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Femaleness, maleness, & everything in between Prepared by Noelle Leslie dela Cruz, Ph.D. Philosophy Department, De La Salle University
Key points
Human sexual reproduction
through the combination of the genes of two parents Each parent donates a gamete (sperm or egg) which combine to create a new organism
produce eggs are female. In some species, an organism can produce both sperm and eggs simultaneously. Such an organism is known as a hermaphrodite, after the Greek gods Hermes and Aphrodite.
number of chromosomes (twenty-three) in a somatic cell. During fertilization, a haploid sperm and haploid egg join to produce a diploid zygote. The zygote undergoes mitosis, reproducing its forty-six chromosomes as it grows.
contain forty-six chromosomes (twenty-three from the mother and twenty-three from the father), arranged in twentythree pairs. The twenty-third pair are the sex chromosomes, which determine whether a person is male or female.
chromosome donated by the mother and either an X or Y chromosome donated by the father. In normal development, if the male contributes an X chromosome, the offspring will be female (XX), and if it is Y, the offspring will be male (XY).
well, the zygote will develop into a fetus with typically male or typically female characteristics. However, things can go wrong at any time during development, which can later influence the persons biological sex or the persons own sense of whether they are male or female.
Intersexuality
A hermaphrodite is born with fully formed ovaries
and fully formed testes, which is very, very rare. Most people called hermaphrodites are actually pseudohermaphrodites, whose external genitals resemble to some degree the genitals of both sexes.
Intersexuality
The term intersexual has come to be used in
medical practice since the 20th century. It is also used by the identitary-political movement to criticize medical protocols in sex assignment and to claim the right to be heard in the construction of a new one.
46, XY
5-alphareductase deficiency
45, XO
Turner Syndrome
While Turner women have female external genitals, the individuals lack properly formed ovaries. Without estrogen treatment, no breast growth occurs. Other possible features of Turner Syndrome include short stature, webbing of the neck, and misshapen internal organs.
Other
Mosaicism A mix can occur, where some of the cells of the body have and the common XX or XY, while some have one of the less chimerism usual chromosomal contents above. Such a mixture is caused by either mosaicism or chimerism. In mosaicism, the mixture is caused by a mutation in one of the cells of the embryo after fertilization, while chimerism is a fusion of two embryos.
Asexualism
On occasion, usually due to the mother taking hormones, a child is born without sexual organs of any kind. This means that the child has no ovaries, uterus, or vagina, has no penis or testicles, and usually has only a bladder and a urethra ending in an aperture for the elimination of urine. Though such a child has a genetic [sex] (i.e. it has XX or XY chromosomes) the child has no biological [sex]. Most are assigned a [sex] in childhood, are given hormones, and live as male or female (Carroll and Wolpe 1996: 178)
Male-to-female SRS
1. The scrotum and testicles are removed 2. The penis is removed 3. The sensitive penile skin remains attached and is used to form the inside of the vagina 4. A vagina and a set of labial lips are constructed 5. Silicone implants create breasts
(Carroll and Wolpe 1996: 177)
Female-to-male SRS
1. The female internal sex organs are usually removed 2. Testosterone therapy usually enlarges the clitoris 3. An artificial penis may be constructed from the skin of the abdomen 4. A scrotum is made from the labia, into which are placed prosthetic testicles
(Carroll and Wolpe 1996: 177)
Sources
Sexuality and Gender in Society by Janet Carroll and
Paul Root Wolpe A Question of Gender by Martha Nussbaum, Http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1511/is_1_21/ai _58398807 Two Sexes Are Not Enough by Ann Fausto-Sterling, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/gender/fs.html My Life As an Intersexual by Max Beck, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/gender/beck.html