Denotes female gender. Biological basis of gender. Male and female

It is the 46th chromosome, which the sperm carries, that determines gender: if it is an X chromosome, a girl will be born, if it is a Y, a boy. But not everything is so simple, even at that stage of development when cells can be counted on one’s fingers. Many people are born who are missing certain chromosomes or have additional ones. The female and male sexes play a particularly important genetic role in nature.

Such a pathology Experts call it polysemy. The most common polysomy with one additional X chromosome in men: out of 1000 boys, 2 - 3 are born with it. They have reduced testosterone production. Sometimes this leads to infertility, sometimes to the appearance of secondary sexual characteristics. female type, but quite often the carrier of the “extra” chromosome may not even be aware of it. There are also women who lack a second X chromosome - in adolescence they lag far behind their peers in development - or they have extra ones.

According to estimates American biologist Anne Fausto-Sterling, 1.7% of people are born with mixed sex characteristics - it seems like a small number, but in total amount these are millions of people.

Fausto-Sterling called one of her popular works “The Five Sexes: Why the Division between Men and Women is Incomplete.” In her opinion, in addition to men (male) and women (female), hermaphrodites should be distinguished, in whom the characteristics of both sexes are equal (herm), or with a predominance of male (merm) or female (ferm) functions and characteristics. However, these “extra floors” have always existed: let’s say, ancient doctors, who did not know anything about chromosomes, believed that in the uterus of women there are three chambers - for carrying boys, girls and hermaphrodites separately. In nature, all people are considered to be female and male, except for people - hermaphrodites.

However, even without chromosomal confusion Determining gender is a lengthy process. The formation of gender occurs in several stages, and complications are possible at each stage. In addition to genetic sex, there are also gonadal (formed at the stage of differentiation of the gonads - internal genital organs), hormonal (depending on hormonal levels and the predominance of androgens or estrogens), somatic (determined by external sexual characteristics) and civil (recorded in the birth certificate and other documents).

In addition, they also talk about the mental field - a person’s awareness of himself as a man or a woman, or a complex being with a predominance of certain characteristics. Using the same right, transsexuals decide to change their sex (somatic and hormonal, as well as civil) in order to harmonize their physiology and internal sense of self.

Tender for tender

Why has the opportunity to decide for ourselves whether to be a man or a woman appeared recently? Perhaps for two interrelated reasons. Firstly, this is the transformation of the family model and the gradual erosion social roles men and women. Secondly, artificial insemination and surrogacy, not to mention adoption, allow both single women and same-sex couples to complete their families. Gender is no longer “a fate determined by anatomy,” as Sigmund Freud wrote. We now have the opportunity to choose the model of behavior that seems comfortable to us, regardless of whether it is considered “male” or “female.” And here another type of gender matters - social gender, or gender. The female and male genders are significantly important in nature.

Tender includes includes a set of behavior patterns that are believed to be characteristic of men or women: “masculinity” or “femininity” in the most specific meaning of these words. Gender stereotypes change depending on the mood prevailing in society. For example, in European noble circles of the 18th century, the concept of masculinity included not only the ability to wield a sword, but also knowledge in the field of cosmetics and perfumes. Without realizing it, modern “new Amazons” can change gender behavior several times during the day: while driving a car in a traffic jam or at a work meeting, they show completely different, sometimes “unfeminine” qualities than in a beauty salon or while walking with a child. However, doubts have long been expressed that the indispensable attributes of “masculinity” are aggressiveness and authority, and “femininity” is tenderness and frivolity.

There is also an average version of social gender - bigender. It is inherent in people who feel like either a man or a woman, and accordingly change their behavior, manner of speaking, and even vocabulary. Among young girls, especially representatives of informal subcultures, you can find those who talk about themselves in the masculine gender (“I said”, “I went”), without being either transvestites or lesbians. Women's bigenderness rather emphasizes the fact that we are not yet completely free from patriarchal culture: “Trying to speak and behave like stronger sex“, women unconsciously choose a more attractive role for themselves, which is a man in a patriarchal society.”

Models of gender behavior we learn in childhood when we develop an awareness of our gender. At this time, learning begins in the characteristics that, according to our parents, are inherent in boys or girls: the former play with cars, the latter with dolls, the former should not cry, the latter should not fight... But in addition to broadcasting gender stereotypes in words, parents raise their children personal example, which kids learn faster: “If mom and dad behave this way, it means it’s correct.” After all, a mother in a child’s mind is an image Ideal Woman, and the father is the Ideal Man.

How can gender identity of lesbians be formed? Such girls are often raised in a family consisting of a domineering mother and a weak father, and accept this model of relationship as the only possible one. Subsequently, they may try to establish relationships with men, but since they transfer the model learned in childhood to their own relationships, they often choose the same partners as their father and become disappointed in men in general. We can understand a lot about ourselves and our ideas about gender relations if we remember what actions our father and mother, or other significant adults, showed us.

In fact, almost any behavior that deviates from stereotypical ideas about “male” and “female” can be called the “third gender” - and there are many more of its manifestations than it might seem. Modernity does not require us to “be women” every second. Much more often we need to be just people. The world is moving towards a global awareness that it is not what is between the legs that matters, but what is between the ears.

“Indicate your gender: male or female,” most people will easily answer this question. Nevertheless they meet genetic syndromes, in which a person cannot consider himself either a man or a woman. Let's talk about three such gender anomalies.

U healthy people gender is determined by the combination of two chromosomes: X and X chromosomes for girls, X and Y chromosomes for boys. Girls with Turner syndrome have only one X chromosome - there is simply no second sex chromosome. Turner syndrome is relatively common, affecting approximately one in 2,500 births.

The body of people with Turner syndrome develops according to the female type, but the genitals and secondary sexual characteristics are not exactly the same as those of healthy women.

The ovaries in people with Turner syndrome work poorly or not at all. Because of this, the body lacks the female sex hormone - estrogen. Therefore, in adolescence, a girl does not develop normal menstruation, mammary glands do not develop.

You can guess about Turner syndrome in a girl before the onset of adolescence. The syndrome has external manifestations: short stature, wide rib cage, deformation elbow joints, short and thick neck with folds of skin, swelling of the feet and hands.

If you start hormonal therapy before the expected menstruation, the girl's breasts will begin to grow and her uterus will begin to enlarge - just like in healthy women. You will need to take estrogen until menopause. Growth hormone is also indicated for Turner syndrome: why used to be a girl will begin to receive it, the more chances grow to more or less average height.

People with Turner syndrome usually have normal intelligence but some health problems. Heart problems are especially common - from a third to a half of girls have congenital defects.

Also found mosaic syndrome Turner, when the second X chromosome “disappears” not from all cells of the body, but only from some of them. In this case, the syndrome will not be so pronounced.

Women with Turner syndrome can have a normal life expectancy if they take good care of their health, especially their heart. They can even give birth to a child - with the help of IVF and a donor egg.

With Klinefelter syndrome in boys, in addition to the two sex chromosomes - X and Y - there is an additional X chromosome. This is a fairly common anomaly - it occurs in approximately every 500th newborn boy.

Boys with Klinefelter syndrome may experience puberty later or not at all. They are slow and not as active as healthy men, hair grows on the face and body, it becomes heavier muscle mass, and the penis and testicles may be reduced in size. Moreover, in a man with this syndrome, during adolescence, the breasts may begin to grow, like a woman’s - this is called gynecomastia.

Despite external manifestations, men often do not notice signs of Klinefelter syndrome until adulthood. Problems appear when a man starts sex life or trying to conceive a child. People with Klinefelter syndrome may have low testosterone levels, which can cause them to have low libido and difficulty getting erections. And most of these men are infertile because their underdeveloped testicles don't produce enough sperm.

You can correct the condition using hormone therapy- taking testosterone. It's never too late to start treatment, but it's better to do it earlier - around the beginning adolescence. Then the boy will develop in much the same way as his peers - hair on his face and body will begin to grow, his muscles will become stronger, and his penis will enlarge. It is advisable to take testosterone throughout your life.

Surgery can also help - men with Klinefelter syndrome undergo plastic surgery to reduce breast size and give it a normal appearance for a man.

This is enough rare anomaly- it occurs in approximately one in 10,000–20,000 newborns. People born with this syndrome are genetically male - they have a Y chromosome that determines male gender. But they most often grow up as girls.

It turns out that with this syndrome, the human body is insensitive to androgens - male sex hormones, namely testosterone. As a result, the genitals develop according to the female type. Such people may develop a vagina and labia, but they do not have a uterus or ovaries. Instead, they have undescended testicles that are “hidden” in the abdomen.

The mutant gene that leads to the development of the syndrome is located on the X chromosome and is transmitted to the child from the mother. It poses no threat to a woman who carries the gene, but her sons may well grow up to be daughters.

There are two types of androgen insensitivity syndrome - complete and partial. With complete insensitivity, the body does not respond to testosterone at all, so the genitals develop completely female. Parents raise the child as a girl, and the syndrome is detected only in adolescence when a teenager does not start menstruating.

With partial insensitivity, testosterone can affect the development of the body, so the genitals are “intermediate” between male and female. A child may have both a vagina and an underdeveloped penis. In this case, parents can choose the gender of the child themselves and raise him either as a boy or as a girl. And the operation and hormonal treatment will help bring your genitals into line with your chosen gender.

Typically, people with androgen insensitivity syndrome adopt the gender of their parents. Women with complete testosterone insensitivity almost always agree to be women - regardless of the Y chromosome. But people with partial androgen insensitivity may experience gender dysphoria - that is, they may feel like a person of a different gender. In this case, we may be talking about gender reassignment.

In general, androgen insensitivity syndrome does not affect health and allows you to ordinary life. True, most likely, a person with such a syndrome will need to take sex hormones throughout his life - male or female, depending on the chosen gender. The only serious limitation is that people with this syndrome most often cannot have children.

In the illusory projection located in the two-dimensional dimension where a person lives, there is a division into female and male gender.

Integrity, the aggregate is divided into Eve. (Entry, birth, immaturity, perishability, illusoryness, left-handedness, disciple, reflection, illusion, fallacy). And to Adam. (Exit, maturity, death, incorruptibility, right-handedness, spirituality, teacher, reality).

People consist not only of the Body (boys and girls have a defining gender characteristic), but other members of the composition bring additions, layering masculinity on the woman, and effeminacy on the man.

The mind (thought adds a “zest” to the letter) can remember the past sex, opposite to the current incarnation.

The spirit is ideally neutral (it, ambidextrous) (individual lines depicting a letter, sign (font)), moves along the sides of the structure. Either by being saturated with feminine matter (weak spirit, lines with curves), or by absorbing masculine matter (strong Spirit, straight lines).

With a dormant Soul, the personality falls into oblivion, plunging into illusoryness (feminine, dynamic principle), which gives letters and words unconsciousness and erroneous meaning (you can say a prayer without understanding its spiritual content). When the Soul remembers itself, spiritual development occurs, maturity and wisdom (masculine principle) are acquired. A person, uttering words, charges them with divine frequencies (the word heals, the energy of words, feelings, thoughts attracts the Patron).

A variety of variations, modifications are introduced to each letter and word, which is why it is erroneous to interpret identical signs, names, starting from the established standard (“I love you” can be pronounced (written) in different ways, putting meaning into the saying).

There is a pattern, unchanging rules, adhering to which, it will not be difficult to slowly explore the characteristics of words and names.

Fish, birds, and insects can have their heads in different directions while moving (they do not need to communicate with the Celestials, who are actually located inside). A person in need of spiritual development, when awake, when moving, eating, and living, the head (entrance through the crown of the tunnel) is located at the top. There is contact with the Divine, spiritual principle. It may seem that the streams go deep into Space, Heaven, and the Universe. But this is an erroneous impression inspired by the Illusionist, who creates an obstacle to communication with the portal. The contact undergoes modifications, the polarity changes. The entrance is carried out inside the personality (God, conscience). (“The imperishable, true presence of the Self,” is located inside the individual, and not outside (turning inside out ( difficult process))). In a bedridden patient, the channel, the portal, located in the crown, undergoes corrections, adapts to the reception of incorruptible matter, stretches upward, perpendicular to the ground, and recovery occurs. Or the patient, in order to prolong life, feeds on the spiritual principle through a portal placed between the breasts (Soul), at the mouth (Spirit), but this position is not very advantageous, since the Soul and Spirit, unlike the Mind, do not have the task of improving (gaining experience), they are perfect, their goal is to provide assistance and support by balancing the Consciousness and Subconsciousness. It is important for the Mind to saturate the Storehouse with experience, to gain rethinking, the ability to consciously emerge from oblivion, leaving the illusory game.

A code consisting of letters (words) and numbers was meaningfully created by the Creator (man), only thought (Mind + Power) is capable of forming a program. The mere existence of a program is nothing
Spirit + Forces = emotions (breath) inspires the project,
Soul + Charge = feelings, allows the creature to develop spiritually.
Body + Resources = sensations, saturates with illusoryness, useful for experience,
Shell, border (inside) + Shell (outer world) = neutrality, balances incoming and outgoing data, controls the balance of opposite matters.

The female sex attracts, accepts, absorbs variations, placing acquired values ​​in the transformer (like a woman carries a fetus in her womb).
The male sex sorts out the values ​​acquired by Eve, frees the transformer from its burden, gives it away, and makes the path easier.

Accepting the disease is the merit of Eve. She came into contact with the Illusionist, and “went too far” with the heaviness.
Liberation from illness and problems is the merit of Adam. He solved the problem by freeing the matrix from negative intrusions.

Gender assigns certain tasks to an individual. The letters (straight lines, top, Right side- male gender). (Curved lines, bottom, left-hand side- Gender Female). Words, like people, have significant goals - to bear fruit. (Beginning, entrance - Eve; end of the word, exit - Adam). What happens due to the intercourse of opposite principles. In the transformer, the partners meet (the center of the matrix (letters, words)). Both identical opposite partners are not always important for fulfilling the Mission at the same time,
(the partner may be an unearthly image), since maturity brings its own amendments (to old age It is important not to physically give birth to children, but to leave behind intellectual, creative, spiritual, energetic fruits). Words (eye, income, grandfather - the meaning is preserved, regardless of reading from right to left or vice versa), letters, are capable of simultaneously containing male and female energies (I), (P).

Which has a rich history and is even used today to denote masculine and feminine principles.

From ancient times to the present day

For a long time, people have tried to reflect the feminine and masculine essence with the help of special symbols. It is worth noting that such images were conveyed distinctive features genders, as well as their unity. The most common signs of masculine and feminine include “Yin and Yang”, as well as the symbolism of Mars and Venus. Each of them has its own history and designation.

The sign “Woman and Man” is an emblem of two completely opposite principles: this is the Moon, water and earth for the feminine essence, and the Sun, heat, fire for the masculine. The masculine symbolizes the creative, social and active principle, and the feminine symbol is the personification of soft, passive power connected with nature.

Male and female signs

The first symbols of Mars and Venus appeared during the times of ancient Greek and Roman mythology. Well-known and recognizable signs were taken from astrology, and they gained popular scientific fame thanks to the botanist Carl Linnaeus. Of course, he used them to indicate the sex of plants. Almost from that moment on, the symbol of a man and a woman began to be used as a sign of the sexes.

The symbols of masculine and feminine principles are absolutely opposite, however, they have similar features. At their core, they in some way resemble opposite types, such as life and death, up and down, moon and sun, earth and water, right and left, etc. They can be collected into a single whole and characterize the masculine principle as the south or east, the Sun and the landowner. Also suitable for this definition are the following concepts: day, house, elder, strong, male. But the female essence will be the complete opposite - west and north, female, younger, weaker, Moon, etc.

Mars and Venus

The Venus symbol is displayed as a closed circle with a cross pointing downwards. Sometimes another name is found - “mirror of Venus”. This name was given to the symbol because of its external similarity. This sign represents beauty, femininity, warmth, care and love.

Male sign- the symbol of Mars - is the same closed circle, but with an arrow pointing upward. If you imagine a dial, the hand should point to two o'clock - this is characteristic of the god of war. “Shield and Spear of Mars” is another name for the male sign.

The combination of these two signs has several interpretations. First of all, it is worth noting one of the most common interpretations - this is the embodiment of heterosexuality, that is, love between representatives different genders. It is worth noting that this symbolism is also used to denote bisexuality, only in this case the signs can be positioned differently (today there is no single designation).

Interesting fact: transsexuals also have their own symbols - a male and female sign overlaps each other, forming a circle with a cross and an arrow. Connection between masculine and female sign does not have a clearly defined interpretation. So, this symbol can mean love, friendship, strong affection and passion.

Masculine and feminine principles in the Yin-Yang symbol

It says: almost everything in the world happens under the influence of the feminine and masculine principles. "Yin" is a feminine symbol that represents passivity and submission. The male sign - “Yang”, in turn, acts from the position of intensive development and activity. Laws can describe any phenomenon or event in nature, an object or an action, from the point of view of the masculine and feminine principles. All living beings on planet Earth, as well as the heavenly bodies, are subject to the Yin-Yang laws. For example, zodiac signs begin with a male symbol, and then they alternate.

Gender in the modern world

Most representatives of the strong and weak half of humanity completely share the ideas Chinese philosophy. For example, almost every man likes to demonstrate his superiority, remarkable strength, and even the smallest victory in the form of a repaired stool. Women, in turn, are soft and beautiful developed intuition. However, in modern world More and more often there are women who have a strong and strong-willed character, that is, they have masculine characteristics. Or, conversely, the character of a man is different excessive softness and even cowardice. This is, of course, individual characteristics, which have developed under the influence of psychological character traits and life circumstances. Nevertheless, the most successful and lasting union is considered to be the one in which the sign “Woman and Man” is harmoniously combined.

Gender symbols

The symbols are masculine and have varied interpretations in different religions and cultures. Moreover, there are some not very common theories that offer a completely different interpretation of universally recognizable signs. However, circles with an arrow and a cross still remain characteristic and the most famous. The sign “Woman and Man” is the simultaneous embodiment of difference and unity between representatives of the opposite sex and a sign of their immediate essence. Gender symbols are simple signs that hide a very deep meaning of male and female essence.

And related to this is sexual dimorphism, a form of a living organism that has female sexual characteristics of its species and differs in them from male uniform (male) of the same biological species. Female sexual characteristics include primary (the presence of not a male, but a female reproductive system (female genital organs)), secondary (physique features, etc.) and others. Female and male specimens are distinguished in both animals and plants, but the terms "female" and "male" are used in relation to animals.

Main characteristics

The main characteristic of the female is her ability to produce female gametes - eggs, distinguished by their more large sizes and less mobility, unlike sperm produced by males, and the ability to reproduce offspring (usually only in the presence of genetic material obtained from a male, but parthenogenesis occurs in nature - the ability to reproduce without the participation of a male). The female sex is considered more ancient than the male sex, since early stage evolution, all populations of organisms had the ability to reproduce offspring and were called isogamous organisms; during the process of evolution, anisogamous organisms were formed, but their gametes did not differ much in size. All animals of the higher kingdom, including humans, belong to oogamous organisms.

Most female arthropods and chordates lay eggs; less often they have viviparity, which is typical, however, for the entire class of mammals included in the phylum chordates. Female mammals are characterized by the presence of mammary glands, with the help of which the female feeds her cubs with milk. Males also have mammary glands, but in a rudimentary form and do not perform their function. Female mammals, especially among social species, are often smaller in size and have less pronounced muscles. Among birds, the difference between the sexes can be seen in coloration; females often have more modest coloring in contrast to the bright plumage of the male.

A characteristic feature of a female mammal is the presence of an XX chromosome pair, while in a male it is XY. In birds, sex is determined by the sex chromosomes Z and W; ZZ is male and ZW is female, so the sex of the chick is determined by the maternal gene, unlike mammals and humans.

Biological role of the female gender

The main role of the female within her species is to perform the reproductive function - that is, to receive the genetic information contained in the reproductive cells (sperm) of the male with the reproductive cells of the female (for example, eggs). In addition, depending on the type of living organism, the role of a female may include: protecting representatives of her species, obtaining food, raising offspring, etc.