Are Gender Roles Influenced By Nature Or Nurture?

Are gender roles influenced by nature, nurture, or both? Nature is seen as having traits and habits that are either inherited or result from biological factors. Nurture, on the other hand, is known as the behavior one learns from the environment. This has been a controversial topic for many years. Some would argue that, from a young age, children are obtaining traits that are going to last their entire lifetime. In addition, they believe this is a result of particular influences from a young age. However, some believe that we are conditioned through our environments to behave and act a certain way. Overall, both of these aspects support the variety of studies that have contributed to this subject in determining whether nature or nurture has a larger effect on gender roles.

Personally, when confronted with the question of which contributes to gender roles more, nature or nurture, I have found reasoning with both sides.

Nature pertains to the sex that one is born of and therefore a majority of people are raised and expected to act like a boy or a girl. Nurture, on the other hand, is society and the environment influencing one to behave differently than naturally or what is expected. The stereotypical gender roles are consisted of the men being the ones working and providing for the family with a strong sense of masculinity. The women are the ones who are usually thought to stay at home and take care of the children while cooking and cleaning. However, the roles are beginning to switch. Women are beginning to become the ones to work while the men are starting to stay at home. I think this is a result of nurture. If I had to choose a side regarding the nature/nurture affect, I would side with nurture having a lasting influence on gender roles. Society is beginning to evolve and is slowly altering the stereotypical

habits.
In order to research this particular topic, we read many articles that demonstrated the different points of view when looking into the history of gender roles. One of the most interesting articles that I found was titled “The Gender Blur” by Deborah Blum. This particular article described where nature influences end and nurture ones appear to take over. The real question is when is society and the environment beginning to truly dominate the ideology behind gender roles. Biology contributes greatly to this controversial topic. Males are generally built bigger and females smaller. This already suggests that males should be dominate and should be completing the more masculine duties. As far as society's role, the ideas listed above are part of the “gender appropriate” behavior that is ideally only acceptable in society (Blum 5).
Society plays a larger role than we give credit for in affecting gender roles. I found this in two articles, “The Gender Blur” by Deborah Blum and “From Women, Men, and Society” by Claire Renzetti and Daniel Curran. In the first article by Blum, she questions how biology, culture, and gender roles all affect one another. “Do the gender roles of our culture reflect an underlying biology, and, in turn, does the way we behave influence that biology?” (Blum 1). She then goes into detail regarding biology’s role. I learned how significant of a role testosterone and estrogen play in our daily lives regarding emotion and compulsive actions. “Biology allows flexibility, room to change, to vary and grow, that they don’t merely kill us off, is a reminder that we, male and female alike, exist on a continuum of biological possibilities that can overlap and sustain either sex” (Blum 4). In the second article by Renzetti and Curran, it describes parental influence based off of what society wants. When a girl baby is born, she gets everything in pink, boys get everything in blue. It seems as if from that point on parents would not buy their little girl a monster truck set. Society “implies gender, and with it images of personality and social role expectations,” and is unable to accept things that are not stereotypically gender oriented (Renzetti and Curran 76). As the article continues, is describes the truth behind child/parent interactions. “Research indicates that parents tend to engage in rougher, more physical play with infant sons than with infant daughters” (Renzetti and Curran 79). This shows that parents are more likely to talk to their daughters on a more emotional level whereas with their sons they discuss more anger. Men already are known to be more aggressive as a result of testosterone and women are usually seen as more emotional because of estrogen. Both of these articles demonstrate the effects of parents on their children at a very young age that many are unaware of.
In addition to the articles which described biology and parental influences, Steve Craig's article represents a different point of view. In the article titled “Men’s Men and Women’s Women,” Craig demonstrates how advertising influences stereotypical gender roles. I found this one particularly interesting because I never thought of gender roles being imposed in this way until I read the article. Advertisements today, on TV especially, are geared towards the target crowd which is usually men and women. “Ads for disposable diapers are virtually never seen during a football game any more than commercials for beer are seen during soap operas” (Craig 1). Advertisers have this down to a science. Ads tailored towards women are most likely going to be played during the day when most women are thought to be home (Craig 1). Ads geared towards men are usually going to air at night or during sporting events since that is when the largest male audience has been shown to watch (Craig 1). Furthermore, the article went into detail about several commercials to demonstrate how they are geared towards their target audience. It was not until I read this article then watched TV that I realized how valid this article was. By advertising this way, commercials are influencing gender roles. Women are ideally seen at home with the kids while the men work all day, relax at night and are almost always into sports. These commercials demonstrate gender portrayal and show how society ideally sees men and women in gender roles.
Many people are beginning to recognize that one doesn’t have to conform to society’s standards of gender roles. Women are identifying themselves as being capable and accepted when it comes to them working and the men staying at home. Since the stereotypical roles are essentially switching, the males are accepting that they will still be considered masculine if they stay at home. Society is beginning to acknowledge these changes and is becoming accepting to those who do not fall under the stereotypical category. I think this change is a result of nurture. I also think that from our generation on, what we know as nature now will be completely different as nurture is influencing us more now. Although nature seems to play a role in the earlier stages, nurture seems to prevail and truly shape a person in the long run.
What influences gender roles more? Nature or nurture? Personally, I think that both have significant impacts on one’s life. Nature plays more of a role in the beginning stages of life, whereas nurture comes into play later one. I think this is a result of one trying to find themselves in society’s standards. This can conflict with the ways one grew up and the ways one feels they should conform to. Several of the articles demonstrated how parenting influence can potentially shape the child involuntarily. In addition, biology plays a rather significant role as it “allows flexibility, room to change, to vary and grow” (Blum 4). One of the articles that I found most interesting was Craig’s article on gender advertising. Overall, I believe that both nature and nurture play unique roles in order to contribute to the general theme of gender roles.