SOC 2104 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Estrous Cycle, Parental Investment, Biological Determinism
22 Jan 2016
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Document Summary
Social and political inequalities flow from biologically based differences between the sexes: these differences can tell us much about our culture. Biological differences, then and now: prior to the 19th century, most explanations of gender difference were theological. Laws of god: men and women were made for different purposes. Change would offend god because it was a christian dominated society. Adam was created by god, eve was only created because god wanted a companion for adam: charles darwin"s origin of species (1859) and law of natural selection (species adapt) challenged theological explanations. Before these times, people were all following theories that could not even be proved. Those that have the ability to adapt are seen as superior and this led to the extinction of those that could not keep up. 1790s: european scientists drew male and female skeletons with exaggeration of the pelvises (women) and crania (men) skull.
