The Egg and the Sperm: How Science Has Constructed a Romance

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\ The article, The Egg and The Sperm: How Science has constructed a Romance Based on Stereotypical Male-Female Roles focuses heavily on how scientific and medical texts, although based on biology and natural processes implies very stereotypical characteristics of each gender, through the choice of metaphors and terminology. Emily Martin tries to convey and highlight gender stereotypes hidden behind each metaphor between the reproduction of the egg and the sperm. To begin with, biological scientists are very influenced by cultural values and beliefs, evident through the implied notion that female biological processes are less worthy or less important that male biological processes. Women produce one egg each month and prepare a suitable place for them to grow and be fertilized, but in many medical texts, it is said that the shedding of the uterine lining is similar to the shedding of debris. Various texts focus on menstruation, viewed as failure which is also referred to as “chaotic disintegration of form, complementing the many texts that describe it as “ceasing”, “dying”, “losing”, “denuding”, “expelling”’ (Martin 2007, 486) Meanwhile, in male reproductive organs, the sperm is seen as miraculous and astonishing. This notion that the female reproductive organs are counterproductive or failing opposed to the male reproductive system and “male/female, productive/destructive” terminology (Martin 2007, 486) provides a strong example of how science is influenced by cultural beliefs. Furthermore, Martin also states that in some scientific and medical texts, the egg is seen remarkably “feminine” whereas the sperm is seen extremely “masculine”. The egg is portrayed as very passive and large, while the sperm, although very miniscule is extremely active. The sperm in many texts are claimed to “deliver” their genes and activate the developmental program. Sperm is as
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