"A woman is made, not born". Sex and Gender. Social Anthropology

A WOMAN IS MADE, NOT BORN". SEX AND GENDER. SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY
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A Woman Is Made, Not Born". Sex and Gender. Social Anthropology
Gender and sex have been controversial topics in society. Sex entails being either a boy or a girl, which is assigned at birth. On the other hand, gender involves the performance of either being a woman or a man. Bodies are constructed culturally after birth. Babies are not regarded as individuals when they are born (Eriksen, 2015). Instead, their actions are influenced by their parents. Even though gender identity and personhood are socially defined and constructed, gender is an aspect of individuality which is slowly acquired. Gender is a process of constructing the individual and self.
Societal Constructs of Personhood
Roles and statuses are theoretical concepts that arise based on the current process of social life. Cover (2018) reveals that all human societies tend to have a notion of the person. This concept of the self is different in significant ways. In European societies, the self is regarded as “undivided” (based on the word, individual), sovereign, and integrated (Cover, 2018). They are an independent agent. Consequently, non-western societies the self is viewed as the total summation of the social associations of the person (Eriksen, 2015). Personhood is something that is attained gradually from birth and as the person gets new experiences from around them, as well as the knowledge and shared customs of the society. In many African societies located in central Africa, the same notion exists. For instance, children who die at a young age are not viewed as ancestors since they have not attained sufficient knowledge to place them in such a position.
It should be noted that the anthropological stress on social and public aspects does not suggest that nothing “inner” or private exists. Many African individuals agree that identity is a term that is used to define something that is “ours.” They rely on the metaphor of the tortoise where the limbs and head represent the public persona while its private persona arises when it goes back to hide in its shell (Eriksen, 2015). The link between public and private aspects of personhood also differ significantly in various societies. For instance, most Europeans would be surprised that North Americans can easily talk about their personal lives to people they do not know. In Indian society, the individual is regarded as part of the organic whole rather than an independent agent.
Both women and men have a diverse array of skills that are needed for survival. Most of them are culturally specific. An ethnographic study by Margaret Mead describes how the personality of young women and girls is influenced by the cultural environment that is diverse from what exists today. They were living in a Polynesian island, and the females were socialized in a more flexible and relaxed perspective about their sexuality in comparison to what the girls in the middle-class undergo in the US (Eriksen, 2015). Mead reveals that the lack of a strong competition makes it easier for the girls on the island in comparison to American girls to reconcile themselves with the world and be at peace with their lives (Cover, 2018). Socialization in Samoa resulted in balanced and harmonious personalities in comparison to the American girls. This reveals that human personalities are influenced by the dynamic interplay between society and the individual. Since societies are not the same, they create different individuals with various personalities.
Another conception of personhood can be understood by focusing on the embodied self. The body has always existed as part of the social and cultural anthropology, but it has not always been an issue (Cover, 2018). This reveals that body practices have been part of ethnography, such as toilet training, penis sheaths, and circumcisions. However, focuses have not been on the human body as a sociocultural aspect (Eriksen, 2015). The Western idea has deviated due to information technology.
Division of Labor
The roles of women are distinguished in many societies. This still applies to societies that have a minimal occupational specialization or the division of labor simple. An ethnographic example to understand this is the Fulani community in Africa. The household is comprised of a massive nuclear family that consists of the husband, wife, and children or a compound one whereby the man has several wives. The husbands are free to divorce a wife who does not have any children, and they can marry as many wives as they want (Wagner, 2016). Women are not part of the decision-making process, and the man as the head of the family makes all the decisions. Anthropologists agree that various myths have come up was a way for men to validate their power over women (Cover, 2018).
A typical example where the division of labor is most important is within the hunter and gather societies since this has been the main characteristic of human societies. These societies can help understand the gender roles and how they emerged from the past based on how roles of males and females were defined. Eriksen (2015) posits that “Some readers may have noted the use of the cumbersome term ‘hunters and gatherers’ instead of simply ‘hunters. The reason for this terminology is an increased understanding of the importance of gender” (p. 134). In such communities, the role o...