Leveling Off:

Gender and
Sexuality

— @ Learning Outcomes See a

At the end of this chapter, the students

should be able to:

1. differentiate gender from sexuality;

Nm

explain gender socialization;

3. identify gender stereotypes and the

problem stereotyping brings; and

4. discuss sexual orientation and gender

identity and expression or SOGIE.

a @ Pre-work for the Chapter

Complete the following statements:

I think girls are

I think boys are

I think girls should

I think boys should

Society thinks thar girls should

Society thinks that boys should

Discuss your answers in small groups.

Outline the similarities and differences in your
answers. What should girls or boys be or do?

Discuss what roles society thinks boys and girls

should play,
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“
“> op pre-work for the Chapter (cont.) a

While discussing your answers, chink about the themes Present,

Do any of your answers have to do with the innate biological ideas

cern being a girl or boy? Note if most of the answers actually

ie - titudes and appearances instead of innate biological traits,

Ge ee tienes such as looks, attitudes, and roles concerp
gender, Traits related to biology have more to do with sex. Gende,
is identified first because differences based on gender roles are the

easiest to describe.

Gender and Sexuality

To prepare for this journey into gender studies, reflect on your

own experience of gender differentiation. A sample realization is the
“eureka moments” of one of the authors:

When did you first realize that you were a girl or a boy? |
can't exactly say | had one defining eureka moment.
Reflecting on my past, | can name three distinct memories
that involve my gender. The first eureka moment | had
involved my being teased about having a best friend
of the opposite gender. My mother’s friends uld tell
me that my best friend was my “sweetheart,” implying
that we would one day be married, He was a boy, was
9 girl. We were both three years old, and | realiz

were different. The next eureka moment had to

my taking the lead in a

pa i school play. | was mean

' specifically, | was made t ‘mo
Children's book, Are You My a, 0 be the

' refused, because as

in mother roles, as

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| FT AND SExuaLity.

| did not want to cut my hair, *

| said. The gay hairdresser, up

responded with a “me too."

realized that my hair would g

girl again. My hairdresser ha

stuck as G woman trapped in

I don't want fo bea boy!"

on overhearing MY refusal.
| then accepted my fate. |
row back and | Could be o

d no option, Gnd would be

aman's body.

There are three similarities with the anecdotes | shared,

First, all involved my mother or being a mother. Even at

a young age, | had associated being a woman with

motherhood because | was an only child and had no
other female role models aside from my mother, aunts, and
grandmothers, all of whom had offspring. Another theme
has to do with relationships. | was sexualized as a young
child, as the people around me automatically declared
my relationship as romantic because it involved someone
of the opposite sex. And while these do not seem like
important moments, they are moments that | am sure
many can relate to, especially in the Philippine culture,
From a young age, children are teased for who they are
friends with. If they are girls, they are told not to have too
many boy friends, or to not act like their boy friends. If they
are boys, perhaps some older relatives would tell them not
to be too close or act too much like their sisters or mothers.
Because these moments concern boyhood, girlhood, and
the differences between the sexes, one can say these
moments involve sex and gender.

Sex and gender are two very essential yet underrated parts of
human life. They affect all aspects of our lives, from how we look
at and act in the jobs we take to how we regard the laws and values
of our society. This chapter will establish the difference between sex
_ and gender, define gender roles and relationships according to the

ndered interactions affect one’s everyday lives, It will examine

ered interactions at various levels within the family, workplace,
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11
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EEE da! oe ; oe Peer AND SEXWALity 13 |

- @ Activity
What about ie...

Complete the following sentences:

1. When I was a child, my favorite OY Was___

. I first found out I was a girl/boy when

3. Because I am a girl/boy, te
—_—_—
4. Because he/she is a girl/boy,

5. Because x are LGBT +,

In groups of three to four members each, discuss your answers to

the questions. What were your favorite toys growing up? Why were

these toys your favorite? Were there toys you shied away from because
you felt they were not for you?

When did you realize that you were a boy or a girl? For non-
binary students, when did you realize that you fell outside the boy
and girl label? What are the different expectations for girls, boys, and
the LGBT according to your families and school?

Biology is learned in school, but the enactment of one’s sex is

experienced differently in one’s culture. When one sees a person, he
or she does not see an XX or an XY, but a male or a female. Perhaps

| in more accepting societies, one sees a male, a female, or an LGBT:

f Because of one's perception of maleness and femaleness, his or
| her view of another is prone to change. Take for example the case
of commercial models displayed in advertisements along EDSA.

\ These models are perceived to conform to society's definition of

what is conventionally attractive, enough that they become the face

of certain products or brands, Because a model on a billboard is

'wo-dimensional, his or her looks allow people to assume anything
about him or her, If chat person is a male striking what seems to
4 bea powerful Pose, it could be assumed that the man is a powerful
Person. If all the males presented in advertisements are in powerful
and dominant Poses, one can presume that power and dominance
in advertisements are seen to take care of ce ople—their Spouses,
children, or parents—one associates females with caring roles, Thus.
to be female is to care. These roles; which ao nor necessarily have
anything to do with reproduction, become tied to one’s sex. This ;.

where gender comes in.

What is Gender?
ed behavior usually associated wit}

Gender is a socially rete cthihe h ,

. cex. It is short for gender relations between : € sexes, or how the
ae ther. Gender is also based on how

male and female relate to one ano

people see themselves and on their tendency to act along either the
masculine or the feminine line.

Gender is a social construct that determines one’s roles, expected

values, behavior, and interaction in relationships involving men and
women. It affects what access is available to men and women to
decision-making, knowledge, and resources. Sex and gender are two
different things, but one’s gender is usually associated with one’s sex.
Note the difference between sex and gender in the following table.

Table 1. Main Differences Between Sex and Gender

Social
Cultural

Learned behavior

Changes over time

Varies within a culture/among cultures

“Due to. advances in science and other societal tre

pscimnovond ol nds, one can now legally and

Physiological
Related to reproduction
Congenital*

Unchanging*
Does Sex Correspond to Gender?

Many scientists, psychologists, and sociologists believe that sex

does not determine one’s gender, Femininity, or the behavior chat
one associate with females, may not actually be tied to a woman's
sex. Similarly, masculinity is not tied to one’s gonads. The whole
idea of being a woman, therefore, is based on gender and society's
belief in how a woman should act, instead of biological functions that

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are inescapable. The notion that one’s biology predetermines the roles
one must have in life should not be the case at all.

Doing household chores is said to be a woman's job, yet there

are some men who do the cooking and cleaning at home. Aggressive
sports are said to be more for men, but for every men’s sports team,
there is a counterpart for women. In these types of scenario, gender

role socialization comes in.

Gender role socialization is defined as the process of learning

and internalizing culturally approved ways of thinking, feeling, and
behaving. It starts as soon as one is born and manifests from the color
associated with one’s gender to the roles one sees his or her gender
performs the most. Socialization affects all parts of one’s identity
by dictating what is acceptable to do because of one’s educational
background, class, religion, and gender. Thus, female and male
gender roles develop."

One's socialization regulates his or her perceptions of genders in

two ways—external regulations and internalized self-control. Each
society has social norms that have been developed over time due to
the values and beliefs that it holds. External regulation involves
various institutions dictating what is proper and normal based on
one’s identity. It affects how one sees his or her gender, and that
gender in relation to other genders, External regulation can happen
through censorship of some forms of sexuality (“Homosexuality
is bad!”) or subtle forms of control such as microaggression (subtle
messages with sexist assumptions behind them—“Only girly boys
do housework!”), Because of these external regulations enforced by
Society, notions on gender are absorbed and internalized social control
is formed. Internalized social control causes a person to police himself
or herself according to society's standards and norms, A consistent
Practice will eventually affect all aspects of his or her personality, in
turn, resulting in the policing of others, expanding and perpetuating
this regulation,'* Similarly, if someone finds himself or herself
deviating from what society finds normal, he or she may become
deviant and excluded from society.

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aS
 & Activity a
Gender Socialization (10-15 minutes)

Discuss among yourselves what is expected of girls and boys in

the following institutions:

1. your school (high school or college);

2. your household; and

3. your church,

Gender Stereotypes

Gender stereotypes develop when different institutions reinforce

a biased perception of a certain gendet’s role. These institutions
include the family, the church, the school, the state, and the media.”
These beliefs can be limiting if seen as prescriptive of a gender’s role
rather than descriptive of the many possible roles one can have.

Gender stereotypes are of four types:

|. Sex stereotypes are a generalized view of traits that should

be possessed by men and women, specifically physical and

emotional roles, These stereotypes are unrelated to the roles

women and men actually perform,

ty, Or the assumption that all

Persons are only attracted to the Sex Opposite theirs.

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4. Compounded stereotypes are assumptions about a specific

| group belonging to a gender. Examples of groups subject to

| compounded stereotypes are young women, old men, single

men or women, women factory workers, and the like.

a Point for Reflection

How does your society or culture teach you to think, feel, and act
based on your gender? How is it limiting? How is it liberating?

The abbreviation SOGIE stands for sexual orientation and

gender identity and expression. Sexuality is different from sex, as
the former is the expression of a person's thoughts, feelings, sexual
orientation and relationships, as well as the biology of the sexual
response system of that person.'* The different terms standing for

SOGIE are further defined below.

1. Sexual orientation” covers the three dimensions of sexuality,

namely:

a. sexual attraction, sexual behavior, sexual fantasies;

b. emotional preference, social preference, self-

identification; and

c. heterosexual or homosexual lifestyle.

Sexual orientation involves the person to whom one is

attracted and how one identifies himself or herself in relation
to this attraction which includes both romantic and sexual

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2. 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 himself or herself as masculine or feminine.

3. Gender expression determines how one expresses his or |

her sexuality through the actions or manner of Presenting
oneself.

LGBTQIA

The abbreviation LGBTQIA is short for lesbian, gay, transgender,

queer/questioning, intersex, asexual. This category describes distinct
groups outside of heteronormativity who are usually defined by their
SOGIE. Heteronormativity is defined as the notion that being
heterosexual, or the attraction to the Opposite sex, is the standard |
for correctness. Heterosexual, or straight, refers to people who have
sexual and romantic feelings mostly for the Opposite gender—men
who are attracted to women, and women who are attracted to men,
Homosexual describes people who have sexual and romantic feelings
for the same gender—men who are attracted to men, and women :
who are attracted to women. Cisgender is someone whose gender
identity corresponds with his or her biological sex. A person can be

a homosexual and at the same time a cisgender (identify with the

gender they were assigned to at birth because of their sex). gg

In addition,

lesbian pertains to women who are attracted to

other women. Gay refers to men who are attracted to other men. It
can also be used as an umbrella term for homosexuality. Bisexual
or “bi” denotes people who are attracted to both genders, Finally,
transgender is an umbrella term that refers to someone whose —
assigned sex at birth does not represent his or her gender identity, .

d outside the norm of

were popularized to show thos

are not alone, and that there

are others facing the same struggles.

While these are the usual wor

ds used when discussing LGBT issues,

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—_ an et ‘o oe SE¥ELING OFF: GENDER AND SEXUAL Ty

they are in no way stable, fixed, or exclusive. They are temporary, as

the terminologies for sex and sexuality can change depending on the
direction of the LGBT movement.

These scenarios are brought to light because of how pans ini

are slowly coming to public awareness, but the same issues have been
faced by women throughout history,

Although this book does not tackle LGBT issues in depth,

it hopes to open readers to these issues as future topics of interests,
especially as these are relevant issues in society. Gender advocates
want to expand gender issues to include the LGBT, as there is much
discrimination against the LGBT in the Philippines.

19

— 0d Sample Case

A young woman, fresh out of college and ready for work, had
trouble securing a job. Her friends could not figure out why. She
graduated with Latin honors and topped the board exam in her
respective field. She had applied to numerous jobs which granted her
interviews. However, after her face-to-face interview with numerous
potential employers, she was never contacted. When asked why, the
company HR merely stated that they do not allow “cross-dressing”
for their employees. That young woman is a trans woman who,
while expressing herself as feminine, was recognized by professional
institutions as male.

The issue of discrimination based on gender is very prevalent

for the LGBT. The woman in the scenario was a transgender, whose

biological gender (male) did not reflect who she is (female).

_» Many posts about trans rights and trans issues circulate in social
media, These problems are everyday issues that show how people who
only wish to express themselves are prevented from doing so, and are

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Why Equate Gender Issues
with Women’s Issues

ues are equated with women’s issue:

nder stereotypes. Sexism is defined ag }},.

rejudice against a certain sex. Because we live in a patriarchal socje,,

« yoy. o
“ail are still seen as dominant, leaders, and the “norm.” This notioy

places women and the LGBT at risk for discrimination.

This book then becomes a pledge for gender equality. Gender

equality is defined as the recognition of the state that all human
beings are free to enjoy equal conditions and fulfill their human
potential, to contribute to the state and society.” It can also be
defined as equality of the sexes, visibility in public and private

"spheres, and full participation in society. Gender equality is the

opposite of gender inequality, not of gender difference, and aims to
promote the full participation of women and men in society.”’ While

some may say women have equal opportunities because they are
allowed to have education, livelihood, and political participation,
women still have “less access to resources, opportunities, and
decision-making. These asymmetries and inequalities limit their
ability to develop and exercise their full capabilities for their own
benefit and for the benefit of the society as a whole.”

This discussion is not to state that men do not face

discrimination. However, men in a male-dominated society have
various advantages over women and the LGBT in all spheres—
SAROPC, political, social, etc. Discriminatory gender roles can be
ee eet laws and policies. A historical view of the

will help one situate women’s and gender issues

as we know it. The next chapter will provide more context 0” the

By definition, gender iss

because of sexism and ge

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