohesive action of the agent of socialization. These agents despite having a little effect of the final outcome influence the decision taken once "self" is recognized (Bessant J. And Watts R., 2007).

I agree that women and men are made since the society plays a critical role in helping on to recognize self. It is also clear to see that the self would be lost should the development process be shunned. Self-worth of an individual lacks and, this will impact negatively on what one eventually becomes.