PYC4805 Assignment 2 Unique Number: 693556 Student No: 4646-325-9
Nature vs Nurture an argumentative essay
Introduction
It is my belief that there is a very fine line between nature and nurture when it comes to
gender identity. I believe that for children and adolescents to develop a sound gender
identity, they need to consistently be given guidance as well as choices. I believe that it is
both innate and socialized, in terms that there are certain societal roles that we are
genetically predisposed to, we have an innate knowledge or instinct based on our genetics
or biology and that our development of our own gender identities are also determined by
the societal experiences we have from a very young age.
In this essay I will argue that both nature and nurture play a role in the development of
gender identities, I will briefly look at other possible influences but ultimately my standpoint
is that nature and nurture are inextricably linked, that one cannot stand without the other.
Gender Identity and Gender stereotyping
Gender Identity
From a social scientist’s perspective gender identity would be seen as the self-definition as
either male or female on the part of the individual and is based on their own biological sex
as interpreted and understood within their own particular culture or society (Eagly & Wood,
2017).
Children understand form very early on that there are two sexes and that they belong to
one or the other based on their own biology. When children are very young their sex
becomes the basis of their gender identity. This is before they fully understand what gender
identity is and before they have been exposed to the nature of gender in a societal setting
(Eagly & Wood, 2017).
Halim and Ruble (2010) define gender identity as an individual’s sense of themselves as
either male or female, they argue that this is a social identity that in turn allows an
individual to identify with a social category again allowing them to identify with a certain
group. They also state that gender identity can operate on both the individual and group
level.
From the above we see that there is some consensus on the fact that both biology and
society or experience play a role in the development of gender identity.
Gender stereotyping
, PYC4805 Assignment 2 Unique Number: 693556 Student No: 4646-325-9
According to Halim and Ruble (2010) gender stereotyping and gender identity both emerge
during early childhood. They define gender stereotypes as a set of beliefs about the
attributes or characteristics of women, girls, men and boys.
They also state that the majority children will become aware of these stereotypes regardless
of what happens within their family unit due to their interactions with others as well as their
exposure to mass media.
Eagly and Wood, (2017) give a similar consensus in that they due to the highly altricial
nature of humans, that we are highly socialized and that that socialization often involves
gender, children begin to develop stereotypes through their observation of the societal
divisions of labor. They further this by saying that as children get older, from these
observations of the divisions of labor in society, they develop ideas about gender roles.
These gender roles, simply put, are stereotypical ideas about what men and women do and
are based on their socialization and are solidified when they are confirmed by others.
When talking about gender identity and stereotyping I would be remiss if I left out gender
constancy and the multi-dimensional nature of gender itself. Children move through the
different stages of understanding that sex is constant over time and regardless of superficial
changes remains unchanged. It is important to not how broad and multifaceted gender and
more specifically centrality is. While all of the things we have spoken about until now may
influence one’s gender identity, the concept of centrality or importance refers to how
central or important an aspect of our self is in our conscious awareness and in our own
definitions of ourselves. Constancy and centrality can both vary over time and between
individuals and may dictate how we view ourselves in relation to our gender. (Halim &
Ruble, 2010)
When talking about gender identity and gender stereotypes we already begin to see that
both biology and society or nature and nurture play a role in how these develop and what
they look like.
Nature vs Nurture
Nature
As individuals we have both a biological nature and a social one, the understanding of social
categories is seen to be a major milestone and transition in children’s lives and is said to
happen as early as one and a half to two years of age, with the solidification of the ideas of
gender and what is associated with each and which gender they as an individual belong to
being well entrenched before the age of three.
The idea of nature states that no amount of outside influence will change our override what
we as individuals biologically know about ourselves. This Darwinian idea that our gender
Nature vs Nurture an argumentative essay
Introduction
It is my belief that there is a very fine line between nature and nurture when it comes to
gender identity. I believe that for children and adolescents to develop a sound gender
identity, they need to consistently be given guidance as well as choices. I believe that it is
both innate and socialized, in terms that there are certain societal roles that we are
genetically predisposed to, we have an innate knowledge or instinct based on our genetics
or biology and that our development of our own gender identities are also determined by
the societal experiences we have from a very young age.
In this essay I will argue that both nature and nurture play a role in the development of
gender identities, I will briefly look at other possible influences but ultimately my standpoint
is that nature and nurture are inextricably linked, that one cannot stand without the other.
Gender Identity and Gender stereotyping
Gender Identity
From a social scientist’s perspective gender identity would be seen as the self-definition as
either male or female on the part of the individual and is based on their own biological sex
as interpreted and understood within their own particular culture or society (Eagly & Wood,
2017).
Children understand form very early on that there are two sexes and that they belong to
one or the other based on their own biology. When children are very young their sex
becomes the basis of their gender identity. This is before they fully understand what gender
identity is and before they have been exposed to the nature of gender in a societal setting
(Eagly & Wood, 2017).
Halim and Ruble (2010) define gender identity as an individual’s sense of themselves as
either male or female, they argue that this is a social identity that in turn allows an
individual to identify with a social category again allowing them to identify with a certain
group. They also state that gender identity can operate on both the individual and group
level.
From the above we see that there is some consensus on the fact that both biology and
society or experience play a role in the development of gender identity.
Gender stereotyping
, PYC4805 Assignment 2 Unique Number: 693556 Student No: 4646-325-9
According to Halim and Ruble (2010) gender stereotyping and gender identity both emerge
during early childhood. They define gender stereotypes as a set of beliefs about the
attributes or characteristics of women, girls, men and boys.
They also state that the majority children will become aware of these stereotypes regardless
of what happens within their family unit due to their interactions with others as well as their
exposure to mass media.
Eagly and Wood, (2017) give a similar consensus in that they due to the highly altricial
nature of humans, that we are highly socialized and that that socialization often involves
gender, children begin to develop stereotypes through their observation of the societal
divisions of labor. They further this by saying that as children get older, from these
observations of the divisions of labor in society, they develop ideas about gender roles.
These gender roles, simply put, are stereotypical ideas about what men and women do and
are based on their socialization and are solidified when they are confirmed by others.
When talking about gender identity and stereotyping I would be remiss if I left out gender
constancy and the multi-dimensional nature of gender itself. Children move through the
different stages of understanding that sex is constant over time and regardless of superficial
changes remains unchanged. It is important to not how broad and multifaceted gender and
more specifically centrality is. While all of the things we have spoken about until now may
influence one’s gender identity, the concept of centrality or importance refers to how
central or important an aspect of our self is in our conscious awareness and in our own
definitions of ourselves. Constancy and centrality can both vary over time and between
individuals and may dictate how we view ourselves in relation to our gender. (Halim &
Ruble, 2010)
When talking about gender identity and gender stereotypes we already begin to see that
both biology and society or nature and nurture play a role in how these develop and what
they look like.
Nature vs Nurture
Nature
As individuals we have both a biological nature and a social one, the understanding of social
categories is seen to be a major milestone and transition in children’s lives and is said to
happen as early as one and a half to two years of age, with the solidification of the ideas of
gender and what is associated with each and which gender they as an individual belong to
being well entrenched before the age of three.
The idea of nature states that no amount of outside influence will change our override what
we as individuals biologically know about ourselves. This Darwinian idea that our gender
