On Essentialism

“Some feminists today continue this “essentialist” view. Women share - they argue - certain essential characteristics. For example, women emphasise relationships, and responsibility to others; they learn to value sharing and nurture, cooperation and connection. These values may translate into greater support for political candidates who promote peace and ecology. Or they may have repercussions for science and medicine, which have been traditionally male-defined. [...] a holistic outlook maybe more natural to women because of the importance they give to relationships. Note that these values are not necessarily linked to a female nature - although some contemporary feminists will so argue - but can be accepted as the result of gendered social experience, in which girls learn to be person-oriented and boys are encouraged to manipulate objects, distancing themselves from them in order to analyse or control them.”

(pg. 3) Le Gates, Marlene. In Their Time: A History of Feminism in Western Society. New York, Routledge, 2001. eBook.