Man vs. Woman

When trying to define man and woman, I find that I must consider multiple approaches. Perhaps the most obvious option is to look at the biological facts - men and women are different from birth because of their anatomy and the genitalia they were born with. The other approaches come from the stereotypes and implications associated with these genitalia. Over the years, the definitions of man and woman have been part of a continual process, that is ongoing and ever-changing, but is currently defined in our society. I have always been taught that men were "manly," which meant they were strong, stern, and everything that has to do with the color blue. Women, on the contrary, were "girly," or sweet, soft, and all that is the color pink. Men spend their days in the office making money to bring home to the women who have been cooking and cleaning and caring for children. In my household, however, my mom was a working mother. Regardless, the stereotype held fast in my mind. To be honest, before I started this class I had no idea there was a clear distinction between the words sex and gender - I thought they were synonymous. Ideology has clearly impacted how I think about men and women. Thanks to this class, however, my definitions have changed. I've made room for broader definitions and realized that sex and gender are two completely different aspects of self-identification. Just because someone is a man does not mean they have to be buff or emotionally tough or even like the color blue; similarly, women do not have to ascribe to any of the stereotypes associated them.