Socialization

Question: Explore the relationship between sex difference and gender identity

The relationship between sex difference and gender identity is a very controversial many people have different views about what the two mean. One could define sex difference as the biological and physical characteristics of a human being, this can be the differences found in a male and female. Gender identity can be said to be what makes one a female or a male. The characteristics found in men and women are totally different in terms of biological terms, this is noted for example men grow beard and develop a deeper voice, women develop breasts and both sexes have different sexual organs. These characteristics found in both sexes can build up gender identity, this so because one is able determine whether this is a male or female through those features. Still to note according to scientist’s experiments the differences in sexes can be noted in the size of brain, the male happens to have a brain twice as big as the female brain. In addition some authors hold aspects of human biologically ranging from hormones to chromosomes to brain size to genetics are responsible for innate difference in behaviour between men and women ,thus sex difference and gender identity.

However, Giddens (2006:459) eludes that gender difference can not to be totally biologically determined but culturally produced; he states that in some form across all cultures gender identity is seen in the roles performed. An example, almost in every culture men rather than women take part in hunting and warfare ,women are expected to be passive and calm while it’s the opposite for man this is therefore, an indication of gender identity. In addition gender identity and sex difference can be noted in colour whereas girls are well known for wearing pick and boys for wearing blue. Still to different roles in cultural terms can determine sex difference and gender identity, whereas men do the heavy jobs and women are known for doing the light job. In the end a lot of eyebrows are raised as to what exactly determines sex difference and gender identity, one can safely conclude that the distinction between sex difference and gender identity can be noted both biologically and culturally.

Question: Is modern western society undergoing a "gender crises"?

To a greater extent modern western society is undergoing a gender crisis. This is so because people as they grow up tend to put the society’s expectations aside and do their own thing thus abandoning the way they manner in which they were brought up. According to Giddens people as they grow tend to believe that they are born into the wrong bodies and try by all means to change their identity despite what the society thinks about it. This crisis is mainly noticed in teenagers when they now feel that they have a right to make up their own decisions, thus wanting to behave in the manner of the opposite sex which they believe suites their needs.

Moreover the modern western society is undergoing a gender crisis as people now are changing their genders. These modern days one can find women now doing the jobs that were