The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths about Sex and Identity in Our Society
As despised as evolutionary biology may be, it is a critical piece of the discussion on gender. Case in point: I will often hear women who aren't in favor of biological explanations, saying things like "I've never been a girly-girl; I've always been more interested in things that men do," and they will take this as evidence that femininity is the result of an individual's life choices. In reality, from a scientific perspective, women who are gender-atypical, like myself, were likely exposed to higher levels of testosterone in utero. This can occur due to a variety of factors, including normal variation, young maternal age, maternal weight gain, genetic conditions, 23 and hormonal treatment during pregnancy. 24. As Damore mentioned in his memo, gendered interests are predicted by this exposure-higher levels are associated with male-typical interests and behaviors, regardless of whether the baby is male or female. These interests include a preference for mechanically interesting objects and systemizing occupations in adulthood Lower levels are associated with a preference for people-oriented activities and occupations, stemming from evolutionary roots. Women, who are tasked with the role of bearing children, evolved to be more sociable, empathic, and people-focused, while men, as hunter-gatherers, were rewarded for strong visuospatial skills and the ability to build and use tools. This explains why STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields tend to be dominated by men.
A big part of the problem seemed to be that many of Damore's critics didn't understand the concept of statistical averages. Even as I summarize the research now, I want to be very clear. Group averages don't say anything about an individual person, but rather, what would be found when comparing a random selection from one group (say, men) to a random selection of another group (in this case, women). More important, Damore was referring to interest in scientific fields, not ability.
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In order to maintain a 50:50 sex ratio, we will be forcing women to do jobs they don?t want to do.
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In theory, the separation of gender from biology and sex would help to further facilitate female emancipation. If gender and gender roles are socially imposed, it becomes more difficult for society to justify defining women and their opportunities by these roles, instead of encouraging them to flourish as individuals.
The bottom line is, all of this messaging sounds nice. I can see why people like it. It absolves us of having to wrangle with the complexity and the implications that come from acknowledging that our gender is mostly hardwired and unchangeable. If gender is learned, you can change it. If there's anything you don't like about who you are, it's not your fault; it's the fault of cultural conditioning.
If women aren't choosing occupations in science and tech because they'd prefer to fulfill other career aspirations, this shouldn't be interpreted as a problem. As a woman with a PhD in a STEM discipline who has mentored female students, I understand why this perspective is seen as dangerous. It could be used to drag women back a century or two, to deny our basic freedoms. But fearmongering isn't honest, ethical, or empowering. Women should be allowed to own the decisions we make.
There is nothing more infantilizing than the belief that women who think independently aren't aware of their own oppression.
23. Kallak, T. K., Hellgren, C., Skalkidou, A., Sandelin-Francke, L., Ubhayasekhera, K., Bergquist, J.,? Sundström Poromaa, I. (2017). Maternal and female fetal testosterone levels are associated with maternal age and gestational weight gain. European Journal of Endocrinology, 177, 379?388.
24 Hines, M. (2006). Prenatal testosterone and gender-related behaviour. European Journal of Endrocrinology, 15S, S115?S121
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