WEEK NO.

1 & 2
TAGOLOAN Community College
Baluarte, Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental
Tel. No. (08822)740-835/ (088)5671-215

University
Logo
College of Arts and Sciences
COURSE CODE: GEE 7 – Gender and Society
Semester of A.Y. 2020-2021

MODULE 1

Lesson 1 – SEX AND GENDER

Week 1 & 2 will focus on the first module, lesson 1.

Introduction

What does it mean to be a male or a female, to be feminine or masculine, or to

be man or woman? The human mind and body are so complex that to answer this
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question, we have to trace our journey from the moment we were born, and go
back to the journey we humans have across the life span.

The first thing you need to understand is the complexities of defining and
differentiating sex, gender, and sexuality. Having a clear grasp of these concepts is
crucial since we will be using these terms over and over again in succeeding
discussions. Likewise, there are nuances in the meanings of these terms, which have
an implication in which the context can appropriately use them.

Rationale

In this lesson, you will understand deeper on how a person’s gender is expressed from
birth to adulthood. Our ultimate goal is to foster an understanding of the diversity of how
humans experience and express their sexuality.

Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

A. differentiate sex, and gender;

B. discuss the implication of these differences; and
C. Contemplate about your own sexuality and on the importance of
appreciating sexual diversity.

Prepared by Eunice Santiago Villegas, LPT 1

 WEEK NO.1 & 2
Activity

ACTIVATING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

CONTEMPLATE. Let us think about how gender is portrayed in your community. List
down as many words or phrases used to (a) identify and (b) describe the following
genders.

Men Women Homosexuals

What are your thoughts?

Discussion

Sex and gender are important in decision-making, communication, stakeholder

engagement, and preferences for the uptake of interventions. Gender roles, gender identity,
gender relations, and institutionalized gender influence how an implementation strategy works for
whom under what circumstances and why. There is emerging evidence that program theories may
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operate differently within and across sexes, genders, and other intersectional characteristics under
various circumstances. Furthermore, without proper study implementation strategies may
inadvertently exploit or ignore rather than transform thinking about sex and gender-related factors.
Techniques are described for measuring and analyzing sex and gender in implementation
research using both quantitative and qualitative methods.

Gender consists of two components- our internal sense of gender (or gender identity) and
how we express our gender or present ourselves to the world (our gender expression/presentation).
Sexuality or sexual orientation is about whom we’re sexually and romantically attracted to-
whether that’s
Write your people
activity oforthe
here, youopposite gender
may provide linksidentity as us (heterosexual),
to interactive the same (gay or
websites or videos.
lesbian) or to people of more than one gender identity (bisexual) or no sexual attraction at all,
asexuality.

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? I can’t exactly say I had one
defining eureka moment. Reflecting on my past, I can name three distinct memories that involve
my gender. The first eureka moment I had involved my being teased about having a best friend of
the opposite gender. My mother’s friends would tell me that my best friend was my “sweetheart”,
implying that we would one day be married. He was a boy; I was a girl. We were both three years
old, and I realized we were different. The next eureka moment had to do with my taking the lead
in a school play. I was meant to be a mother. Specifically, I was made to be the mother in the
children’s book, Are You My Mother by P.D. Eastman. I refused, because as a child, I felt awkward
being placed in mother roles, as though I knew that being a child-mother was bad, even if it was
just for a play.

Prepared by Eunice Santiago Villegas, LPT 2

 WEEK NO.1 & 2

Lastly, I was made an extra in a movie that my mother was the dramaturg for. It was a
historical documentary-slash-movie about the life of Rizal, the Philippines’ national hero. They
needed someone to play the hero’s nephew. I was chosen because I was young and androgynous
enough to be seen as a little a little boy. I distinctly remember refusing, because I did not want to
cut my hair. “I don’t want to be a boy!” I said. The gay hairdresser, upon overhearing my refusal,
responded with a “me too”. I then accepted my fate. I realized that my hair would grow back and
I could be a girl again. My hairdresser had no option, and would be stuck as a woman trapped in
a man’s body.

There are three similarities with the anecdotes I shared. First all involved my mother or
being a mother. Even at a young age, I had associated being a woman with motherhood because
I 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. I 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, there are moments that I am sure many can relate to, especially in the
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Philippine culture. From a young age, children are teased for who they are friends with. If they
are girls, they told not to have too many boyfriends, or to not act like their boyfriends. 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.

Vocabulary words
eureka - used to express triumph on a discovery. ¹
androgynous - the characteristics or nature of both male and female. ²
dramaturg - a specialist in dramaturgy, especially one who acts as a consultant to a theater
company, advising them on possible repertory. ³

To begin with this module, try to understand first the terms and definitions of words for you to
understand deeply and discover about sex, gender, and sexuality. 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.

Sex
Sex is the biological dimension of your gender and sexuality. Also referred to as biological sex
or physical sex, the term generally pertains to your identity depending on your sexual anatomy
and physiology- the parts of your body that are relevant to reproduction and the function of these
parts. Sex is typically determined by examining your genitals- these are external organs that are
associated with reproduction- the process or ability to create offspring that is called the primary
sex characteristics. The secondary sex characteristics is bodily development, apart from the
genitals, that distinguishes biologically mature females and males. Mature females have wider hips
for giving birth, milk-producing breasts for nurturing infants, and deposits of soft, fatty tissue that
provide a reserve supply of nutrition during pregnancy and breast feeding.

Prepared by Eunice Santiago Villegas, LPT 3

 WEEK NO.1 & 2

Mature males typically develop more muscle in the upper body, more extensive body hair, and
deeper voices. Of course, these are general differences; some males are smaller and have less
body hair and higher voices that some females.

Chromosomes determine one’s sex. Chromosome XX equates to female, and XY equates

to male. These pairs of chromosomes are distinct because the differences in their characteristics
are necessary for reproduction.
Biology is learned in school, but the enactment of one’s sex is experienced differently in
one’s culture. When one see’s a person, he or she does not see an XX or an XY, but male or a
female. Perhaps in more accepting societies, one sees a male, a female, or an LGBT. Because
of one’s person maleness and femaleness, his or her view of another is prone to change.

Gender

Keep in mind that sex is not the same thing as gender. Gender is an element of culture
and refers to the personal traits and patterns of behavior (including responsibilities, opportunities,
and privileges) that a culture attaches to being female or male.

Humans are meaning-making organisms. Our ability for higher order thinking and our
tendency to create social norms allow us to attach social and cultural meanings to things including
our sex. For example, males are typically expected to be masculine, and females are expected to
be feminine. Once parents are aware of their child’s sex (male or female) during birth or through
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prenatal procedures such as ultrasound, they automatically attach social and cultural meanings
to their child’s sex and in doing so, they already set an expectation in terms of how their child
should behave and how they should treat their child. This social dimension of one’s sexuality is
referred to as gender.

Gender is a social construct that determines one’s roles, expected values, behavior, and
interactions in relationships involving men and women.it affects what access is available to men
and women to decision-making, knowledge, and resources.

Gender Identity

One important aspect of our gender is our sense of who we are, do we see, and experience
ourselves as a man, a woman, or neither. This refers to our gender identity. Typically, males are
comfortable identifying as a man and females are comfortable identifying as a woman.
However, there are cases wherein a person’s biological sex does not align with one’s gender
identity. People with this experience are referred to as genders, such as a male who does not feel
comfortable identifying as a man (transgender woman) or a female who is not comfortable
identifying as a woman (transgender man). Transgender people may undergo gender
reassignment surgery to align their physical

Sexual Orientation
Another aspect of our gender pertains to our emotional and sexual attraction to a person. This
aspect refers to our sexual orientation. According to the Psychological Association of the
Philippines, typically at ages 6 or 8, we experience or develop attraction to other people. 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. Our capacity for emotional and sexual
attraction is diverse and complex but there are a few common terms or labels for us to 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.

Prepared by Eunice Santiago Villegas, LPT 4

 WEEK NO.1 & 2

Exercise

CHECKING COMPREHENSION

Activity 2 Eureka Moment

Try to reflect the experience of a young child taking a eureka moment. How would you describe
his identity? How gender is being revealed? Now, take a deep breath and ask yourself am I really
a boy? a man? or a girl? a woman? Will you try to have a replica of his intuition? If not, make your
own eureka moment of yourselves when did you start to identify who you are in the community or
society.

Assessment

Direction: Complete the following sentences:

1. When I was a child, my favorite toy was ___________.

2. I first found out I was a girl/boy when _____________.
3. Because I am a girl/boy, _________________________.
4. Because he/she is a girl/boy, _____________________.
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Reflection

PRACTICE AND APPLICATION

1. What did you learn?

2. What did you realize?
3. How are you going to apply the things you learn today in your daily life?

Resources and Additional Resources

⚫ ¹ Merriam Webster Dictionary

⚫ ² Merriam Webster Dictionary
⚫ ³ https://www.dictionary.com/browse/dramaturg
⚫ American Psychological Association. (2008). Answers to your questions: For a better
understanding of sexual orientation and homosexuality. Washington, DC: Author. [Retrieved
from www.apa.org/topics/sorientation.pdf]

⚫ American Psychological Association. (2006). Answers to your questions about individuals with
intersex conditions. Washington, DC.
.
Additional Resources:
⚫ Psychological Association of the Philippines. (2013). Reaffirmation of non-discrimination of
LGBT Filipinos. Manila, Philippines: Author. [Retrieved from www.pap.prg.ph]

⚫ Macionis, John J., (2012). Sociology, 14th Edition. Pearson Education South Asia Pte Ltd.
Jurong, Singapore 629733

Prepared by Eunice Santiago Villegas, LPT 5