Biological And Biological Factors Affecting Our Gender Roles

I disagree with researchers that all behavioral differences between men and woman are socially constructed; there are also a lot of biological and genetic factors that contribute. Two biological factors that affect our gender roles are our genes and hormones. When a baby is first conceived it is genderless for the first seven weeks of development and, since there is no gender, the development for males and females during this period is identical.
At seven weeks when the sperm and egg combine to form the zygote, the genes activate the babies’ biological sex. Everyone has 23 pairs of chromosomes and the 23rd pair is made up of the sex chromosomes that determine biological sex. The baby will be given two different sex chromosomes an X from the
Social factors can also play a defining role. In most cultures today people are born into strong gender roles that ultimately shape who they become. “Culture is determined by who raised us, by where we were raised, and by the symbols, languages, values, and norms of that place” (Floyd, 2011, p. 38). How a person is raised, and the gender roles around them during development is a huge part of constructing their gender identity and culture. It has such a big influence because we start learning how to act in society through watching and studying others. According to Lawrence (2012), “Parents, peers, the media and schools, through reinforcement, modeling and direct tuition are the key shapers of gender identity” (para. 2). If you are raised in a highly masculine culture where you have been brought up valuing sex specific roles those will often carry on with you through life and effect decisions you make. Floyd (2011) stated that the masculine cultures value sex specific roles for women and men, preferring that men hold the wage earning and decision making positions while woman occupy the nurturing positions : (P. 46). The implicit rules of what is expected and socially acceptable for each gender in society are taught through different social interactions. These different physical, mental, and social expectations begin being taught to us at birth and influence our ideas about our gender identity. Such expectations reflect culturally influenced ideas about what it means to be a woman or a man Floyd (2011) wrote. : (P. 52). Before a child is even born things like their room color, toys, and clothes are all specifically picked out for them entirely based off of gender. Females will be encouraged to play with dolls and ponies while males will play with cars, action figures, etc. Then, once they begin school or extracurricular activities social interactions with peers construct their