"What Makes Someone Male or Female?"

In your opinion, what do you think makes someone male or female?

This topic has been a popular one among feminists, families, cultures, and other groups of people we know and are possibly involved in.

This week in our family relations we had an interesting discussion about scientific findings on the subject, many of which taught me things I hadn't known or thought of before.

We watched a video called "Men, Women, and the Sex Difference" by John Stossel that gave many perspectives on men and women and if they act different from birth or if they are influenced by our culture or society to become so different and to have different roles.

For example, in this video they talked about the different toys that children play with. The little girls more often then not will go play with dolls and house objects, pretending to be mothers and children. The video stated that girls tend to be more relational in their games while boys tend to be more spacial and rough. Boys often like building or playing video games because they can picture things in 3D.

Of course there are always exceptions to the rule. For example, I loved pocket knives and getting dirty as a child as well as playing with dolls. There will often be a little boy who prefers dolls and playing house over rough-housing. But often times, there are specific ways that little children play without being told to act that way.

Another study that was presented in the video was with young toddlers being unable to get to their mothers. There was a clear barrier between the child and the mom, sort of like a small, waist-high room for the toddler to play in. The mom would set the toddler down in the small room and then sit in a chair on the other side of the clear wall. What they found was that little boys would run at the glass and hit it, trying to knock down the barrier between them and their mother. Girls would simply stand  and start crying until their mother would come pick them up.

There was one toddler who did the opposite, but for the most part these little children reacted the same as others of their sex.

The video also includes research on the brain that is done while the baby is still in the womb, and I would encourage you to watch the video if you would like to learn more about it.

For me personally, I grew up in a family of 6 girls and 1 boy. Therefore, there was always a lot of estrogen and womanly ways of doing things. I never knew that men and women often think so differently until I moved away from home. I have learned more about the difference between men and women in the past year than I ever knew in my entire life. Knowing the differences in how we think has actually been extremely beneficial to me, especially while dating my boyfriend.

What he does makes so much more sense to me. Together we read "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" and it has taught me to appreciate others more for their differences, rather than get upset that they don't think the same way as me.

I encourage you to look deeper into this topic and see how it might help you in your life too.

Whether you agree with the points in this topic or not, I know that learning and seeking to understand another's perspective is beneficial no matter what you believe.

Have a wonderful day my friend,

Until next time,

Kirie