Is our gender determined by nature or nurture?

Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: Is our gender determined by nature or nurture?
Position‹2 of 3›: Gender is a social construct
Argument1 of 2›: Non-binary genders exist in all cultures

The existence of more than two distinct genders among various cultures is an argument for their social construction

The argument

This argument draws on the existence of cultures whereby gender roles are dissimilar to the traditional binary model held in western society, and uses the existence of such societies as valid proof of the role culture plays in constructing gender. Not all cultures have strictly defined gender roles, and various cultures have more than two specific recognized genders. The Dineh culture of the Southwestern US acknowledge four genders: feminine woman, masculine woman, feminine man, and masculine man. The term "third gender" has also been used to describe hijras of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan who have gained legal identity, fa'afafine of Polynesia, and sworn virgins of the Balkans.

Context

Globally, non-binary gender roles exist across all habitable continents with evidence dating back to Ancient Egypt. Discovered pottery list three human genders: tai (male), sht ("sekhet") and hmt (female), estimated to have existed approxmately 2000–1800 BCE.

Premises

[P1]If gender were determined purely by nature, gender categories would be consistent across all human cultures. [P2] Many cultures, including the Dineh, hijras of South Asia, fa'afafine of Polynesia, and Balkan sworn virgins, recognize more than two genders. [P3] These cross-cultural variations show that gender categories depend on the cultural context in which they arise. [C] Therefore, gender is a social construct rather than a fixed product of nature.

Counter-arguments

There is very little variation of gender roles among cultures internationally, suggesting there is an innate definition of gender role characteristics. Gender roles among most cultures follow variations of a traditional masculine gender, and a feminine gender. Such universal similarities suggest gender has strong ties to biological sex.

Rejecting the premises

Similarities among cultures would suggest genders roles are not entirely socially constructed.