GENDER VS.

SEX
According to UNESCO, sex describes the biological differences between men and
women, which are universal and determined at birth.
Gender refers to the roles and responsibilities of men and women that are created in
our families, our societies and our cultures.
The concept of gender also includes the expectations held about the
characteristics,
aptitudes and likely behaviors of both women and men (femininity and masculinity).
Sexuality, on the other hand, is the totality of our own experience of our sex and
gender.

GENDER, IT IS THE SOCIAL DIMENSION OF OUR SEXUALITY. TYPICALLY, IT HAS

THREE COMPONENTS:
 1. GENDER IDENTITY

2. GENDER EXPRESSION 3. GENDER ROLE

1. GENDER IDENTITY - REFERS TO ONE’S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF GENDER

OR SOCIAL RELATIONS.

IT DETERMINES HOW ONE SEES HIMSELF OR HERSELF IN RELATION TO

GENDER AND SEXUALITY.

A PERSON COULD IDENTIFY AS MASCULINE OR FEMININE.

BASICALLY, IT’S JUST ABOUT HOW YOU SEE YOURSELF—FEMININE OR

MASCULINE.

2. GENDER EXPRESSION, ON THE OTHER HAND, REFERS TO HOW ONE

EXPRESSES HIS OR HER SEXUALITY THROUGH THE ACTIONS OR MANNER OF
PRESENTING ONESELF.

FOR EXAMPLE, YOU IDENTIFY YOURSELF AS MALE BUT YOU EXPRESS

YOURSELF IN A FEMININE WAY THAT SOCIETY THINKS YOU ARE ACTING LIKE A
GIRL.

OR PROBABLY YOU IDENTIFY YOURSELF AS A FEMALE, THEN YOU EXPRESS

YOURSELF THRU SHORT HAIR, THEN, PANTS INSTEAD OF SKIRTS. T-SHIRTS
INSTEAD OF BLOUSES WITH PLUNGING NECKLINES.

3. GENDER ROLE IS ABOUT HOW SOCIETY EXPECTS YOU TO BEHAVE.

THIS BECOMES MORE COMPLEX AS THE EXPECTATIONS GO BEYOND THE KIND

OF CLOTHES WORN, SUCH AS HOW A PERSON MUST OR MUST NOT BEHAVE.

THESE SET OF BEHAVIORS THAT MAKE FEMALES AND MALES BEHAVE

DISTINCTLY FROM EACH OTHER ARE ALIGNED WITH THEIR BIOLOGICAL SEX.

IF THEY GO AGAINST IT, THEY WILL BE CONSIDERED AS DEVIANT.

THIS PHENOMENON OF DETERMINING THE NORMALITY OF A BEHAVIOR BASED

ON WHETHER IT CONFORMS OR NOT TO THE EXPECTATIONS RELATIVE TO
ONE’S BIOLOGICAL SEX IS REFERRED TO AS HETERONORMATIVITY.
IN FILIPINO CULTURE, GIRLS ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE A CERTAIN
CHARACTERISTICS OF BEING GENTLE, CARING, AND LOVING WHILE BOYS ARE
ENCOURAGED TO BE STRONG, ROUGH, AND ASSERTIVE.

THESE EXPECTATIONS EXTEND TO HOW MEN AND WOMEN ARE EXPECTED TO

BEHAVE, THE COLLEGE COURSE THEY TAKE, THE JOBS THEY APPLY TO.

RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT A CHILD’S EARLIEST EXPOSURE TO WHAT IT

MEANS TO BE A BOY OR GIRL COMES FROM PARENTS AND OTHER
CAREGIVERS.

BOY AND GIRL INFANTS ARE TREATED DIFFERENTLY BY ADULTS—FROM THE

WAY THEY’RE DRESSED TO THE TOYS THEY’RE GIVEN TO PLAY WITH—AND
ARE EXPECTED TO ACT DIFFERENTLY (THORNE 1993).

IN ONE EXPERIMENT, ADULT SUBJECTS WERE ASKED TO PLAY WITH A SMALL

BABY, WHO WAS DRESSED IN EITHER PINK OR BLUE

THE SUBJECTS ASSUMED THE GENDER OF THE INFANT BY THE COLOR OF ITS
CLOTHES AND ACTED ACCORDINGLY.

WHEN THEY THOUGHT IT WAS A BOY (IN BLUE), THEY HANDLED THE BABY
LESS GENTLY AND TALKED IN A LOUDER VOICE, SAYING THINGS LIKE, “AREN’T
YOU A BIG, STRONG BOY?”

WHEN THEY THOUGHT IT WAS A GIRL (IN PINK), THEY HELD THE BABY CLOSER
TO THEMSELVES AND SPOKE MORE SOFTLY: “WHAT A SWEET LITTLE GIRL!”

IN BOTH CASES, IT WAS ACTUALLY THE SAME BABY; ONLY THE COLOR OF
THE CLOTHING WAS CHANGED.

FROM THIS EXPERIMENT, WE CAN SEE HOW GENDER INFLUENCES THE WAY
THAT WE PERCEIVE AND INTERACT WITH OTHERS FROM A VERY EARLY AGE.

LET’S PROCEED NOW WITH SEXUAL ORIENTATION.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION IS AN ASPECT OF OUR GENDER THAT PERTAINS TO OUR

EMOTIONAL AND SEXUAL ATTRACTION TO A PERSON.

ACCORDING TO PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES,

TYPICALLY, AGES 6-8, WE EXPERIENCE OR DEVELOP ATTRACTION TO OTHER
PEOPLE. KAYA BY ADOLESCENCE, WE ALREADY KNOW WHO WE ARE
ATTRACTED TO AND WOULD EXPERIMENT THROUGH DATING AND
RELATIONSHIPS.

EVERYONE’S SEXUALITY IS DIFFERENT AND DEEPLY PERSONAL. IT IS

DIVERSE AND COMPLEX, BUT THERE ARE A FEW COMMON TERMS OR LABELS
THAT WE CAN USE.

PEOPLE WHO ARE ATTRACTED TO THE OPPOSITE SEX ARE CALLED

“HETEROSEXUALS” OR “STRAIGHT”.

PEOPLE WHO ARE ATTRACTED TO PEOPLE OF THE SAME SEX ARE CALLED
“HOMOSEXUAL”, “GAY”, OR “LESBIAN

“BISEXUAL” OR “BI” PEOPLE ARE ATTRACTED TO BOTH SEXES, MALE OR

FEMALE.

LGBT REFERS TO THE LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER

COMMUNITY.

IN SUMMARY, THE COMPLEXITIES OF THE HUMAN SEXUALITY CAN BE QUITE

OVERWHELMING. WE NEED TO LOOK AT OUR OWN EXPERIENCE ON OUR
JOURNEY OF DISCOVERING OUR SENSE OF BEING A MAN AND A WOMAN FOR
US TO UNDERSTAND OTHERS.

WE ALSO NEED TO ENGAGE IN CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHERS FOR US TO

APPRECIATE THE MANY DIFFERENT FACES OF HUMAN SEXUALITY.

A BABY IS BORN AND IS GIVEN AN ASSIGNED SEX BASED ON ITS GENITALS. IN

TODDLER YEARS, THEY ARE RAISED TO BE A MAN OR A WOMAN BASED ON
ACCEPTED SOCIAL AND CULTURAL STANDARDS.

WE KNOW THAT THESE STANDARDS CHANGE THROUGH TIME. WHAT IS NOT

ACCEPTABLE NOW MAY BE ACCEPTABLE IN THE FUTURE.

ADOLESCENCE IS WHEN WE DISCOVER OUR EMOTIONAL AND SEXUAL

ATTRACTION TOWARDS OTHER PEOPLE.

FOR MOST, IT’S EASY TO IDENTIFY WHO THEY ARE ATTRACTED TO.

BUT FOR OTHERS, IT CAN BE A LONG AND DIFFICULT PROCESS.

FOSTERING AN INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT WHEREIN EVERYONE FEELS SAFE
IS VERY IMPORTANT AT THIS STAGE.