While reading the book, "Cultural Anthropology", I came across a question regarding morality, women and culture. So I would like to ask, "What relation is there between culture and morality? What connection is there between gender and morality? Do women have a different morality than men? This last question is the one proposed in the book.
For instance, does a woman care more about the feelings of others, or achieving justice, than does a man? If so, or if not, how does the culture affect the circumstances? Do certain cultures cause women to be more caring about people than men? Or is the opposite true? Does the fact that a woman cares, mean that the culture will change to reflect that caring?
I'm not going to write here the answer given in the book. I would like to have any commenters opinions as to the answer and I thank you all in advance.
recommend this
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 26
I suspect culture, gender, temperament etc all feed into how caring will be shown. For example, a father might show how much he cares for his children by showering them with advice, but they might see that as control rather than caring. A mother might show caring by asking too many questions, and be seen as interfering. One person will show they care by keeping their problems to themselves, while another will share everything in an effort to make another person feel connected.
But I'm still not sure how morality fits into it.
i so appreciate your questions and comments. I will endeavor to put some of the book in an article for gather. There are some very interesting points made about culture and nurturing. I'll put as much as I can without plagerizing anything.
Again, thanks for your comments. I hope you come back to read the rest.
I look forward to having you 'critique' the other parts of the book I can put on. I am trying to keep up with the other website where i contribute articles for money....I have a lot of time, but not much energy. I'll send you a note when I get it posted.....you can stop by anytime..... if I get it written before I can send mail....are you a zoo keeper down under?
I do appreciate all comments though...it helps me analize the book more closely..having other's thoughts and viewpoints..
And yes, there are differences between cultures in morality, obviously. That's one of the reasons here in the USA we have "red" states and "blue" states, because people in different areas of the country, with a different subculture, raise their kids to have a different set of moral values. But nature does have an effect on it all, too, particularly between men and women.
The question of male and female temperament has come up, with a little arguing on both sides (e.g. Sharon's comment "God made women with the natural instinct to care for their children," and E. M.'s " When [people] (...) put all of womankind on a pedestal and pretend we feel more..."). And the reality is, whatever one's political or religious ideology, there are biological differences between men and women. Science has even found that, while in utero little boys' brains undergo changes when they are flooded with testosterone.
Basically, culture acts to mold the differences between men and women that are innate in their nature. Women *are* designed for making social connections and raising kids, which does make their moral priorities different than those of men. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule. But in regard to moral differences, and raising kids, imagine a mother and father with their son at a karate class. The kids are told to spar, which requires that they actually hit and kick each other (although they are wearing some pretty serious protective gear). How are a typical mother and father likely to react differently?
A woman, who, as some have pointed out, is inclined to think more in nurturing terms, is going to be worried about her son getting hurt during this rough play, and is going to think he will be harmed by the violence. The typical man is more likely to think he will be benefited by learning to stand up for himself, and he will be harmed more, later in life, by not feeling confident to stand up to bullies. They will both be concerned with his well-being -- it will just lead them to think in different directions.
Anyway, there's my two cents.
And teaching when to stand up, and when to stand down (nice way of putting that, by the way) is a mixed responsibility. For instance, speaking statistically, a boy raised by a father with no significant female influence is more likely to be aggressive, and not know when to stand down. A son raised primarily by a mother, with no strong male influence is more likely to be overly cautious and insecure, not knowing when to stand up. (Then, in biparental, yet dysfunctional families, the difficulties can be MUCH more complicated.)
Of course, like I said, I'm speaking in generalities here. There are exceptions to every rule.
One question I have is which gender is the child? If a man can be 'mom' is the child going to grow up like 'mom' or like 'dad'? The same question about 'dads' who are in no way cut out for the job. Who will the child imitate?
And on take your dads to school day, does it matter which one shows up?
Twenty years or more from now, the fruit will be ready for all to see if it's cake.
I hope Frank stops by with his piggy bank.
Please feel free to come back.
And if a girl was in that position...what would she do? Put either child with the two dads and they would have like issues.
So, I'm sorry I was not clear before in my response.
Thanks for getting back to me. I have not fully absorbed your comment, but my son has to get on the web through this line and needs me to get off briefly.
I'll be back.
Unfortunately, however, I would venture a guess that when there are studies available, the results will be suspect. After all, everyone has an opinion, and the opinion of whoever conducts the study will have an effect. Moreover, unfortunate as it is, political correctness affects science. So if it were to turn out that a study were to suggest that gay families were less successful as straight families, it might be hard if not impossible to get it published. And if it were published, the academic community would instantly look to prove that the publisher(s) had an agenda, to discredit the study.
A warning, some people might be offended by the next bit of information, so if you think you might be, then... well... thanks for reading up to this point!... But anyway, there's only one occasion of long-term homosexual "families" (albeit not families in the way we think of families, as in the nuclear sort) that I can think of that have long been known to social sciences. There is a culture in Papua New Guinea in which male-female relations are considered dangerous to men, and women are largely shunned from male society.
Obviously for this reason alone, the fact that women are viewed as dangerous, this sample would not be very reflective of any sort of American situation. But, in fact, this culture goes to the point that Americans would clearly identify as a crime of child molestation, in that pre-pubertal boys are required to perform fellatio on the older men of the tribe. This would absolutely disqualify this culture as any sort of a reliable specimen.
I would think one of the most difficult things for the child of a single-sex family would be the fact that, generally speaking, neither gay men nor women generally act quite masculine or feminine. So not only would, for instance, both mom and dad be female, neither mom nor dad would quite *seem* female. The children would not have the same contrast of man and woman, male and female, masculine and feminine. (Of course, this is even true with some heterosexual families.)
As far as kids of gays today, later coming forward and either saying "it was good the way it was" or "I wish it had been different" that would not necessarily be reliable either, because, well, that happens anyway. Kids, even though they are able to see the families of their friends, etc, still really only have their own families to go on as first-hand experiences. So they wouldn't necessarily know whether they would rather have it the way it was, or different.
Basically, it's a difficult subject, from a social science perspective.