What is Male and Female?

1 What’s the difference between a boy and a girl?” 

Have the students brainstorm with other boys or with other girls before sharing their answers with the entire group (that includes boys and girls).

2 Was it easy to define male and female? Why or why not?”

Have the students discuss the problem of defining male and female. You should point out that there are many overlapping definitions. For example, students will often use words such as “strong”, “handsome”,
“beautiful”, “emotional” etc. that may traditionally be associated with one sex but can still be used to describe the other sex. Point out
that defining male and female involves both defining what we are
(biological) and what we do (societal). 

Explain that there are two kinds of differences:

A) Biological differences:

Ask the students: “Can you name some biological differences between men and women?”

Introduce the concept of “sexual dimorphism” by showing images of animals where the male and female look and act differently. Sexual dimorphism exists in a wide variety of plants and animals.

These sexual differences are examples of sexual dimorphism. Use the slides to illustrate the point:

Q: Many birds, like these ducks have more colourful males than females. Ask the students why they think that is? 
A: For the males to attract females.

Notice the huge difference in size between black widow spider females and males. Why do you think that is? Likely because females have to produce and lay thousands of eggs in a short period.

How about the angler fish, where the male is not only smaller but fuses with the female, simply becoming a sperm producing organism attached to the female. Why such drastic differences? Because likely in the dark ocean, it is hard for fish to find food and each other so it is easier for the male to connect with the female this way and provide sperm.

3 Are humans, sexually dimorphic? Can you name some biological differences between men and women?

The answer of course is yes, male and female humans are different.

There are basic physical differences that most people will recognize. These differences can include genitalia, height, weight, and the amount
of testosterone or estrogen our bodies produce. Traits such as DNA and bone structure cannot be changed regardless of what we do. Men for example, cannot give birth though women who transition to male still can give birth. See slides for images you can use.

Explain to the students that in today’s culture, this would be referred to as our “sex”—what our bodies are physically. These traits may be altered so as to appear different, but like DNA, they cannot be entirely erased. 

Video: Examine these videos that discuss the differences between male and female bodies. For younger audiences, this video shows the lesser known differences between male and female: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO8238pqrbU

In fact, the biggest biological differences between men and women are our brains. You can also watch this video with your group. Now, the video does suggest that these differences may be caused by socialization. As a group, you may want to explore that discussion in light of the biological fact that human brains differ not just in our brain patterns but in our biology (see image on the slide): www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDf0WJPqLE4&t=126s

You can read more about the study mentioned in the video here: www.theguardian.com/science/2013/dec/02/men-women-brains-wired-differently Or here: www.pnas.org/content/111/2/823

Note: Though this study is older, it has a very large sample size
compared to many of the studies done trying to show the biological origins of transgenderism. 

Now discuss with the students whether they can see how these biological differences play out in their lives. 

B) Societal differences:

Some differences between male and female really are based on societal values, such as boys liking blue and girls liking pink. These are merely subjective preferences not biological differences. Today, many want to call these societal differences “gender”. Share these examples of societal differences using the slides provided. For example:

• Some cultures have men cook (like in Hawaii) while in other cultures women cook (like in parts of Europe).

• Some cultures have women wear make-up (like in Egypt or North America) but in other cultures men wear make-up (like Celtic war paint or Aboriginal war paint).

• In western culture, there are more popular men’s sports such as football or basketball where women are traditionally known for things like cheerleading or men are more likely to be known as computer nerds whereas women dominate fields like fashion.

4 Can you name other societal differences between men and women?

As the students answer, explain to them that many of these differences are cultural and therefore we don’t always have to accept what a culture teaches. For example, girls can like sports and boys can like fashion. Emphasize the point that this does not change their biology.

5 Are the societal differences based on the biological differences?

The answer is, it depends. Things like colour preferences have nothing
to do with our biology—boys can like pink and girls can like blue. But some societal differences start with the biological differences.

For example, men are simply bigger and stronger than women. Men, on average, have 12 kg more skeletal muscle mass than women, which allows them to play sports at a more physical level because they can use this muscle to run faster, lift heavier things and endure more physical pressure (Skeletal muscle mass and distribution in 468 men and women aged 18–88 yr). In contrast, women have more flexibility than men, especially in their hip area. Why? Because their hips are designed to allow for birth. This biological function makes them able to do things that men can’t do in cheerleading or gymnastics Why Are Females More Flexible Than Males?).

6 What role does God play in determining masculinity and femininity?

In fact, the biological differences between males and females are so fundamental, many ancient creation stories females insist they came from different substances. Use the following as examples of how each culture recognizes the differences between male and female. Again, use the slides provided:

Navajo—men were created from white corn and women from yellow corn and eagle feathers on a buckskin (probably not to be taken literally; probably metaphorical). http://navajopeople.org/ blog/navajo-creation-story-the-first-world-nihodilhil-black-world

The Norse peoples, from Norway, believe humans were created from trees: Ash and Elm (probably a metaphor that should not be taken literally). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ask_and_Embla

Han-Koreans—Humans were created when God created a man then turned a bear (Ungnyeo) into a woman. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ungnyeo

You can read more creation stories of how men and women were created here: www.ijch.net/vol2/043-JH014.pdf

Tell the students to open their Bibles to read the Biblical creation story. Ask the students to read the story together and to compare these other accounts to how male and female were made in Genesis 1.

7 How is the Christian creation story different? What are some differences between the biblical view and other creation stories of how man and woman were created?

Emphasize that according to the Bible, both man and woman are made in God’s image. God didn’t need two different kinds of things like trees to make us and He didn’t make us out of separate items. Instead He took dirt and made it into His image and created man. Then he took a part of man, and made woman. Unlike the other stories, men and women are made by God from the same substance. More importantly, both are image bearers of God. 

8 What does the Bible teach about masculinity and femininity?

The Bible teaches that both men and women find their identity in God. God designed us to be male and female to reflect His image and to glorify Him. Neither male nor female are secondary but both reflect who God is. God says He is a Father for those who need Him: 

God also promises the children of Israel that even if a mother forgets her child, He won’t forget His promises to them. This implies that in God’s eyes there is no love more tender than that of a mother for her baby, yet God loves us even more than that:

The Christian view is that both masculinity and femininity reflect God’s identity.

Video: In this last video clip, Jackie Hill-Perry shares advice on how to help kids embrace their biological identity. She herself lived as a lesbian who was hurt when her father left home. She felt disconnected from her mother because she blamed her for not being strong enough to keep her dad from leaving. In her lesbian relationships, she was always the “butch” or masculine partner. Today, as a Christian wife (to a man) and mother of young children, she wants to encourage parents to help their kids celebrate their biological sex. www.youtube.com/ watch?v=A3Kt7hr18gs

Conclusion:

Adam and Eve’s story is all about relationship, not just with each other but with God. In other words, the Bible defines male and female in relationship to each other and to God. In order to define male and female, we need each other. We cannot have male or female without the other.

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Remember, there is plenty of overlap between men and women. There are many similarities in how we behave and think. Some men may have more “feminine” traits than some women and vice versa. But differences become clear when we see men and women in relationship with each other. A man will always be more manly in relation to a woman. His masculinity becomes more apparent when compared to a woman. This is true in reverse for women too. The Christian view of sex and gender says that we need each other to be able to define our maleness and femaleness. It is in relationship that we can know our gender, it is not something we define alone.

You can read more about the study mentioned in the video here:

Male and female brains wired differently, scans reveal, Maps of neural circuitry show women’s brains are suited to social skills and memory, men’s to perception and co-ordination, The Guardian, Ian Sample, December 2, 2013, www.theguardian.com/science/2013/dec/02/men-womenbrains- wired-differently

Sex differences in the structural connectome of the human brain, Madhura Ingalhalikar, Alex Smith, Drew Parker, Theodore D. Satterthwaite, Mark A. Elliott, Kosha Ruparel, Hakon Hakonarson, Raquel E. Gur, Ruben C. Gur, and Ragini Verma

PNAS January 14, 2014 111 (2) 823-828; https://doi.org/10.1073/ pnas.1316909110 Edited by Charles Gross, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, and approved November 1, 2013 (received for review September 9, 2013), https://www.pnas.org/content/111/2/823