"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 ...