Editing Gender (section)

== Feminist theory ==
{{Feminist philosophy sidebar}}

Biologist and feminist academic [[Anne Fausto-Sterling]] rejects the discourse of [[biological determinism|biological]] versus [[social determinism]] and advocates a deeper analysis of how interactions between the biological being and the social environment influence individuals' capacities.<ref>[[Anne Fausto-Sterling]] (1992) ''Myths of Gender: Biological Theories about Men and Women''. New York: Basic Books. p. 8 {{ISBN|0-465-04792-0}}.</ref>

The philosopher and feminist [[Simone de Beauvoir]] applied [[existentialism]] to women's experience of life: "One is not born a woman, one becomes one."<ref>de Beauvoir, Simone (1949) ''The Second Sex''.</ref> In context, this is a philosophical statement. However, it may be analyzed in terms of biology—a girl must pass [[puberty]] to become a woman—and sociology, as a great deal of mature relating in social contexts is learned rather than instinctive.<ref>[[Anne Fausto-Sterling|Fausto-Sterling]] (2000) Chapter 3 "Of Gender and Genitals", pp. 44–77</ref>

Within [[feminist theory]], terminology for gender issues developed over the 1970s. In the 1974 edition of ''Masculine/Feminine or Human'', the author uses "innate gender" and "learned sex roles",<ref>{{Cite book |author=Chafetz, J.S. |title=Masculine/Feminine or Human? An Overview of the Sociology of Sex Roles |publisher=F.E. Peacock |year=1974 |location=Itasca, Illinois}}</ref> but in the 1978 edition, the use of ''sex'' and ''gender'' is reversed.<ref>{{Cite book |author=Chafetz, J.S. |url=https://archive.org/details/masculinefeminin00chaf |title=Masculine/Feminine or Human? An Overview of the Sociology of Sex Roles |publisher=F.E. Peacock |year=1978 |isbn=978-0-87581-231-1 |location=Itasca, Illinois |oclc=4348310}}</ref>
By 1980, most feminist writings had agreed on using ''gender'' only for socioculturally adapted [[trait theory|traits]].

[[Andrea Dworkin]] stated her "commitment to destroying male dominance and gender itself" while stating her belief in [[radical feminism]].<ref>[[Andrea Dworkin|Dworkin, Andrea]] (1995). "My Life as a Writer", pp.&nbsp;33–34 in Dworkin, Andrea ''Life and Death: Unapologetic Writings on the Continuing War Against Women''. New York: Free Press. {{ISBN|0-7432-3626-2}}</ref>

Political scientist [[Mary Hawkesworth]] addresses gender and feminist theory, stating that since the 1970s the concept of gender has transformed and been used in significantly different ways within feminist scholarship. She notes that a transition occurred when several feminist scholars, such as [[Sandra Harding]] and [[Joan Wallach Scott|Joan Scott]], began to conceive of gender "as an analytic category within which humans think about and organize their social activity". Feminist scholars in [[Political Science]] began employing gender as an analytical category, which highlighted "social and political relations neglected by mainstream accounts". However, Hawkesworth states "feminist political science has not become a dominant paradigm within the discipline".<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hawkesworth |first=Mary |author-link=Mary Hawkesworth |year=2005 |title=Engendering political science: An immodest proposal |journal=Politics & Gender |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=141–156 |doi=10.1017/s1743923x0523101x |doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 |s2cid=146467636}}</ref>