Male and Female

From the moment of birth, infants are classified as a male or female on the basis of biological sex differences. They are also given a name and treated in a manner appropriate to their sex.

Yet much of this treatment is based on cultural expectations rather than on biological make-up. Nevertheless, by the time you and I reach adolescence we take many of the differences between the sexes as unalterable facts of existence, rather than as learned differences. We simply assume members of each sex are naturally inclined toward their respective sex-role expectations.

The core of the prescribed female sex role currently includes an emphasis on:

(1) marriage and having children
(2) reliance on a male provider, both in taking the man’s name and in sharing his income
(3) nurturing behavior, both in mothering children and in caring for the aged and helpless
(4) physical attractiveness and beauty
(5) a ban on direct expression of aggression and power striving

Similarly, the core of the prescribed male sex role includes an emphasis on:

(1) vocational identity
(2) being a provider and protector of women
(3) physical strength and accomplishment
(4) a high degree of control over emotion, with the exception of anger
(5) strong bonds with others, but the avoidance of emotional intimacy with other men or boys.