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Abstract
Gender theory developed within the feministic and LGTB field of studies in the 1970s, and was later accepted by other disciplines within the arts and social sciences. Today it is studied as an interdisciplinary science. Gender theory has developed a system of values from which it follows that sex as a biological determinant does not have a major influence on gender; moreover, it is created through the process of socialization and culturation, often due to pressure from a patriarchal society. Thus, gender is a social construct, not a biological condition. This paper provides a critical analysis of gender theory, and it demonstrates that gender theory has no foundation in empirical science, which is an unavoidable factor in the research of human sexuality.
Introduction
In this paper we shall provide a critical analysis of gender theory, with the intention of initiating an open dialogue based on scientific facts. The emergence of gender theory is connected with the feminist and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) studies that were introduced at many universities across the USA in the 1970s. Its concepts, methods, and research subjects are still a matter of controversy, and it is impossible to give a definition that would be applicable to all gender studies. For this reason, we shall focus on its main protagonists and their theories.
Gender theory, which spread in the 1990s, particularly in the USA, is being promoted by many scholars from humanistic and social science fields. Many academic journals have published a number of articles promoting gender theory. Behind this array of scientific papers are scientists who have gained a reputation in their field of study.
Gender Theory: A Brief Overview
As the forerunner of gender theory, Alfred Kinsey published his research on male and female sexuality in two books: Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (Kinsey, Pomeroy & Martin, 1948) and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female (Kinsey, Pomeroy, Martin & Gebhard, 1953). These two books became bestsellers in America overnight, and have uniquely influenced the shaping of public opinion about human sexuality. Kinsey's research pretended to establish how people behave in sexual life, and so defined what is normal in sexual behavior.
Meanwhile, a psychologist, John Money, from the prestigious Johns Hopkins University, who conducted...