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Aaron Blankenbaker
ENGL115
Prof. Beadle
16 September 2015
Gender in Biology and Culture
Society has clear cut definitions of what makes a man a man and a woman a woman.
Author Ruth Hubbard discusses gender through biology and author Aaron Devor discusses
gender through culture. The two authors compare and contrast typical gender stereotypes and
how they are not always true. Hubbard, in her article, Rethinking Womens Biology, compares
mental and physical traits and how exercise and diet influence gender biology. Devor, in his
article, Becoming Members of Society, discusses gender identification and various cultural
standards. Both authors use the influence of biology and pop culture to tie their articles together
as a platform to discuss their ideas.
When one thinks of a man and a woman, they tend to look at what sets them apart from
each other. In Ruth Hubbards case, she prefers to look at why they are more alike. There are
obvious features that set males apart from females, such as genitalia, height and weight. In
Body Build and Strength, Hubbard says, Women and men are physically not very
different...there is about a two-foot spread in height among people in the U.S., but a difference of
only three to five inches between the average heights of women and men (Hubbard, 47). She is
stating that we tend to make small differences look like a bigger deal than they really are. Height
can be influenced by genetics and diet. Ones genetics predetermine what an individuals height
and growth rate are for most of their adulthood based on previous family history. Diet can have a
negative or positive effect on an individual depending on whether they choose to maintain a
healthy diet or not.

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Hubbard brought up physical biology because for most people, what makes men different
from women, body shape and features are in my experience what people tend to identify first.
Hubbard also discusses womens physical norms and mental traits. She states, womens
maternal instinct needs to be looked at in light of some womens desperate efforts to avoid
having children, while society persuades them to (Hubbard, 49-50). She suggests that society
has its ideal woman who is married, has children and tends to the house, much like that of a
1950s stereotype. In reality, women in todays society are no longer just housewives, with a
larger percentage working outside the home. Many have demanding jobs such as Meg Whitman,
CEO of Hewlett-Packard, or our former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
Hubbard discusses how diet and exercise play a big role in physicality. In a section of her
article Hubbard states, U.S. women are obsessed by concerns about their weight, to the point
where girls and young women deliberately eat less than they need (Hubbard, 49). She concludes
that society is pressuring women to shape their bodies in unhealthy ways and slow down their
growth and development to adulthood. Hubbard states weight can change considerably in
response to our diets, levels of physical activity and other patterns of living.....When women
begin to exercise or engage in weight training and body building, we often notice surprisingly
great changes in strength to even quite moderate training (Hubbard, 49). Although women are
typically born with greater strength in their legs than their chest, simple to moderate weight
exercises can make a woman able to lift heavier objects than before. She suggests that strength is
not totally predetermined, but a result of the effort one puts in their exercise and diet.
Gender identification is a lifelong learning process. It begins around eighteen months old
when children settle into a gender identity and by two years old they understand that they belong
to a gender group and can identify others associated with it. In Devors case, gender is not

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limited to the boys wear blue, girls wear pink gender norms that were taught growing up. I
can recall one day in my early childhood when my mom and I were walking down a popular
street in Hollywood when we crossed paths with a man who was wearing lipstick, nail polish and
some questionable attire. I automatically started thinking about which bathroom he would use. I
asked my mom exactly that, and she said it was complicated. He was basically a man who
preferred to dress like a woman, yet retain his masculine features like a beard, mustache, and so
on. Up until high school, I hadnt seen anyone like that until I encountered someone of a with a
similar gender presentation at the first dance of the year. Except in this case, the person was girl
that dressed like a boy. Thats when everything clicked. I realized that its what makes the person
comfortable. Dressing outside of the norm is part of who they are and how they choose to define
themselves. In his article, Aaron Devor discusses just that. Everyones unique lifestyle choices
should be recognized and respected.
Devor discusses that in all cultures there are, and have always been people that fall into a
third category of gender. He notes that throughout the world, Each culture had its own word to
describe such persons....Such people were sometimes revered, sometimes ignored, and
occasionally scorned. (Devor, 36). He is stating that not just in modern western society, but in
the last seven to eight hundred years a third gender has existed as a norm in the societies he
notes. We can see examples of cultures across the world demonstrating their standards and how
they stand out from each other. Until only a few decades ago, the families of Chinese girls would
break the bones in their feet and bind them to cripple them, creating something they thought was
beautiful. In African and South American tribal culture, members of a tribes pierce their face and
ears with hoops or needle-like objects. Male hippies in the United States in the 1960s/1970s
defied the conservative 1950s culture of slacks, dress shirt, tie and short hair by wearing jeans,

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boots and growing their hair out. Devor concludes that there are cultural varieties in every corner
of the world with their own set of rules.
Other examples or influences include popular culture such as movie stars, bands and
celebrities. We often intimate what makes us happy or what we can closely relate to ourselves.
This is often displayed through peoples clothing and physical appearance choices. Most often
we see fans of bands or YouTubers (yes, they are considered celebrities) wearing t-shirts or
specialized merchandize. Sometimes we see them copying the clothing of their heroes, even
when they cross gender norms, such as with Marilyn Manson.
In their articles, Hubbard and Devor break down how gender is defined and represented.
Hubbard discusses gender through biology traits and features. Devor discusses gender through
the variety of culture and its norms. The pair examine what society has stated to be male and
female gender stereotypes and made it clear that there are exceptions. Hubbard and Devor
compare and contrast societys expectations versus their reality.

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WORKS CITED
Groner, Rachael. OHara, John F. Composing Gender. Bedford/St. Martins, 2014.