GED 182 – GENDER & SOCIETY

What is Sex, Gender & Sexuality?

• Historically, the terms "sex" and "gender" have been used interchangeably, but their uses are
becoming increasingly distinct, and it is important to understand the differences between the two.

Sex refers to a set of biological attributes in humans and animals.

• It is primarily associated with physical and physiological features including chromosomes, gene
expression, hormone levels and function, and reproductive/sexual anatomy
• Sex is usually categorized as female or male but there is variation in the biological attributes that
comprise sex and how those attributes are expressed.

Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, expressions and identities of girls, women, boys,
men, and gender diverse people.

• It influences how people perceive themselves and each other, how they act and interact, and the
distribution of power and resources in society.
• Gender is usually conceptualized as a binary (girl/woman and boy/man) yet there is considerable
diversity in how individuals and groups understand, experience, and express it.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines gender as:

• Gender refers to the socially constructed characteristics of women and men, such as norms, roles,
and relationships of and between groups of women and men.
• It varies from society to society and can be changed.

Sexuality is about sexual attraction, sexual practices and identity.

• Just as sex and gender don’t always align, neither does gender and sexuality.

Categories of Sexuality
1. Heterosexuality – attraction to individuals of the opposite sex
2. Homosexuality – attraction to individuals of one’s own sex
3. Bisexuality – attraction to individuals of either sex
4. Pansexuality – attraction to all kinds of people regardless of their sex, gender or presentation
5. Asexuality – no attraction to either sex
 Some asexual (a.k.a. ACE) people might still form romantic relationships without sexual
contact.
 North America (USA) is a heteronormative society, meaning it supports heterosexuality as
the norm.

Gender roles and gender stereotypes are highly fluid and can shift substantially over time.
• In many societies, men are increasingly taking on roles traditionally seen as belonging to women, and
women are playing the parts previously assigned mostly to men.

Who wears the high heels?

 High-heeled shoes, now considered feminine throughout much of the world, were initially designed for
upper-class men.
 As women began wearing high heels, male heels slowly became shorter and fatter as female heels grew
taller and thinner.
 Over time, the perception of the high heel gradually became seen as feminine. There is nothing
intrinsically feminine about the high heel. Social norms have made it so
Is it pink for a girl and blue for a boy?
• In many countries, pink is seen as a suitable color for a girl to wear, while boys are dressed in blue.
• However, infants were dressed in white until colored garments for babies were introduced in the
middle of the 19th century.
The following quote comes from a trade publication called Earnshaw's Infants' Department, published in 1918:
• "The generally accepted rule is pink for the boys and blue for the girls.”
• “The reason is that pink, being a more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy, while
blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl."

Gender as a Social Fact

• Gender socialization refers to the learning of behavior and attitudes considered appropriate for a given
sex.
• Boys learn to be boys and girls learn to be girls.
• The behavior for each gender is largely determined by societal, cultural and economic values in a
given society.
• In sociology, social facts are values, cultural norms, and social structures that transcend the individual
and can exercise social control. (Emile Durkheim, 1858-1917)

What is Androgyny?
• Androgyny is the combination of masculine and feminine characteristics into an ambiguous form.
• An androgynous person is a guy or girl that has physical characteristics of both male and female so
that it is hard to determine whether they are a boy or girl.

gnetdejesus 2019