Whose views on sex and gender do you agree with more - those of Jan Morris or those of Leonard Sax?

We agree more with the views of Leonard Sax. Jan Morris believes that the words "sex" and "gender" have inherently different meanings, while Leonard Sax argues that the two words are interchangeable, depending on the context in which they are used.

A drastic shift in people's attitudes toward Morris after her sex change led her to make changes in her lifestyle so as to meet their expectations and fit the stereotype of a woman, as she found that it was the socially appropriate thing to do. This led her to conclude that gender is socially constructed. However, social and cultural expectations of men and women are biologically based; men and women behave in a way that is natural and instinctive to their own sex and sexual tendencies, and in most democratic societies, they would rarely be forced to live a life that they would feel uncomfortable living. With the loosening of social standards brought about by an increasingly open modern society, the lines between gender and sex are considerably blurred. For example, in Singapore, homosexuals are not forced to exhibit heterosexual traits and are free to establish their identities as gays.

Sax's point that social and cognitive factors on gender traits have been systematically overestimated while innate factors have been neglected is a strong one. Inevitably, biological differences would mean that the average woman is more feminine than the average man and vice versa. This is probably the root cause of gender stereotypes throughout the course of history. These traditional stereotypes are what put social pressure on Morris to conform to them.

However, as a transsexual, hers is an unusual perspective and therefore a perspective that is misrepresentative of the general population. Assuming that majority of the people who treated her differently were aware of her sex change, perhaps they would expect someone who has undertook such a drastic measure to be female to want to be a woman so badly that they would, unfairly, expect her to be more feminine than masculine. This would mean that the social pressure she faced could have merely been the result of value judgments and misunderstandings.

Also, how would one explain the existence of homosexuals in societies whereby heterosexuality is the norm and homosexuality is generally frowned upon? If social influence shapes gender identity, it would mean that these people would end up as heterosexuals. Therefore, there is probably a biological force driving homosexuals and their sexual identities, as is the case for heterosexuals; they are merely biologically inclined to being straight.

In conclusion, although it is valid to say that social and environmental influences do have an impact on the tendencies of an individual, these influences are largely shaped by the biological tendencies of human beings and these influences are often less impactful than the individual's genetic make up.

marvin, genevieve, nicole, xiaodi, charmaine 09s03k