Girls and boys are the same, and different

I want to share with you some thoughts concerning the gender similarities and differences of girls and boys. A friend said to me that there is nothing to help us on this subject, so here is a wee contribution, and I hope you find bits of it helpful to you. ‘Girls and boys are the same; girls and boys are different.’ I intend to try to demonstrate that such statements are not self-contradictory. No one has to choose just one and proceed to deny the other. There are these two genders that are different from one another, and yet in some very fundamental ways they are identical.

Girls and boys are the same

Human beings have both singularity and plurality. One can identify the similarities in three ways.

1. Girls and boys are the same in their created dignity.

In the Bible’s description of the origin of the two genders of man and woman it makes that perfectly clear: ‘So God created man in his own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them’ (Genesis 1:27).

Both man and woman are uniquely like God. They are the crowning achievement of God’s creation, distinct from the rest of creation. Both men and women are equally stewards called to subdue, protect, enjoy, and make more humane God’s fallen creation, enabling others to delight in the grandeur of the heavens, to be increasingly creative and productive in their Father’s world.

The difference between the two genders is utterly comprehensive. Females have what are labelled XX chromosomes, while males have what are labelled XY chromosomes.