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Mayra Moran
English 114A
Professor Corri Ditch
September 25, 2014
XX vs. XY
The social construction of gender refers to the ideology that society defines and
develops the certain ways men and women must act and look according to our society. Every day
we all take part in the social construction without being aware of it through the way we dress,
talk, and act. Socially constructing gender norms and social expectations based of biological sex
has consequences that could possibly lead to a restriction of activities men and women
acceptable to perform in American society. The readings, Rethinking Womens Biology, by
Ruth Hubbard and From Women, Men, and Society, by Claire Renzetti and Daniel Curran,
share a common idea of how biological sex differences socially construct gender and social
roles. This is a common idea in my cultural I have seen growing up as a girl through personal
experiences. Using examples comparing physical appearances and social roles, Hubbard,
Renzetti, and Curran support how this possibly limit peoples self-identification and freedom to
perform activities of their preference due to the fear of rejection from a society for not fitting to
build standards.
The idea that sex is biological is true, human beings are born biologically male and
female due to the fact males have an XY as opposed to females have XX sex chromosome.
People in American society however, are often brought up to believe that human beings that are
born females must grow to be women and males to be men, and this isnt necessarily true. The

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concept of what American society thinks men and women should be like is not part of the
biological term for men and females, rather a socially constructed stereotype that can lead to
certain consequences. This could possibly lead to biology prescribing a persons self-identity.
Whether a human being is born a male or female should not determine a persons clothing,
activities, and education characteristics in the future. Young male and females should be able to
grow up to be the type of person they want based off their preference of activities not based of
their biological sex
In Ruth Hubbards essay, Rethinking Womens Biology, Hubbard points out how
societys interpretation of what is normal and not normal, naturally creates a concept for how a
person should be based of their sex that is socially constructed. The authors purpose is to point
out that biological sex differences tend to organize our society in an unpractical way, in order so
that her audience can realize that changes in the social construct can only be made once people
of both sexes have the will choice to freely contribute to social activities of their preference
regardless of the rejection they may receive within a society. Hubbard supports her claim using
examples where stereotypes of womens physical feature like height are possibly created through
social construction as well as examples of social roles created based of sex .
According to Hubbard, Women and men physically are not very different (Hubbar, 47),
yet American society seems to think there are evidential physical differences between men and
women based off of sex categories. Generalized comments created based off men and womens
physical characteristic comparisons socially construct the ideal physical appearances for men and
women and unintentionally limit the standards of what they could possibly be. Hubbard points
out a common generalized comment, men are taller than women, which realistically is not true,
but tends to be a socially constructed idea. Hubbard examines this idea more closely with an

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example, female swimming champions, who because of their intense, early training tend to
menstruate later that most girls, tend also to be taller that average girls( Hubbard 48), which
implies that factors that possibly delay womens menstrual cycle also potentially determine the
average height of women. Ironically playing sports could be a potential reason for why boys
seem to be shorter than girls one average, but in American society girls arent normally
encouraged to play sports at a young age and therefore the social environment constructs this
stereotype. Not only do generalized physical comparisons made between men and women set
standards for what male and females should be like, but they also could possibly cause those who
dont fit the standards to feel insecure or abnormal. It is possible for a young girl for example
who is taller than most girls and some boys to possibly feel insecure of her height because her
physical appearance does not fit the socially constructed standards and this is an issue.
Based off biological sex differences social roles are usually planned upon children from
the moment they are born or even before. Boys are expected to grow to be dominant muscular
men who will one day be astronauts or firefighters, whereas girls are expected to be passive
women who someday might be unrealistic looking super models or nurses. It is possible that
most adults create these social roles for children unawaringly but because American society
tends to reinforce individuals to fit to these roles, this could possibly limit childrens strive to
obtain occupation titles outside of their sex range. Renzetti and Curran illustrate this idea with
the following quote, what they may do, as what they can do, is largely determined and limited
by their sex, suggesting biological sex differences limit what people can do.(Renzetti and
Curran, 83).
According to Renzetti and Curran there is research that shows, parents do have different
expectations of their babies and treat them differently, simply on the basis of sex (Renzetti and

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Curran, 76). This could imply that social role expectations and physical features as Hubbard
pointed out in, Rethinking Womens Biology, could be assigned or directed towards a certain
direction at a very early stage in life based off sex. A way Renzetti and Curran illustrate this idea
is by showing how toys children use at a young age represent potential future social roles. In the
words of Renzetti and Curran, Toys for boys tend to encourage age exploration manipulation,
invention, construction, competition, and aggression. In contrast, girls toys typically rat high on
manipulability, but also creativity, nurturance, and attractiveness (Renzetti and Curran, 82).
This quote suggest that toys could serve to encourage social roles expectation based off sex and
this could be part of the reason why biological sexes stick to certain social roles in American
society.
After reading both these essays I definitely noticed some of these ideas practiced in my
Own culture. Growing my family had its own definition of what a women should be like. My
grandma and aunts always wanted me to behave and look a certain way so I would grow into this
women they always envisioned. I always had to keep my body structure a certain way, restrain
from biting my nails, and wear the correct type of clothing that was considered feminine. My
mom always made sure I looked the way a girl was supposed to look like. After reading these
essays though I realize that perhaps she was just trying to help me avoid the ridicules and
rejection society would put on me for looking a different way. Now that I am aware of the
pressure put on male and females to become men and women I want to apply some changes in
my life. Next time I see someone transgressing against the norm I want to support it versus
ridicule it.
As Renzetti and Curran quoted Kolker and Burke, The knowledge of sex implies more
than chromosomal or anatomical differences. It implies gender, and with it images of personality

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and social role expectations (1992, 12-13). Rethinking Womens Biology, From Women,
Men, and Society, and personal experiences in my culture demonstrate that setting gender
norms and social roles for people based of biological sex differences versus personal abilities has
consequences that possibly limit peoples self-identification. American Society should be aware
of this important issue and should transgress slowly against these expectations. Everyone within
a community is accountable to aim towards social change and transgression in a society.

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Works Cited
Hubbard, Ruth. "Rethinking Women's Biology. Composing Gender. Groner, Rachel, and John

F. O'

Hara. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. Print.

Kolker, A., & Burke, B.M. (1992). Sex preference and sex selection: Attitudes of prenatal diagnosis
clients. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association,
Pittsburgh, PA.
Renzetti, Claire. & Curran, Daniel. From Women, Men, and Society. Composing Gender. Groner,
Rachel, and John F. O Hara, Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2013. Print.Work Cited Page