you are viewing a single comment's thread.

view the rest of the comments →

[–]Spikygrasspod 12 insightful - 1 fun12 insightful - 0 fun13 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Personally, I think there could be an interaction between bodies, hormones, sexuality and socialisation that can't be untangled. I think it's implausible to say there are no physical differences that inform different behaviour and that everything is socialisation--otherwise men's violence wouldn't be such a constant across different cultures and eras. It would also be odd if we were the only mammal with no sexually dimorphic behaviours. But it's equally implausible to treat physiology and socialisation as separate. There's no clean nature/nurture divide. Bodies act on culture and culture acts on bodies. They're irreducibly entwined. Maybe men and women will change radically as gender becomes less restrictive and harmful. Maybe they'll only change somewhat. Our equal moral worth isn't predicated on our being exactly the same, and we shouldn't look for equality through sameness. Equality can only be achieved by noting our differences and designing societies that create a level playing field around them.

P.S. If I understand this correctly, synthetic testosterone is an anabolic androgenic steroid. Females who hormonally transition are put on steroids. This boosts energy and reduces depression and anxiety. Of course they help some people feel better. But they're a pretty invasive and dangerous way to achieve that end. When men have abnormally low levels of T, they feel pretty bad, too. They are given a dose that brings them to the normal range because being above or below the normal range can have bad side effects.

[–]sosorreal[S] 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Thank you for your response! You hit the nail on the head and really clarified this for me.