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Self-esteem is a combination of psychological factors that can include confidence, assertiveness, self-respect, strong bonds to and/or the respect of other people. Sometimes it includes conceit, arrogance and an attitude of superiority. But what does gender have to do with self-esteem? Gender, whether you are male or female, is a biological circumstance. However, when it comes to self-esteem, not only the biological but the sociological aspects are important. Males, however, tend to have higher self-esteem than women due to the emphasis placed on a women’s appearance by society (Cooke 12). Appearance can raise or lower a person's self-esteem. Many societies will place a relative value and thus position in society on how people look. For example, in medieval Europe and ancient China laws dictated what clothing styles and materials people could wear according to their social class (Tafinger). Today, clothing, hairstyles, weight, facial features, etc., are elements in many people's self-esteem. Sometimes people will even go into debt to have plastic surgery done on their faces and bodies to fit better the "ideal" that they think society deems of value.
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