There is much controversy concerning gender in our day. Many say that gender doesn’t really make a difference in our daily life or that it doesn’t really matter at all. Many also may say that gender is really a social or cultural concept. For example, people believe that society or culture gives girls “girly” things so they like “girly” things, and visa versa with boys. This has led people to engage in gender-neutral parenting, thinking that there are no differences between boys and girls. However, research suggests otherwise. Today, I will discuss the many biological differences between boys and girls, why gender matters, and the scientific research and spiritual revelation to support.
Differences
As stated above, there are many biological differences between boys and girls. The statement is supported by the article, “Infants Prefer Toys by Gender” when it states, “Gender may be a social construct, according to modern sociological thinking, but biologically infants prefer toys by sex long before gender identity is demonstrated”. This is a tall claim to make, but this article has some good research to back it up. The article tells of a study that was done on three age groups of young children: ages 9-17 months, ages 18-23 months, and ages 24-32 months old. The researchers in this study observed the play preferences of the children without parental influence. What they found is remarkable: “Stereotypical toy preferences were found in boys and girls in each of the age groups, even too young to understand gender. With age, both boys and girls tended to prefer toys stereotyped for boys…For girls, the toys were a doll, a pink teddy bear and a cooking pan, while boys had a car, a blue teddy, a digger and a ball” (ACSH Staff, 2016). The results were consistent as well. This hypothesis was made, “Biological differences give boys an aptitude for mental rotation and more interest and ability in spatial processing, while girls are more interested in looking at faces and better at fine motor skills and manipulating objects…Although there was variability between individual children, we found that, in general, boys played with male-typed toys more than female-typed toys and girls played with female-typed toys more than male-typed toy” (ACSH Staff, 2016).
To give the claim of there being biological differences between genders even more credit, a video by John Stossel shows research that proves certain differences. For example, it was generally observed that:
- Girls want to talk, develop relationships, be dainty and cute
- Boys want to be more aggressive and noisy.
- Women have trouble with maps but remember landmarks better while guys typically go by the time of travel and directions (north and south)
- Women have a better memory for detail
- Men and women think with different areas of their brain (men with more grey matter and women with more white matter) when thinking about the same thing a woman is thinking about.
The Y chromosome, they have found, makes the brain differences between males and females. Please remember that the aspects concerning the aforementioned list are just generalities. The differences between individuals are in more abundance than differences between genders, so really, everyone is different!
Importance of Gender
The research mentioned above shows that gender is biological and therefore is important to be thought of as we raise, help, and think of our families. It is not only important to remember the scientific and biological importance, but also the spiritual importance of gender. In the document called “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”, it states that, “Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose”. Along with gender comes gender roles within the family that are not only biologically innate, but also spiritually innate. These roles are, “Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. ‘Children are an heritage of the Lord’ (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners” (. Many times, we confuse these roles; women trying to become men and men being pummeled into the dirt. However, it is important to remember that equality is where everyone has the same opportunities, but it doesn’t mean we are all the same.
References
ACSH Staff. (2016). Infants prefer toys by gender. American Council on Science and Health: Promoting science and debunking junk since 1978. Retrieved from
The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles. (1995). The family: A proclamation to the world. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Marriage and Family Truths 