Woman Between Islam and Western Society
3. Western Woman
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the research findings at that time, summarized in
the following pages, is instructive.
25
Women’s
liberationists believe that any differences other than
anatomical are a result of conditioning by society.
The opposing view is that all of the differences are
fixed in goes. The idea that genetic predispositions
exist is based on three kinds of evidence. First, there
are the ‘cultural universals’ cited by anthropologist
Margaret Mead: Almost everywhere, the mother is
the principal caretaker of the child, and male
dominance and aggression are the rule. Some
anthropologists believe there has been an occasional
female dominated society: others insist that none
has ever existed.
Then there is the fact that among most ground
dwelling primates, males are dominant and have as
a major function the protection of females and
offspring. Some research suggests that it is true
even when the young are raised apart from adults,
which seems to mean that they do not learn their
roles from their society.
Finally, behavioral sex differences show up long
before any body could possibly perceive subtle
