The Continuum of Masculinity-Femininity - Term Paper Example

 «The Continuum of Masculinity-Femininity» Gender identity is an individual’s sense of being either female or male, as shown in behavior, appearance and other aspects of life. Identification of gender starts at the age of three or two, and is influenced by both sociological and biological factors. Other factors that determine gender identity include environmental situations, genetic factors, and psychological factors and sexual hormones. Gender identification is mostly consistent with sex in respect of chromosomes. Anyone destined to become a girl or a boy has their fate sealed the moment an ovum is fertilized by a sperm. Twenty three chromosomes from the female donor and 23 chromosomes from the male, come together combining to form a zygote. The human body begins to form six weeks after fertilization to become what they are destined to be. In the seventh week, the genetic codes (XX or XY) begin to manifest according to Rathus, Nevid and Fichner-Rathus (2011). At 36 months, most children have a rigid sense of their gender identity. Genes also play a role is very important in determining anyone’s gender identity. The gene SRY that determines the male gene Y binds to the DNA, and distorts it to form the testes. Sox 9 gene is the one that regulates the expression of the SRY gene. If SRY gene is not regulated by the sox 9 gene, the fetus turns male (Storms, 1979). Without SRY gene, organs of female reproduction would be formed instead of male organs. Research shows that one in a hundred people has intersected characteristics. Not everyone believes that his or her biological sex corresponds to his or her gender identity. These people include transsexuals, transgender people and people who are interred sexed according to storms, (1979). Transsexuals and transgendered persons face certain challenges in the society even as they struggle to accept themselves as they are and acquire new gender roles that are based on each individual’s sex. A person might feel that their gender roles are not in line with their gender identity. This creates a disorder related to gender identity. Gender identity disorder comes to play when individuals are uncomfortable with their gender anatomy which may lead to them to behave like people of the opposite sex. It is not true that masculinity and femininity are positioned on opposite sides of the continuum as is popular belief. If someone possesses both masculine and feminine traits, it does not mean that they are too feminine or masculine. A person’s position on the femininity and masculinity continuum depends on the report specifying their qualities and behaviors that are gender linked. The continuum mid point is called the zero point as noted by Rathus, Nevid and Fichner-Rathus (2011). A person is placed here if he/she fails to be identified by the gender role, or they breach it. Those identified with sex roles that are strong, are placed on either end of the continuum. One factor that has helped me identify my gender is that naturally I am a male with male sexual organs. However, this may not make me completely female. What I do every day and my behaviors also identify me as a male. I have never thought of being a male hence I feel secure in my being female. The second factor that has helped determine my gender identity is my manly manners; I dress like a man, socialize more with men, and prefer to watch and play games that are associated with men, like rugby and golf. Finally, I grew up being treated like a man by my teachers, parents, peers and important figures in my life among others. As a young boy, I used to play with toys (mostly cars) and acted like a normal societal male. The masculine and feminine traits that I attribute to myself using the masculine-feminine continuum are somehow divided. I am capable of identifying with both sides of the gender continuum. My mother used to teach me things that in most cases are attributed to men. For instance, I like being outside and in most days I go hiking despite these being associated with men who are believed to be stronger. Additionally, I enjoy nature but hate violence, which is more of a masculine trait as noted by Storms (1979). I also consider myself independent and self sufficient, an attribute commonly attributed to men. In addition, I like going shopping which is trait mostly linked with the female gender. This gives me a feminine trait. I am brave to a great extent which assigns me a position at the masculine end of the continuum as noted by Storms (1979). I am also assertive to which positions me as a male. I am very caring and like to hold babies, traits that are commonly associated with the female gender. Physically, I am well built with dense muscles and I appear to dominate other people during group activities. I am also comfortable with taking certain risks that most women find too dangerous. When faced with problems, I tend to make decisions fast although I am also very sensitive to other people’s needs. In consideration of the two points, I am more masculine with respect of the first point and more feminine considering the second. Yet again, I do not like to use harsh words which places me as a person biased toward the feminine end of the continuum. From the brief analysis, I may well be comfortable to state that I am more of male than female. In conclusion, masculinity and feminine traits are traits that one cannot describe in absolute terms but in terms of degree. This is because one can never be hundred percent masculine or hundred percent feminine. Every individual has characteristics of both sides of the gender and many features influence where one lies in the continuum. From the analysis of my traits, I can well conclude that I am male and my traits are biased toward the masculine end of the masculine-feminine continuum. References Carroll,J.L. (2009). Sexuality now: embracing diversity.Auckland: Cengage Learning. Rathus, S. A., Nevid, J.S. & Fichner-Rathus, L. (2011). Human sexuality in a world of diversity (8th ed.) Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Chapter 6. Storms, M. (1979). "Sex Role Identity and its Relationships to Sex Role Attitudes and Sex Role Stereotypes." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 37: 1779-1789. Read More