SEX AND GENDER

I believe coming up with your own perspective on what sex and gender
are, is difficult to perceive in the sense your perspective has either
been influenced by culture, education, or social media. The definition of
sex and gender according to MONASH University (Medicine, Nursing
and Health Science) state, sex equals male and female in refers to
biological difference; chromosomes, hormonal profiles, internal and
external sex organs. Gender describes the characteristics that a
society or culture defines as masculine or feminine. Our book defines
sex as a person’s biological maleness or femaleness and gender as
the non-physiological aspects of being female or male inculcated in
cultural expectations for femininity and masculinity.
My perspective …show more content…
I distinguish only a few important differences between women and
men, I don’t believe they’re large fundamental difference that separate
the both. I strongly believe there are a lot of similarity between men and
women. The biological theory study done on fraternal twins concluded
there was only 20-48% difference in masculinity and femininity, in
contrast of 52-80% that was attributed to being environmental factors.
The only differences I believe that set men and female apart are their
reproductive system and estrogen and testosterone hormones other
than that I don’t believe men and female are polar …show more
content…
I do believe close to most of all differences between men and women
are the result of socialization and cultural influences. To me the word
gender is socially constructed in aspects that involve religion, cultural,
media, etc. Theories such as the Social Structure, identify differences
between masculine and feminine gender roles. An example of this
theory is, people automatically assume men become bread winners
and women become caretakers. The Social Learning theory also
shows that behaviors are rewarded when they fall into their gender
roles. Boys are taught to be assertive and girls are taught to express
concern. We can see that gender identity is given to a child before
birth. If the baby is a boy the brain sees blue, if the baby is a girl the
brain perceives pink. We give girls dolls and boys soldiers. We teach
girls to cook, clean, and to be caretakers. We teach boys how to play
sports, fix cars, and to be aggressive. Chapter one from our book
defines ex stereotypes as socially shared beliefs about what qualities
can be assigned to individuals based on their membership in female or
male. Isn’t that what we are basically

Penelope Eckert's 'Learning To Be Gendered'

668 Words3 Pages
Society The Puppet Master In the reading by Penelope Eckert
and Sally McConnell-Ginet “Learning to be Gendered” it states
“Women are not born, they are made. The same is true of men”.
Everybody has their own gender, it’s either a male or female. We
think that we were born this way, but in reality we are forced to
become something we are not. We are the way we are because of
society its self. It affects our daily lives to a point where people
have lost the will of choosing who they are or what they want. In
some parts around the world it is forbidden to date or marry the
same sex. Now days everything is branded for either a male,
female, or both. We are made by how people looks at females
and males in today’s world. When we are first born we are
labeled by colors, boys gets blue and girls gets pink. We don’t
ask for any of this and yet we are forced into this because we
have no power what’s so ever. Whenever you see a male wearing
female clothing in public, it seems weird or unnatural to some
people. It’s unnatural to some because of the world they were
raised around, which was males wear male clothes and females
wear female clothes. Clothes are intended for everyone but
people make it seem like it’s either for males strictly or it’s for
females. Society chooses what we can wear and what we can’t
wear

Sex and Gender

The terms employed most frequently to describe the differences between men
and women are 'sex' and 'gender'. Sex refers to the differing physical attributes
of women and men (Lee, Shaw). The categories of sex are male and female. In
every society sex differences are given social meanings. Social identity, which
is confessed on the basis of assumed sexual differences, is called "gender"
(Lee, Shaw). People are born female or male, but learn to be girls and boys,
who grow into men and women. Males are supposed to be masculine, strong,
and macho, while females are attributed to be feminine, fragile, emotional,
caring and humble.
Gender differences, in spite of being constructed in complex ways, are not
unchangeable. In reality masculinity and femininity are not fixed categories
acquired in childhood but are constantly being tested, challenged and
reworked. To this, one could add that most aspects related to gender
differences over time vary and have changed across cultures.
“Learning to Be Gendered” by Penelope Eckert and Sally McConnell-
Ginet explains how individuals are gendered before birth and how they
do not have the option when choosing how to grow up because they
either have to be a boy or a girl. Society has built up a plan for each
gender and as it is the “norm” that specific plan must be followed. For
such reasons.
Before birth parents will decorate the baby’s room according to the sex.
As they state, “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”. Essentially,
children are molded into the gender that their parents choose. Since
kids are young they are not smart enough to know that they are abiding
to the gender that has been given to them. Eventually as they grow up
they are accustomed to what colors and toys pertain to each individual
gender. Often times children will also be told what they can associate
with and what is right and what is wrong.