What Makes A Woman?

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What Makes a Woman & What Makes a Man?
Society has set up specific binary guidelines as to how men and women should act and behave, their gender roles masculine or feminine, and how they should look according to outward physical appearance, their sex male or female. There are two sexes which equal two genders, no gray area and nothing in-between According to society this is what defines an individual as a man or a woman. In the simplest of terms, women have an XX chromosome and men have an XY chromosome. However, it is more complicated than chromosomes and genes, society plays a huge role in determining the answer to what does it mean to be a woman and what does it mean to be a man.
Merriam Webster’s online simple definition of a man is: noun, an adult male human being; a man or boy who shows the qualities (such as strength and courage) that men are traditionally supposed to have; a woman’s husband or boyfriend (Man, 2015). The simple definition for woman: noun, an adult female human being; a woman who has a specified job or position; all women thought as a group (Woman, 2015). One thing that is apparent in these definitions is the use of two words, human being. The question would not beg to be asked and explained if it really was as simple as chromosomes, genes, and being a human that makes a woman a woman and what makes a man a man.
There are biological and physiological differences between men and women. Men and women have reproductive differences and there is on-going research into the brain and behavior variances between them. Men have testes and a penis, are taller, more muscular, have greater spatial ability, are more independent and career focused, are aggressive and suppress their emotions (Knapp, Sex & Gender, 2015). On...

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The topic of men and women and what makes them who they are is complex and not just about what chromosomes, internal and external genitalia they have or how their brain functions. The mindsets of man, woman, male, female, masculine, feminine, transgender and gender neutral are not easy to quantify and require more understanding and study. As a society more awareness and understanding is on the horizon. The only way to make a difference in how people are viewed is to first acknowledge individuality. Society is slowly starting to recognize that there are individuals who do not fit into the socially constructed ideas of sex and/or gender. We are starting to make changes and have a long way to go, but, progress is progress. Ultimately, how you view yourself is what makes you a man or a woman, male or female, gender and not what society tells you to think or feel.

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