Gender Contents between Natural Data and Socio-Cultural Interpretations

• Author: Coman, A.
• Position: Faculty of Sociology and Communication, Transilvania University of Brasov
• Pages: 147-154

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov

Series VII: Social Sciences • Law • Vol. 5 (54) No. 2 - 2012

GENDER CONTENTS BETWEEN

NATURAL DATA AND

SOCIO-CULTURAL

INTERPRETATIONS

Alina COMAN1

Abstract: The paper proposes an analysis of the content of gend er

stereotypes on the natural - social continuum. Starting with so me lexical

definitions we reveal the fact that inequalities beetwen men and women are

prescribed in a cultural framework beyond any biological differences.

Regarding gender as a social construction we elaborated a synoptic of

biological differences between men and women t hat are rebuilt within a

culturally discriminatory framework for women.

Key words: gender, biological experiences, social interpretations, the

patriarchy.

1 Faculty of Sociology and Communication, Transilvania University of Braşov.

1. Lexical determinants

There is no doubt, that on the common

sense level, the so called “biological”

differences between men and women

place by definition these two categories

on positions that are more than different.

They are incongruent.

A summary analysis of the definition in

the DEX (1998) reveals an obvious issue.

The woman is constantly placed at an

inferior level than the man.

The paradox is that this incongruent

force has nothing to do with the biological

framework. While “man” means to be

capacitated for certain events and

important contexts in life (family, work,

defending the country) being a woman

means assuming only one attribute that of

being somebody’s wife and su bsequently

engaged in motherhood.

2. The gender concept as a social

construction

Exploring the psycho-social

mechanisms that are the basis of the

unequal chances between men and

women (that are apparently irreducible)

the theorists of the second wave of

feminism have conceptually marked out

the gender from sex within a natural-

cultural axis framework. In their vision,

the gender refers to the differences (that

are socially and culturally built and

interpreted) between two distinctive

social categories “men” and “women”.

Simone de Beauvoir (1949) was the

first feminist who denied these already

famous affirmations: “we are not born

women but we rather become women”

and “if the woman wants to be equal to

the man she has to become a man”.