This is in reply to a discussion posted on the Facebook group CBE Houston. Link to that discussion is Are girls that much different than boys in behavior? Discuss....
Wow, Aaron. I agree, you seem to
have put an awful lot of thought and effort into your comment. Nevertheless, I
must disagree with your conclusions, and yours, Celina. @GeraldFord, I
appreciate your bringing up the topic of neuroplasticity, as I think it's
extremely germane to this whole discussion. I debated whether to post what I
did, as I knew it might stir up a virtual hornet's nest of disagreement, but I have been silent for a
long, a very long time now, and I believe it's more than time to speak up, so I
did.
To answer the questions (as briefly
as I can, not an easy task for me) - it is both. That is, my views on this
topic began as suspicion, progressed to opinion, but are not now mere
unsupported opinion. Rather they are predicated upon a lifetime of grief,
suffering, questioning, searching, study, prayer, more study, more prayer,
answers, research, revelation -- and understanding at last, so that when I make
a comment as I did here, it is not shallow nor flip, but represents many years,
decades of thought and deep searching. I don't have time nor space here to
write an autobiography, but I will unequivocally state that my opinions now, on
this topic, are informed by what I believe is direct insight and revelation of
the Holy Spirit, undergirded by personal experience, observation, and by increasing evidence of
scientific investigation and solid research.
Stereotypes are so hard to overcome.
And I never asked nor wanted to be in the position of some kind of trailblazer
or pioneer. Yet I know how some of the early abolitionists must have felt, or
even those in the last century working against slavery and the Jim Crow laws
following the emancipation of the slaves, trying to convince people there was
no intrinsic difference between black people and white. To this day, there are
people who will argue until they fairly expire that the races simply have
innate differences that can't be denied, although of course we now know that
isn't true.
In the same way, I know many people
think and will argue otherwise, but it is actually not "proven
science" that there are any intrinsic non-biological differences between
people attributable solely to gender, anymore than it was "proven
science" a generation ago that there were significant non-biological
differences between the races.
Interestingly enough, I've noticed
that those identifying themselves as egalitarians who argue most vehemently in
favor of recognizing some kind of innate gender differences are often those who
either fit the traditional gender stereotypes themselves, or just happen to
like the romantic notions of those stereotypes and want to preserve them, while
at the same time wanting to eliminate the inevitable results of believing in
those intrinsic differences, which of course include hierarchies based on
supposedly inherent traits. But that's like trying to have the cake and eat it
too.
With ongoing research, particularly
in the field of neuroplasticity, which @GeraldFord alludes to in his comment,
there actually are increasing numbers of better designed studies coming out
that do disprove what has previously been taken for granted to be
"science." Prior studies didn't actually measure innate differences
at all, but the rather the results of expectations, cultural conditioning and
socialization, which does indeed begin before birth, particularly when, as now,
parents may know the gender of their child before s/he is even born.
New research into neuroplasticity
even questions the conclusions of studies on supposed anatomical differences in
the brains of males and females as it is now known that behavior can indeed
influence brain structure and activity, as @GeraldFord mentioned, so brain
differences previously thought immutable may now be legitimately questioned as
results of culturally constrained behavior leading to neurological changes. The
good news is that what was changed once, may be changed again.
This subject could (and has) fill
books, already written and waiting to be written. I've thought of writing one
myself. And as a professional internet researcher, I absolutely revel in
references, so I'll list a few in case anyone would like to read them. Trying
to limit myself here!
PSYCHOLOGICAL/MENTAL/EMOTIONAL
BIOLOGICAL/PHYSICAL/PERFORMANCE
Motorcycle riding: "The Gender Difference Makes No Difference"
GENERAL
"The Brain That Changes Itself:" ... "The discovery of neuroplasticity, that our thoughts can change the structure and function of our brains, even into old age, is the most important breakthrough in our understanding of the brain in four hundred years."l
There are lots more.
(Just to be clear, my opinion, and
this is opinion because at this time there are no scientific proofs of this,
only my clear conviction after much prayer and seeking God, that the biological
differences between men and women are, far from being evidence that they are
different kinds or species of beings, rather designed primarily for a two-fold
purpose: to cement the conjugal relationship between a husband and wife through
the act of sexual union, and to provide "Godly offspring" (Malachi 2:15)
for God, that is, reproduction. I believe it's best when both purposes are
fulfilled, but it's still within God's design if only one is, such as when a
couple is barren. I further believe that both men and women may fulfill God's
individual purpose for them without making use of this biological difference.
But I'm not going to say anything more on that just now. Leave that discussion
for another time. I'm just posting it to clarify where I stand on biological
differences.)
Mabel posted a challenge here a few
months back asking anyone to come up with even one non-biological trait that
was true of all members of one gender but not the other. No one could give even
one. Quite a few people opined that certainly biology must influence
psychology, but when pressed couldn't provide even one specific example of a
non-biological gender-mandated trait. I'll bet no one still can.
Sure there can be averages. But
averages do not make a rule, and in this case when there are average
non-biological differences between men and women it is the result of the
majority buying into the myth that there are differences. But when there are
many exceptions to any so-called rule, there is in fact no rule. Such is the
case with gender.
And there are many, many exceptions
to the notions of "feminine" or "masculine." so many in
fact that there is no rule that all males or all females have any specific
psychological, mental, character or personality traits or characteristics that
pertain only to their gender and not the other. "Masculinity" and
"femininity" are entirely manmade myths, just as Jim Crow represented
a racial myth. Differences between people are individual only, not determined by gender. And even biology is fluid, or there would be no androgynous or intersex people. Did God make a mistake when He created them?
Food for thought: if we celebrated
individuality instead of emphasizing gender differences, what might become of
the tragic people we see who suffer so much mental and emotional anguish, many
eventually mutilating their bodies based on the false idea that they were
somehow put into the wrong one? What if they were allowed, no encouraged to
express their real selves in the body in which they were born? What if the
world no more taught (and tried to enforce) what is "feminine" or
"masculine" and instead allowed people to just be who they are?
It's time we get over emphasizing
supposed differences. I don't want to play silly gender games, nor gather
together only with my own gender because the other one is so
"different." It's not. Women really can talk to men, and men to women
about personal things, and understand each other. I know. I've done and do it.
But others won't know that until they try, pushing past the initial discomfort
to the place of finding that we really are all alike after all. As long as we
perpetuate the myth that we can't understand each other because of our
respective genders, and refuse to try, that long will we continue to be divided
instead of coming together in unity. And ultimately unity is what Jesus Himself
desired for His people, what He prayed for to His father. And that is the whole
point. Unity. Not division. Not difference. Not divisiveness. Unity.