UNLIMITED

NPR

Nature, Nurture, And Our Evolving Debates About Gender

What does it mean to be a boy and what does it mean to be a girl? We delve into debates over gender – and explore how some people are moving beyond labels and building gender identities of their own.
How much does biology shape who we are, and how much is determined by culture and the environment in which we live?

When a baby is born, one of the first questions people ask the parents is this: "What is it?" "Gender is unquestionably the most salient feature of a person's identity," For some two decades, Eliot has pondered and researched the origins of gender differences between boys and girls. She says she didn't start by looking at boys' brains and girls' brains. She started with an insight about brains. More than any other organ, the brain is uniquely adaptable, designed to change in response to the environment.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR1 min read
The Habitat Banker
Our planet is in serious trouble. There are a million species of plants and animals in danger of extinction, and the biggest cause is companies destroying their habitats to farm food, mine minerals, and otherwise get the raw materials to turn into th
NPR1 min readAmerican Government
Worst. Tariffs. Ever. (update)
The Smoot Hawley Tariffs were a debacle that helped plunge America into the Great Depression. What can we learn from them?Today on the show, we tell the nearly 100-year-old story of Smoot and Hawley, that explains why Congress decided to delegate tar
NPR1 min read
The Magic Of Hallmark Holiday Movies
It's winter. You throw on your coat and favorite scarf and head outside to put up some last-minute decorations. Stepping out onto your porch, you gaze into the sky just as wispy flakes begin to fall. You smile to yourself because there's no such thin

Related Books & Audiobooks