Woman Between Islam and Western Society
3. Western Woman
~ 138 ~
began to develop masculine characteristics. Girls
who had been injected with male hormones while
still at the foetal stage showed less fondness for
playing with dolls, and even developed aggressive
temperaments like boys. Researchers found that
hormones can change the structure of the brain
itself, so that if the male and female brain structures
differ, the cause may be traced to the difference in
hormones.
Although this research has clearly established that a
difference does exist, physically and mentally,
between men and women — obviously indicating
separate spheres of activity for them — old
adherents of the male-female equality concept are
still reluctant to accept the reversal of a favorite
theory. As a western scholar says: “Whether these
physiological differences destine men and women
for separate role in society is another and far more
delicate question.”
24
Almost a decade prior to the
Newsweek
report,
Time
magazine, in its special issue on the status of
American women, asked the question: “Are women
immutably different from men?” Their review of
