A thought experiment:
Let's imagine a utopian society that wants to abolish all differences between male and female. This society raises children in a completely gender neutral, uni-sex way: same haircut for girls and boys, same clothes, same treatment, same education. Even their names would be completely neutral. The words 'boy' and 'girl' are taboo and never used. The children never see each other naked, so they cannot discover even the 'little difference'.
Question: Would these children nevertheless, simply by their own intuition (because there is no input from the environment), develop something like a gender identity?
Would child "Lan" at some point at the age of 6 or 8 or 10 think "I am female."?
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Some science has been done in that area, but as is so often the case, further study is needed. In other words… we don’t know.
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skado
Level 9
May 16, 2022
0
I don't think I misunderstood. My point was that in countries where gender equality is the social norm ( lowest social cues ) people have more freedom to choose their own behavioral preferences, and those preferences seem to still lean toward traditional roles. It doesn't speak directly to conscious gender identity, but suggests that there is an innate intuitive difference in the experience of being male or female.
@Matias
I don't think all that stuff can be separated. To my knowledge, no clear boundary has been discovered between nature and nurture. They blend and influence each other in complex and multilayered ways. The human experience is some kind of gestalt of all these influences. And which component is experienced more acutely varies individually. If biology can make hermaphrodites, surely biology plus culture plus early life experience can make male bodies who feel female and vice versa.
There's a lot that is still unknown about this field. As far as I'm concerned, I don't see why people shouldn't be allowed to identify how ever they want to. This article seems to validate the idea that people do have a sense of their own gender, and that it may not match their outward physical form:
[scientificamerican.com]
Assuming the children are raised together instead of in a family unit.
Sure they would. Instinctively, each new generation tries to be different than the previous with language, behaviour, knowledge, and experiences. Attraction, interests, personalities, and character traits would eventually divide them into pairs/groups and curiosity would lead to experimentation. Of course they would name everything they discover.
Betty
Level 8
May 16, 2022
0
I don't think they would consciously realize their gender and name it since those terms have been vanished from the society. I do think that they would discover on their own who they are physically attracted to. Some would end up with partners with the same genitalia as themselves and some would end up with partners with different genitalia.Of course there will be some that likes both.
Other Life choices such as vocations and hobbies would also be a benefit from this environment. In other words it sounds a little bit like Utopia to me because society as a whole would benefit if more of it's inhabitants could choose what they are best suited to.
Lorajay
Level 9
May 16, 2022
3
Interesting question. I'm thinking of our nearest genetic relatives...chimps and bonobos. Without language, hairstyles, clothes, formal education....they fall naturally into ''gender-based'' roles.
LucyLoohoo
Level 9
May 16, 2022
6
Yes they would, for them not to there would have to be no genetic determinism at all, and we know without any but the most technical of scientific doubt that there is a lot.
Fernapple
Level 9
May 16, 2022
3
I'm not sure that's an utopia. It sounds like a Star Trek TNG plot line from one episode. That said, a place where kids and adults are free to be who they are (not consciously choose, as that is bs) would be nice.
Beowulfsfriend
Level 9
May 16, 2022
8
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