The debate of Nature vs Nurture has been enacted since the founding of sociology. Let’s take on the topic of gender roles. Gender roles are the patterns of behaviors that a person, based on their gender, is expected to follow. For example, men are expected to be the “breadwinners” and “protectors” of their family and are the primary providers of income. Likewise, women are expected to aspire for marriage, then find an (at least moderately) successful man, get married, birth children, stay home, clean house, and watch Young and the Restless in between chores. This whole debate was started by a man by the name of Francis Galton.
He was absolutely convinced that any level of success was solely due to qualities inherited genetically. He then wanted to know whether or not his belief was true, so he began to do twin studies on nature and nurture. Nature refers to the belief that everything about a person is purely genetic. This includes gender roles, and it uses physiology as its main evidence. Genetically, males are more likely to display aggressive behavior because they mainly produce testosterone and only a little bit of estrogen. Testosterone also makes it more possible for males to develop muscles and gives me more strength than their female counterparts.
This typically leads to males being put in positions that are more physical and domineering. Because women produce estrogen, and only some testosterone, they tend to be more inclined to be compassionate and kind toward others. This also explains why women are less likely to display aggressive behavior, According to one researcher, they placed “them down on the floor...without fail Kate will scoot on her bum to the dolls and Adam will crawl on all fours to the cars. Without prompting, without being told or shown where or what to do”. Nurture refers to the belief that everything a person does is a direct result of their environment.
In gender roles, this can be found in the first 6-12 months following birth. A study showed that “mothers talk to their daughters in a more conversational way and give more instructions to their sons”. Further proof of nurture over nature was actually proven within my own family. My sister is almost an exact mini-me of her father, and I am more similar to my mother than I am to my father.
In the lens of feminism, nurture is the winner of this debate. One of the main arguments for this is the way we incorporate gender roles into the learning and development process. For example, when hearing the word “teacher”, most people envision a female. But when hearing the word “professor”, most people envision a male. This is because we were always trained to have that conception of gender roles in society. In the feminist perspective, biology and physiology have absolutely no effect on an individual’s perspective on gender roles.
“If biology, rather than sociology, is the major determinant of men inflicting domestic and sexual violence on women...marginalizing other men who emulate stereotypically feminine traits as ‘pussies,’...dominating the workforce...being violent and emotionally stunted...or people limiting individuals to two gender boxes, or people slut-shaming women...”. Biology has no effect on whether or not a woman will become president, or a man will become an art teacher. Biology also has no effect on the high level of males who become abusive, or how either gender treats the other or their own.
But sociology does. Mary Wollstone addresses this in her book, Vindication. She argues that women being trained to wear corsets and to always try and be thin and pretty has actually altered the female anatomy. She believes that women have become “enervated by confinement false notions of modesty”, which alters the way women see themselves.
I wholeheartedly agree that nurture is what influences gender roles, and not nature. In my own life, I have seen the way that people have been socialized into believing what is acceptable of one gender and what is acceptable to the other. For example, I have always felt a pressure to become athletic and engage in more rigorous activities. And I have also seen many friends of mine that are female feel pressured to act a certain way. I am also guilty of being a little sexist in my views of what is acceptable per gender.
For example, I didn’t think that any guy should ever actually enjoy a musical. But now, I don’t think that anyone could actually like a musical. I also never really thought that women should do manual labor. But now, I could honestly care less. I think that there are two reasons that explain my shift in perspective. One, I started to, and still do, watch shows and movies with strong female leads. Seeing Korra kick ass in The Legend of Korra, and seeing Princess Mia buck tradition in her quest to be Queen of Genovia in The Princess Diaries II, watching Mandy be a total savage in The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, seeing Raven save the world in Teen Titans, or even just watching the Powerpuff Girls really changed the way I viewed women.
I started to see them as equals to men, if not, the superior to men. Which is ironic, considering I am gay. But the second reasoning for my perspective shift would be that I mainly socialize with females, possibly as a result of the first reason. Which is, again, ironic since I am gay. But I have seen firsthand very strong and independent women earning respect in society. For example, Kelly Kusomoto, one of my wrestling coaches and good friends, is the only athlete to have a banner in our school.
She is also the inspiration for the Kelly Kusomoto Award, an honor bestowed upon only the most successful wrestlers. But even outside the wrestling room, I have seen women that I associate with just completely bucking the gender role expectancy. I’ve also seen women that I admire set records and make accomplishments that open up the possibilities for what a female can achieve. A more recent example of this would be Rihanna, a girl born on the left side of an island, receiving the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, the most prestigious award in any artist’s career. She is the second female of color, and the youngest artist, to ever receive this award.
She is also, in her age group, the most successful artist of all time. She is ranked the 13th Greatest Artist of All Time, and the number of awards and records she has won and broken is at least as close in numbers to the Beatles, thus making her the most successful artist of all time or the second most. So, all in all, I believe that nature does not affect how people view gender roles. But rather, I believe that nurture has everything do with it. I think that if Mary Wollstone could see the progress that we are making in society, she would say “A-men”. Or maybe even, “A-women”.
