Mead's studies about gender behavior

          In this set of materials, the reading passage cites some studies in specific societies which lead to a conclusion, and the listening passage discusses some critics about them which cast doubt on the conclusion given in the reading passage.
          In the reading passage, the author discusses Margaret Mead's studies of three societies in New Guinea about gender behavior. In the first society, it was observed that the behavior was similar and had feminine characteristics. In the second society, the beahvior was also similar but this time, it had masculine characteristics. The third society, the behavior was not similar, men had feminine characteristics and woman had masculine characteristics. Finally, Mead concluded that the culture is the aspect that defines the behavior.
          The listening passage casts doubt on the conclusion in the reading passage by criticizing the results of the research in the three societies mentioned before. While it is true that these societies generally prove her hypothesis, it is also true that the results are too neat because a research is not usually this tidy, and the results suggest Mead found what she was looking for rather than what was really there.