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Femininity can be understood as socially constructed, [1] [2] and there is also some evidence that some behaviors considered feminine are influenced by both cultural factors and biological factors. [1] [3] [4] [5] To what extent femininity is biologically or socially influenced is subject to debate.
The word female comes from the Latin femella, the diminutive form of femina, meaning "woman", by way of the Old French femelle. [7] It is not etymologically related to the word male, but in the late 14th century the English spelling was altered to parallel that of male. [7] [8] It has been used as both noun and adjective since the 14th century. [7]
There is an ongoing debate on whether a feminist critique should be incorporated in the sciences, especially biology. Some argue [weasel words] that feminist biology is a form of politicization of science, calling to question the legitimacy of feminist biology altogether. On another level, there is debate even within the feminist community on ...
The word woman can be used generally, to mean any female human, or specifically, to mean an adult female human as contrasted with girl. The word girl originally meant "young person of either sex" in English; [16] it was only around the beginning of the 16th century that it came to mean specifically a female child. [17]
However the words for inanimate objects are commonly masculine (e.g. der Tisch, the table) or feminine (die Armbanduhr, the watch), and grammatical gender can diverge from biological sex; for instance the feminine noun [die] Person refers to a person of either sex, and the neuter noun [das] Mädchen means "the girl". [107]
Gender essentialism is a theory which attributes distinct, intrinsic qualities to women and men. [1] [2] Based in essentialism, it holds that there are certain universal, innate, biologically (or psychologically) based features of gender that are at the root of many of the group differences observed in the behavior of men and women.
Some gynosexual people are attracted to feminine people of all genders, while others are attracted just to feminine people of one gender, says Justin Lehmiller, Ph.D., a member of the Men's Health ...
A gender role, or sex role, is a set of socially accepted behaviors and attitudes deemed appropriate or desirable for individuals based on their gender or sex.Gender roles are usually centered on conceptions of masculinity and femininity.