Have you ever thought about why some children prefer dinosaurs to Barbie or, vice versa, some children like Barbie more than dinosaurs? The idea of toys’ preferences is related to human nature, nurture, and behavior and closely connected to the sex difference of children. Deborah Blum admits that gender blur is considered to be a significant issue to comprehend the differences people face day by day. People are classified by gender factors such as masculinity that is usually characterized by aggression and some kind of dominance and femininity that is characterized by its submission and frequent passivity.
The hormones like estrogen and testosterone help to build a nervous system that is different due to its sexuality basics. For example, estrogen is defined as a female sex hormone that aims at diminishing or shrinking muscles as well as body movements. Which are similar to the feminine ones. Estrogen is identified as the hormone that is able to affect the human mind as a result of which mannerisms are of feminine nature. Female acts differ considerably from those of male representatives: female behavior is less aggressive and may be influenced by control. The investigations of some scientists prove that the biological characteristics of men are more violent and aggressive. Any kind of aggression is inherent not only to human beings: different animals, as well as humans of the male gender, are identified as more aggressive. It is necessary to admit that the factor of reproductive genes may also serve as a kind of advantage to aggressive human behavior. Blum (1998) points out “male chimpanzees declare war on neighboring troops, and one of their strategies is a warning strike. They kill females and infants to terrorize.” Also, Blum reports that male is more predisposed to commit crimes, and females, in their turn, are only capable of a single pregnancy, this is why there is no genetic advantage to aggressively fighting for multiple mates.
Another reason why aggression of men is more evident than female aggression is the number of hormones like testosterone and androgen. Testosterone is the hormone that amplifies human physical and behavioral differences in childhood and adolescence. According to Deborah Blum (1998), this hormone has “body-building functions, it influences some behaviors as well. Males tend to have a higher baseline of testosterone than females and therefore you would predict that all of those behaviors would be more generally found in men than in women.” An unborn child who does not have enough testosterone may become a female, and its male characteristics are diminished. In other words, a person who has more testosterone is apt to be more masculine such as murderous women or passive men.
Blum reports that testosterone rises in response to competition and threat. When people are in the competitive world of dating, some threats make testosterone increase. It means that a woman may have some male characteristics if the testosterone level is higher. Hormones imbalance results in gays and lesbians. People rarely choose to become a homosexual because it is basically programmed into their brain due to their sex hormones. Homosexuality could be accepted as a biological fact.
I agree with Blum’s point of view that genetics is the major factor to determine human behavior. She mentions the differences between genders and indicates that certain masculine behaviors such as aggression have raised the necessity for successful sexual selection. Masculinity and femininity cannot be explained through society alone, this is why nature and nurture also play an important role in male and female development.
Reference List
Blum, D 1998, ‘The gender blur: where does biology end and society take over?’ UTNE Reader. Web.