Republic of the Philippines

BILIRAN PROVINCE STATE UNIVERSITY

(formerly NAVAL STATE UNIVERSITY)
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED

GE - ELECT

MODULE
#WoWBiPSU

Semester/SchoolYear:1st semester/ SY:

2020-2021
NameofStudent: Rema Jean D. Gonjoran
Year andSection: BSBA 2-F

HAZEL S. ESPEJO, MPM

Instructor
Purpose of the Module
Hello! Annyeong Haseyo! Kumusta? This learning module is especially-designed for
you, dear students, who are taking this course. In here, you will be able to explore fresh
ideas and perspectives on sex, gender, and society. I hope you will have fun in learning as
you go through the contents of this material and will be able to apply the knowledge in an
evolving and modernized world.

Module Title and Description

Gender and Society explores the social construction of gender categories both
from history and of the present. The focus is to examine various theoretical perspectives
which attempt to explain the ways in which society has organized “masculine” and
“feminine” as the bases of social inequalities. Furthermore, in this course, students will be
introduced to relevant theories of gender and sexuality, women empowerment and legal
mandates in relation to gender and development, and will be asked to apply these theories
to a range of contemporary issues domestically and internationally.
This course includes the following topics:
I. The Social Construction ofGender
II. Sex and Gender in Society: Differences, Preferences andCharacteristics
III. Gender and Sexuality Across Time
IV. Theories of Women Issues inDevelopment
V. LegalMandates
VI. Gender and Sexual Issues inSociety
The course outline is tentative and subject to changes made by the Instructor.

Module Guide
Throughout the semester, this module will serve as the main modality of teaching
and learning activities. You will find topic discussions, exercises and tests in the pages that
follow. This learning mode will challenge you to become independent learners, however,
as your facilitator, I am readily available to respond to your queries for clarification
purposes.
Here are some specific instructions for you to have a clearer and smoother flow in
learning.
1. Academic Integrity– Since you will be learning and answering the activities and tests in
your respective homes, seeking help from household members and other people is a
possibility. A “revalida” or verification of your answers will be undertaken. In addition,
written answers to the exercises and tests must be clear and concise. You may use the
spaces provided in answering or in a separate sheet/s of paper or activity notebook,
whichever is agreed upon. Schedule of submission of course requirements must be strictly
followed. Request for extension will be evaluated on a case-to-casebasis.
Another critical point is Plagiarism. Graphics (images, graphs, tables and the like)
and ideas (both oral and written) must be properly cited. DO NOT CLAIM ANYTHING AS
YOUR OWN IF THAT IS NOT ORIGINALLY YOURS. Give credit to whom credit is due.
2. Decorum– Our interaction/communication will be done through online/virtual, thus,
proper decorum shall be observed. Reply to queries and other class-related matters will be
done on a specified working time. In sending virtual messages, please take into
consideration the proper way of writing such as showing courtesy to the recipient.
Foul/offensive words related to race, religion, gender and/or disabilities will not be
tolerated.
3. Accommodation– I am committed to make appropriate accommodations to students for
reasons such as family emergencies, religious observances, those with special needs and
other justifiable situations. Prior notice must be given to me for such special
accommodation.
4. References– Detailed topic discussions may not be covered in this module, therefore,
web links and other sources are provided for furtherreadings.

Module Outcomes
At the end of this module, you will be able to apply the knowledge of sex and
gender theories and perspectives by displaying sensitivity/impartiality in oral and written
expressions towards gender-based and other societal issues.

Module Requirements
You are required to submit the written activities, tests, major examinations and
small critical papers/discourse in order to complete this course. Submission due dates will
be posted in the University’s Learning Management System or other media platforms to be
used by theclass.
 In your own words, define the following terms:

SEX

In my opinion, sex refers on what we have when were born like penis for male
and
vagina for female. It cannot be changed.

GENDER
In my own opinion, gender refers to feminity and masculinity of a person like how we dress and
act.
It is what we are not born with , but it is something we do and act. It can be changed over time. _

SOCIETY
In my opinion, society is the people living together in a community. _

__

(Sample answer: In my understanding, Sex refers to vagina for females and penis for
males.)
Agender - of, relating to, or being a person who has an internal sense of being neither
male nor female nor some combination of male and female: of, relating to, or being a
person whose gender identity is genderless orneutral

Bigender - refers to a person who has two gender identities or a combination of two
gender identities, e.g., identifying as both male and female or identifying as agender and
female.

Non-binary gender identity - is just one term used to describe individuals who may
experience a gender identity that is neither exclusively male or female or is in between or
beyond both genders.

Sex – is a biological categorization based primarily on reproductive potential.

Gender - the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex.

Social construct - an idea that has been created and accepted by the people in a society

Transgender - is an umbrella term that describes people whose gender identity or

expression does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. For example, a
transgender person may identify as a woman despite having been born with male
genitalia.
TOPIC I: THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF GENDER

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

- Describe how sex and gender are socially-constructed categories by exploring
what gives them meaning, how the categories are maintained or transformed, and how
these are related to concerns of equity.

Let’s play!

List at least (10) characteristics of each: Sex and Gender. (Example: Sex – Scrotum in a
Male; Gender – Earrings for a Female)

SEX GENDER
Penis in a male _ Wearing pants for a male.
Vagina in a female _ make-up for a female
Testes in a male _ Basketball for a male
Ovaries in a female _ Dress for a female
Adam's Apple in a male _ Short hair for a male
Enlargement of breasts in a female _ Barbie dolls for a female.
 Let’s analyze!

In the preceding activity, review your list. What made you decide such characteristics
belong to the Sex category? To the Gender category? Write your explanations on the
space below and cite your sources, if any.
It made me decide to put vagina and other sex organs of a person on sex category because as
what i know
sex is something that we are born with and natural to a person. So, it made me decide to put sex
organs
and other physical apperances that is specifically what we have naturally for male and female.
And also for gender category, I listed there the common things that we usually see to a feminine
and masculine person, It is because we categorized a person on how they act or perform. _

Let’s conceptualize!

A. Sex and Gender; Itsdifferences

Sex and Gender are often construed as similar terms but several studies described
the two as distinct but related. Defining these two terms may not be simple as we think it
is. Commonly, we understand that there are two sexes, male and female, and that they are
aligned with the genders, man and woman. With the increased visibility of transgender,
gender non-conforming and non-binary folks, many people started to realize that
categories of sex and gender are gettingcomplicated.
 Sex, as theoretically defined, is a biological categorization based primarily on
reproductive potential. This is based in a combination of anatomical, endocrinal and
chromosomal features, and the selection among these criteria for sex assignment is based
very much on cultural beliefs about what actually makes someone male or female. Some
definitions mentioned that genitals determine sex which means that penises are for males
and vaginas, for females. Therefore, the definition of the biological categories male and
female, and people’s understanding of themselves and others as male or female, is
ultimately social.
Gender, according to West and Zimmerman (1987), is not something we are born
with, and not something we have, but something we do. Butler (1990) added, something
we perform. Other definition of gender stated that society has traditionally taught us that
there are two genders: man and woman. We were told that those who are assigned male
at birth are men and those who are assigned female at birth are women. But gender isn’t
an either/or scenario. It’s a spectrum. Some people identify as non-binary, an umbrella
term for people whose gender identities don’t align with the man-woman binary. Others
identify as bigender, meaning they identify as both men and women at varying points, or
agender, meaning they don’t identify with anygender.

Figure 1 below shows the distinctions between SEX and GENDER.

SEX vs. GENDER
Biological characteristics (including Socially constructed set of roles and
genetics, responsibilities associated with being girl
anatomy and physiology) that generally and boy or women and men, and in some
define cultures a third or other gender.
humans as female or male. Note that
these
biological characteristics are not mutually
exclusive; however, there are individuals
who possess both maleand female
characteristics.
Born with. Not born with.
Natural. Learned.
Universal, A-historical No variation from Gender roles vary greatly in different
culture to culture or time to time. societies, cultures and historical periods as
well as they
 depend also on socio-economic factors,
age, education, ethnicity and religion.
Cannot be changed, except with the Although deeply rooted, gender roles can
medical be changed over time, since social values
treatment. and norms are not static.
Example: Only women can give birth. Only Example: The expectation of men to be
women can breastfeed. economic providers of the family and for
women to be caregivers is a gender norm
in many cultural contexts. However,
women prove able to do traditionally male
jobs as well as men (e.g. men and women
can do housework; men and womencan
be leaders and managers).
PRACTICAL POINT: At birth, the difference between boys and girls is their sex; as they
grow up society gives them different roles, attributes, opportunities, privileges and rights
that in the end create the social differences between men and women.
Fig. 1. Adopted from Manual for Trainers: Gender Equality and Gender Mainstreaming
http://www.ekvilib.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/01_Gender_Concepts.pdf

B. Expectations for boys andgirls

Butler (1993) pointed out that the making of a man or woman is a never-ending
process that begins before birth – from the moment someone begins to wonder if the
pending child will be a boy or a girl. The ritual announcement at birth that it is in fact one or
the other instantly transforms an “it” into a “he” or a “she”, standardly assigning it to a
lifetime as a male or as a female. The dichotomy of male and female is the ground upon
which we build selves from the moment of birth. These early linguistic acts set up a baby
for life, launching a gradual process of learning to be a boy or a girl, a man or a woman,
and to see all others as boys or girls, men or women as well. In the beginning, adults will
do the child’s gender work, treating it as a boy or as a girl, and interpreting its every move
as that of a boy or of a girl. Then over the years, the child will learn to take over its part of
the process, doing its own gender work and learning to support the gender work ofothers.

If gender flowed naturally from sex, one might expect the world to sit back and
simply allow the baby to become male or female. But in fact, sex determination sets the
stage for a lifelong process of gendering, as the child becomes, and learns how to be,
male or female. We can speak of a child growing up as a girl or as a boy suggests that
initial sex attribution is far more than just a simple observation of a physical characteristic.
Being a girl or being a boy is not a stable state but an ongoing accomplishment, something
that is actively done both by the individual so categorized and by those who interact with it
in the various communities to which it belongs. The newborn initially depends on others to
do its gender, and they come through in many different ways, not just as individuals but as
part of socially structured communities that link individuals to social institutions and cultural
ideologies. It is perhaps at this early life stage that it is clearest that gender is a
collaborative affair – that one must learn to perform as a male or a female, and that these
performances require support from one’ssurroundings.

C. Schooling and genderpractice

Blakemore, J., et al. (2009) stated, the question of how gender differences arise is a
central topic in psychology. Experts agree that nature (i.e., biology) and nurture (i.e.,
environment) act together in reciprocally causal, interactive ways to produce gender
differences. The experiences afforded to girls and boys within schools are known to affect
gender differentiation both directly, by providing differential skill practice and reinforcement
(Leaper and Bigler, 2011), and indirectly, by providing input that leads children to actively
socialize themselves along gender-differentiated pathways (Liben and Bigler).
According to Klein (1985), schools are major contexts for gender socialization, in
part because children spend large amounts of time engaged with peers in such settings.
Bigler, R., et al. (2013) added, for nearly all psychological traits on which young boys and
girls differ (e.g., reading ability, play preferences), the distribution of the two groups is
overlapping. Schools can magnify or diminish gender differences by providing
environments that promote within-gender similarity and between gender differences, or the
inverse (within-gender variability and between group similarity). Further stated, schools’
affect gender differentiation via two primary sources: teachers and peers. Teachers and
peers directly influence gender differentiation by providing boys and girls with different
learning opportunities and feedback. Teachers and peers are also sources of learning
about gender. Teachers present curricular materials that contain gender stereotypic
behaviour, and peers exhibit gender stereotypic attitudes and behaviour. Children
internalize gender stereotypes and prejudices, which in turn guide their own preferences
and behaviours.
 Let’s apply!

Now that you have contextualized Sex and Gender, identify the statements below whether
these refer to Sex or Gender. Answer Sfor sex and Gfor gender.

1. Women give birth to babies, mendon't. S

2. Girls are gentle, boys are rough.G
3. In one case, when a child brought up as a girl learned that he was actually a boy, his
school marks improveddramatically. G
4. Amongst Indian agriculture workers, women are paid 40-60 per cent of the malewage.
5. In Europe, most long-distance truck drivers aremen. S
6. Women can breastfeed babies, men can bottle-feedbabies.G
7. Most building-site workers in Britain aremen.G
8. In ancient Egypt men stayed at home and did weaving. Women handled family
business. Women inherited property and men didnot.
9. Men's voices break at puberty; women's donot.
10. In one study of 224 cultures, there were 5 in which men did all the cooking, and 36 in
which women did all thehousebuilding.
11. According to UN statistics, women do 67 per cent of the world's work, yet their
earnings for it amount to only 10 per cent of the world'sincome.
12. There are more women than men in the caring professions such asnursing.
13. Men are susceptible to prostate cancer, women are not.
Adopted from: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, 2003
 FEEDBACK
Feedback/s will be provided after every activity/test is checked.

SUMMARY
Sex and Gender are distinct terms. Sex is defined as the biological characteristics
in determining a male and a female. Gender, on the other hand, is socially constructed set
of roles and responsibilities associated with being girl and boy or women and men, and in
some cultures a third or othergender.
The dichotomy of male and female is the ground upon which we build selves from
the moment of birth. These early linguistic acts set up a baby for life, launching a gradual
process of learning to be a boy or a girl, a man or a woman, and to see all others as boys
or girls, men or women as well.
Experts agree that nature (i.e., biology) and nurture (i.e., environment) act together
in reciprocally causal, interactive ways to produce gender differences. The experiences
afforded to girls and boys within schools are known to affect gender differentiation both
directly, by providing differential skill practice and reinforcement (Leaper and Bigler, 2011),
and indirectly, by providing input that leads children to actively socialize themselves along
gender-differentiated pathways (Liben and Bigler).

SUGGESTED READINGS
Full discussions of the above topics are contained in the web links below. PDF will also be
shared to you through the Moodle Learning Management System or other social media
platforms. Read more to know more.

http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/gender-early-socialization/according-
experts/role-schools-early-socialization-gender-differences
http://www.ekvilib.org/wp-
content/uploads/2017/06/01_Gender_Concepts.pdf https://www.healthline.co
m/health/sex-vs-
gender#TOC_TITLE_HDR_1https://web.stanford.edu/~eckert/PDF/Chap1.p
df
How much have you understood Sex and Gender concepts? Let us now assess by
answering the questions below.
TIP: Make your answers short but concise. Remember being gender-neutral/sensitive in
your words and expressions. Submit your outputs to any social media platform that we
agreed on. (10 pts. each)

1. Distinguish Sex andGender.

2. Explain why Sex and Gender are socially-constructedcategories.
3. Give example situations showing expectations for boys and for girls inschool.
4. Cite some gender-related issues inschool.
5. Share your perspectives on why Sex and Gender definitions transformed and why
these become “hot topics” in societalissues.
RUBRICS FOR ESSSAY WRITING
PARAGRAPH
Level of PRESENTATION OF KNOWLEDGE
CONSTRUCTION GRAMMAR
Achievement (5 points possible)
(3 points possible)

Exemplary (4-5 pts.) (3 pts.) (2pts.)

 Addresses thequestion.  There is a main idea and  Has three (3) or lesser
 States a relevant, justifiableanswer. is adequately supported grammatical errors or
 Presents arguments in a logical by two or more mistakes
order. evidences.
 Demonstrates an accurate and
complete understanding of the  Supporting details are
taken from other sources
question.
aside from the ones
 Backs conclusions with data and
being given or
warrants.
discussed.
 Uses 2 or more ideas, examples
and/or arguments that support the
answer.
 Ideas coming from other sources are
properlycited

(3 pts.) (2pts.) (1 pt)

 Does not address the question  There is a main idea  Commits 4 to 10

explicitly, although does so and supporting details grammaticalmistakes.
tangentially. but some are somehow  Some errors on
 Demonstrates accurate but only unrelated to the prior phrasing but is clearly
adequate understanding of question statement. understood.
because does not back conclusions  The supporting  There is one sentence
statement are taken that is incomplete or
Adequate with warrants anddata.
verbatim from the lecture one sentence is a
 Less thorough thanabove. of discussiongiven. fragment.
 States a relevant and justifiable  Presents arguments in a
answer. logical order but no
 There are 1 or 2 information transition words were
plagiarized. used in theparagraph.

Needs (2 points) (1 pt) ( 0 pts.)

Improvement
 Does not demonstrate accurate  There is only one
understanding of thequestion. sentence.
 Does not provide evidence tosupport  The information was only
their answer to thequestion. copied from the book,
internet or lecture thus the
 The information given is conflicting sequence iscorrect.
with eachother.  The information provided
is inappropriately
 Information are entirelyplagiarized arranged.
 The supporting detail/s is  Two or more
or are unrelated to the
question athand.
 The disarranged phrases
makes the information
unrecognizable.
(1 pt.) (0 pt.)
 Answer cannot be
comprehended. Has
11 or more grammar
mistakes.
 The information was
only copied from
another source.
fragments were found
or two/ more
sentences were
incomplete.
  Answer is unrelated to the matterat  The answer is neither a
hand. main idea or a supportin g
No effort at all  No answer atall. detail to thequestion.
 There is no answer atall.

REFERENCES/RESOURCES
Bigler, R., Hayes, Amy Roberson, Hamilton, V. GENDER: EARLY SOCIALIZATION. The
Role of Schools in the Early Socialization of Gender Differences. 1,2 University of Texas at
Austin, USA, 3 University of California Santa Cruz, USA. December 2013

Blakemore JEO, Berenbaum, SA, Liben LS. Gender development. New York: Taylor &
Francis ; 2009

Butler, Judith. 1990. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. New York
and London: Routledge.

Butler, Judith. 1993. Bodies that matter: Routledge.

Klein S. Handbook for achieving sex equity through education. Baltimore, MD: The Johns
Hopkins University Press; 1985

Leaper C, Bigler RS. Gender. In Underwood MK, Rosen LH, eds. New York: Guildford
Press; 2011

Liben LS, Bigler RS. The developmental course of gender differentiation: Conceptualizing,
measuring, and evaluating constructs and pathways. Monographs of the Society for
Research in Child Development. 2002;67(2):vii-147.

West, Candace and Zimmerman, Don. 1987. Doing gender. Gender and Society, 1:125–
151.
Social development: Relationships in infancy, childhood, and adolescence.

http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/gender-early-socialization/according-
experts/role-schools-early-socialization-gender-differences
https://www.dictionary.com/e/gender-sexuality/bigender/

http://www.ekvilib.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/01_Gender_Concepts.pdf

https://www.healthline.com/health/sex-vs-gender#TOC_TITLE_HDR_1

https://www.livescience.com/54949-transgender-definition.html

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agender

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gender

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20construct

https://web.stanford.edu/~eckert/PDF/Chap1.pdf

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-does-it-mean-to-be-non-binary-or-have-non-binary-
gender-4172702#:~:text=Non%2Dbinary%20gender%20identity%20is,gender%2C%20or
%20something%20else%20entirely.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theweek.in%2Fnews
%2Fhealth%2F2020%2F02%2F17%2FPlaying-freely-in-nature-may-boost-complex-
thinking-social-skills-in-kids-Study.html&psig=AOvVaw2JGMz4W5PJQ1YkY-
p4QRr0&ust=1597289699374000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCKDVo
dbhlOsCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.empiricaleducation.com
%2Ftags%2Fefficacy%2F&psig=AOvVaw1Ksq1V_dtjsR0PfMtGHe4-
&ust=1597294478130000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCNjYuODzlOsC
FQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com
%2Fghalatbaathy&psig=AOvVaw0iLhqMauS4GpP6-
iOlro0N&ust=1597295376715000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCLDblv
b2lOsCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAN

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nao.org.uk
%2Fgraduateblog%2F2014%2F10%2F24%2Fquick-guide-on-how-to-apply
%2F&psig=AOvVaw2OKd4pG-
2mSDj19F3uJb3W&ust=1597296150906000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqF
woTCMiLzOP5lOsCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fjourneywoman.com
%2F&psig=AOvVaw2PRgaEvGv4C3ZexwaCYKR7&ust=1597493044067000&source=images&cd
=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCIDm95zXmusCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAK
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