Is our gender determined by nature or nurture?

Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: Is our gender determined by nature or nurture?
Position1 of 3›: Gender is determined by biological factors
Argument‹3 of 3: Biological theory

Biological factors such as neurological and hormonal differences may affect gender identity and behavior

The argument

Different hormone levels cause differences between male and female sexes. For examples testosterone can increase the incidence of behaviors such as aggression, competitiveness, and sex drive. Gender differences have further been found in the cerebral hemispheres of the brain. These differences cause the varying skill abilities amongst men and women. These neurological differences cause women to excel in language skills, fine motor skills and emotional control; whereas men excel in, spatial skills, logical reasoning, and math.

Context

The biological approach suggests there is no distinction between sex & gender, thus biological sex creates gendered behavior.

Premises

[P1]Proponents of the biological theory argue that differing hormone levels—such as testosterone raising aggression, competitiveness, and sex drive—produce differences between the sexes. [P2] They cite differences in the brain's cerebral hemispheres said to give women advantages in language, fine motor skills, and emotional control, and men in spatial skills, logic, and maths. [C] On this view gender is determined by biological factors.

Counter-arguments

The counter argument is not to completely refute that hormones and biology play a role in human behavior, but instead to argue the role is so minimal, that for all pragmatic purposes it can be regarded as inconsequential. Any behavioral differences among genders are classed as socially constructed; an invention of cultural programming. In refutation of existing contradictory scientific evidence, it is argued that to remove existing cultural and societal programming during academic research is very difficult, and existing efforts have unsuccessfully removed such bias. Tricker et al (1996) tested the effect of elevating testosterone and it's impact on aggression in males. In a double-blind experiment no significant difference was found in aggression between the control group and those with elevated testosterone. A meta-analysis of 76 published papers found no difference in the hippocampus size variations among different genders. Lifestyle factors and long-term daily habits impact brain size and functional connectivity more than whether you are male or female.

Rejecting the premises

Due to the uncertain level of influence from societal molding, it is difficult to assess the level in which biology also factors within human behavior.