Why is it so important to feminists that 'gender' is a product of social influence?

Question

e.g. Why do feminists insist that the reason girls play with dolls is purely because of pressure from parents, peers, marketing etc. and nothing to do with genes, hormones etc?

Answer 1

Feminists are angry people. They have always been  and always will be.

Save America: Avoid a feminist.

Answer 2

It is because feminists wanted women to become men. And playing with dolls has always been considered effeminate. Since that would give feminists a body-blow in their "Women are men" campaign, they labeled dolls as products of stereotypes and peer pressure instead of naturally feminine playthings.

However, the traits of caring, sharing, gentleness and kindness are in women's DNA. Feminist refuse even evidence to the contrary. Only 'feminine' men or g*y men can be kind, gentle, caring and sharing.

'Gender' isn't completely a product of society for feminists. It is that way when it suits them. They want to have the whole cake and eat it too. And nowadays they do it with no consequences. The Principle of Equivalent Exchange is being violated here (Guess where I got that?)

I'm getting sick of feminists, their sexism and double-standards. Back to EURO 2008.

EDIT: I agree with Molly B. They want to destroy the uniqueness and complementary nature of the genders as they were pre-feminism. Instead of getting them to work together as equal but different, feminists have tried to morph genders into one. Being equal is different from being the same. Feminists have chosen the latter.

Answer 3

Because its the way they want the world to be. They like to think as women as men who happen to have boobies.

Answer 4

The fact that a lot of gender behavoirs ARE socially influenced is fascinating, to feminists and psychologists alike, especially developmental psychologists. But basically, the idea of any behavoir like playing with dolls is 100% innate is pretty laughable. You're proposed a "likes the colour pink" gene? Or a "play's football" gene? There may be innate traits towards certain types of behavoirs, but don't forget half your genes came from your opposite s*x parent, so again, unlikely to be 100% genetic. Hormones are more likely, but s*x hormones do not determine human behavoir.

Basically, with the Evolutionary Paradigm being the new big thing, people like to pretend social conditioning has no effect on us - not at all true, as shown in many studies. Gender behavoirs are not innate - because they are not universal, and they are far too complex to be so simply explained. It is important to everyone not to ignore this, feminism aside.

Answer 5

because they weren't allowed to play with dolls when they were young and have a hard time getting over the resentment

Answer 6

Practicing having babies, for people who have babies, isn't natural?

Answer 7

Because if one acknowledges that something comes from Nature, that means they might be wrong.  It hasn't been proven one way or the other on that count because children are rarely allowed to choose their activities for themselves.  

The only way to prove or disprove this theory is for the children to be provided with several different options of what toys to play with, and then for the adult in charge to get out of the way.  (Watching to ensure their safety, of course)

Answer 8

There has been a very long argument of the past 150 years or so over the relative strength of environment (culture) vs. genes in the development of human behavior. Both sides concede that both influences are important, but the real argument is over which has more.'

Modern science has revealed phenotypes. Two children will never have exactly the same genes, but they can be close. Their exposed to the same environment (upbringing), but child A is more sensitive to certain chemicals in the environment, which causes certain genes to become 'activated."  Child B may be exposed to a slightly different brand of chemicals - maybe mom gave up smoking before she had child B - and thus for this child different genes will be activated.

It was a cherished belief among feminists that culture ruled everything and that gener was neutral. This is not the case, certainly not in anatomy: women have smaller lungs than men, even when they are the same size, women can tolerate only half the alcohol men can, due to different liver enzymes, and then there are the genetic diseases that only strike males of females. Research has shown that girls like to play with dolls (although of course there are some that like to play with trucks), and boys prefer toys that move. There can be gender equality (each gender being free to pursue whatever career he/she desires, but gender neutrality does not exist.

Answer 9

They see traditional femininity and masculinity as a problem that must be fixed. If its social influence, then it can be easily altered.  The latter, however, is not as easily manipulated.

Answer 10

Why do you insist otherwise? Either way, it's just a personal take on something that it pretty much up for debate.

I tend to agree that gender is mostly a social construct. As a kid, my parents did give me dolls and other "girly" toys, but I never wanted to play with them. It was more fun for me to play with dinosaurs and toy guns with the neighborhood boys. Instead of wanting to be a princess or ballerina, I dreamed of being an astronaut and a paleontologist. I mean, maybe I just had a mild case of gender dysphoria, and you know, if my hormones and genes had been more in line with what they're supposed to be I'd have been a girly little Barbie queen. I don't know. But I've never understood why, just because I'm a girl, I have to think and act and be a certain way, when being like that doesn't even feel natural to me.

I took an anthropology course about 5 years ago, and I wish I could remember the name of this culture specifically. But we talked about a group living in Africa who had reversed the western gender roles. The men stay at home and care for the children while the women go out and hunt. The entire culture is like this. My professor used it as an example of how gender is mostly a social construct. (The professor was male, if it matters.) That lecture was what drove home an idea that had already been true for me on the inside for years. I just had never really been able to put it into words before.

On the other hand, I've never heard any arguments for gender being biological that made as much sense to me or rang quite as true. Though, if you could provide some, I'd be willing to listen.

Answer 11

s*x is biology. And gender is sociology. Look it up in the dictionary!

Answer 12

The question is a little too narrowly focused.   There is no problem with girls playing with dolls, so long as they are also allowed to play with trucks and building bricks as well.   If anyone is arguing that gender is solely social or soley biological, they are mistaken.

There are 3 elements in the equation - s*x, gender identity and gender roles.   s*x is purely biological, while gender identity and gender roles are strongly influenced by social conditions in a person's environment.  But since people are complex beings, it is difficult to discuss just one aspect without acknowledging the other two.

Answer 13

because gender is a social issue. girls are not born with genes that allow force them to play with dolls. come on! my son has any toy that fascinates him. this includes some trucks, books, balls, even a few dolls. i don't tell him that he can't do this or that because he is a boy.

society does enforce gender roles and god forbid you're not like everyone else.

Answer 14

Because for some reason they want to believe that there are no differences between the sexes.  Even though it is glaringly obvious that there are.  Statistically, girls are more likely to want to play with dolls than boys are.  The fact that there are some girls who don't like solls, and some boys who do, doesn't alter the fact that dolls are overwhelmingly popular with girls rather than boys.

Girls do not play with dolls because the market dictates it.  The market sells dolls to girls because girls want to play with them.

Answer 15

I'm not a feminist, but I do believe it is a product of society. When I studied pshychology it was interesting to study cultures in which the roles are reversed. Also, the media doe influence a lot, all dollie adverts are aimed at girls, and action men aimed at boys. Making it seem 'uncool' to either. I was raised as my brother and sister were, giving both toys to play with. My brother had dolls and my favourite toys were guns.

I think apart from phsycial bodily differences, there is no gender difference. There are sterotypes and due to social circles people act in certain ways.

For example, you get the typical middle class adults - the guys that have professions, they mix with their peers go to the similar cocktail bars and share the same activies. Then you have the working class chavs who do more manual work, dress in similar sports clothes, go down the pub and play footie together.

These two different types aren't because they were born into that but because depending on their upringing, they have evolved into different types of people.

Also the black rapper style people that are into hip hop and where a particular clothing etc. It's not because they are black and therefore will act, speak, dress in a certain way but because of their upringing.

So...if someone states that gender differences are NOT because of society then they would have to explain how culture, races and different parts of society such as middle class, working class, bad boy ghetto etc are that way because of genes.

Answer 16

There were three phases of feminism

1. the sufragettes, who fought for the vote

2. femists who believed that women and men should be socialy and economically equal

3. feminists who wanted to be socially economically equal whilst still maintaining femininity.

You are talking about the 2 wave of feminism.... the marketing for dolls was thought of by males, to them, this was just a way to encourage them into the domestic direction. They believed the same with bra, hence they became known as the bra burners. To them the doll would be socially acceptable if the dolls was "lawyer barbie" or somthing

I hope that answered ur question