EL 102 (Gender and Society) │Preliminary Period

Module 1: Gender and Sexuality as a Social Reality Part I

Lesson Objectives:

➢ Differentiate sex, gender, and sexuality.

➢ Identify gender stereotypes and the problem stereotyping brings.

Getting Started:

The following are common statements we hear from people. Reflect on why you
think people agree or disagree with the statement. Reflect on your thoughts: Do you
agree or disagree with each statement? Why or why not?

➢ Boys do not cry.

➢ Females are bad drivers.

➢ Boy should not play dolls.

➢ Women should be prim and proper. It is ok for men to be rowdy. They are men,
anyway.

Concepts:

I. Sex

Sex is the biological dimension of gender and sexuality. Also referred to as

biological sex or physical sex, the term generally pertains to a person's identity depending
on one’s sexual anatomy or physiology – the parts of the body that are relevant to
reproduction and the function of these parts. Among humans, sex is often assigned at
birth. Sex includes both primary sex characteristics (those related to the reproductive
system) and secondary sex characteristics (those not directly related to the reproductive
system, such as breasts and facial hair).
*Click this link to learn more: Sex and Sexuality Crash Course Sociology 31 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kqt-
_ILgv5c&list=PLDKyqwZVAA2sAW0cehfi9GgWcrIwyBfT4&index=2)

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Biological Markers of Sex

1. Chromosomes – protein structures that contain genetic materials. There are

specific chromosomes referred to as sex chromosomes which marks a person's
biological sex. An individual with a set of XY chromosomes is said to be male,
while an individual with a set of XX chromosomes is said to be female.

2. Gonad – (sex gland or reproductive gland) is a mixed gland that produces

the gametes and sex hormones of an organism. Female reproductive cells are egg
cells, and male reproductive cells are sperm. The male gonad, the testicle, produces
sperm in the form of spermatozoa. The female gonad, the ovary, produces egg cells.

3. Hormones – chemicals in the body responsible for sustaining bodily processes.

Human males tend to have a higher testosterone level associated with sex drive
and aggression. On the other hand, human females tend to have higher
estrogen and progesterone levels, which are associated with lactation,
menstruation, and other female reproductive functions.

4. Genitals – the external organs associated with reproduction – the process or the
ability to create offspring. If, at birth, a child is observed to have a penis and
testicles, then the child is categorized as male. If, on the other hand, a child is
observed to have a vagina, then the child is categorized as female. However,
there are cases when a person’s genitals appear to be a conglomerate of male
and female organs; this phenomenon is called intersexuality. In the past, this
condition is referred to as hermaphroditism (from Hermes, a male Greek god, and
Aphrodite, a female Greek goddess). It is estimated that up to 1.7 percent of the
population has an intersex trait and that approximately 0.5 percent of people
have clinically identifiable sexual or reproductive variations.
*Click this link for more info: Key Issues Facing People with Intersex Traits.
(https://www.americanprogress.org/article/key-issues-facing-people-intersex-
traits/#:~:text=It%20is%20estimated%20that%20up,identifiable%20sexual%20or%20reproductive%20variations.)

II. Gender

A person's sex, as determined by biology, does not always correspond with

gender. Gender is the social dimension of one’s sexuality. It is a socially learned behavior
usually associated with one's sex. It is short for gender relations between the sexes or how
males and females relate to one another. It is also based on how people see themselves
and their tendency to act along the masculine or feminine lines. Gender is a social
construct that determines one’s roles, expected values, behavior, and interaction in
relationships involving men and women.

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Gender Binary

The gender binary is the idea that there are only two genders: man and woman.
These genders are considered opposite to one another. Different expectations are
placed on each gender regarding behavior, roles, dress, and more. In many cultures
across the world, a gender binary is assumed. Most people grow up with the idea that
there are only two genders. However, many people exist outside the gender binary as a
gender that is neither exclusively man nor woman. A nonbinary person might not
exclusively identify with the gender assigned at birth but instead with one or more
genders. (Click this link for more info: Understanding What It Means to Be Nonbinary.
https://www.healthline.com/health/transgender/nonbinary)

Gender Roles

A gender role is a set of societal norms dictating the behaviors generally

considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for people based on their actual or
perceived sex or sexuality. Gender roles are usually centered on conceptions of
femininity or masculinity, but exceptions and variations exist. The specifics regarding these
gendered expectations may vary substantially among cultures, while other
characteristics may be common throughout various cultures.

The term gender role was first coined by John Money in 1955, during his study of
intersex individuals, to describe how these individuals expressed their status as male or
female in a situation where no clear biological assignment existed. The term gender role
refers to society's concept of how men and women are expected to act and how they
should behave. These roles are based on norms, or standards, created by society.

Gender roles are a specific set of social and behavioral actions considered
appropriate for the given gender. The concept of gender roles has been developed from
the work of Caroline Moser. She explains that gender planning recognizes that in most
societies, low-income women have a triple role; women undertake reproductive,
productive, and community managing activities, while men primarily undertake
productive and community politics activities.

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 Gender Role Description
Reproductive Role Women do childbearing/rearing responsibilities and domestic
tasks, required to guarantee the maintenance and
reproduction of the labor force. It includes not only biological
reproduction but also the care and maintenance of the
workforce (male partners and working children) and the
future workforce (infants and school-going children)
Productive Role Work done by both men and women for pay in cash or kind.
It includes market production with an exchange value and
subsistence/home production with actual use and potential
exchange values. For women in agricultural production, this
includes working as independent farmers, peasant wives, and
wage workers.
Community Politics Activities are undertaken primarily by men at the community
Role level, organizing at the formal political level, often within the
framework of national politics. This is usually paid work,
directly or indirectly, through status or power.
Multiple Roles Both men and women play multiple roles. The significant
difference, however, is that men typically play their roles
sequentially, focusing on a single productive role. Women
must usually play their roles simultaneously, balancing the
demands of each within their limited time constraints.

Gender Role Socialization

This is defined as learning and internalizing culturally approved ways of thinking,

feeling, and behaving. It starts soon as one is born and manifests from color associated
with one's gender to the roles one sees their gender perform the most.

Socialization and Gender Perception

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. External
regulation involves various institutions dictating what is proper and standard based on
one's identity. It affects how one sees their gender and that gender with other genders.
On the other hand, internalized social control causes a person to police himself or herself
according to society's standards and norms. Consistent practice will eventually affect all
aspects of his or her personality, resulting in the policing of others, expanding and
perpetuating this regulation.

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Gender Stereotypes

Gender stereotypes develop when different institutions reinforce a biased

perception of a specific gender's role. These institutions include the family, the church,
the school, the state, and the media. Gender stereotypes are of four types:

Gender stereotype Description

Sex stereotypes These are generalized views 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 perform.
Sexual stereotypes These involve assumptions regarding a person's sexuality
that reinforce dominant views. For example, a prevalent
view is that all men are sexually dominant. Another notion
is heteronormativity, or the assumption that all persons are
only attracted to the sex opposite theirs.
Sex-role stereotypes These encompass the roles that men and women are
assigned based on their sex and what behaviors they must
possess to fulfill these roles.
Compounded These are assumptions about a specific group belonging
stereotypes to a gender. Examples of groups subject to compounded
stereotypes are young women, older adults, single men or
women, women factory workers, and the like.

Activities and Assessments: Provide your answers on the answer sheet provided.

I. Sex Vs. Gender: Statements about men and women. Choose S for Sex and G for Gender.

1 Women give birth; men don’t.

2 Girls are gentle; boys are tough.
3 In one case, when a child brought up as a girl learned that he was actually a boy, his
school marks improved dramatically.
4 In Europe, most long-distance truck drivers are men.
5 In Ancient Egypt, men stayed at home and did weaving. Women handled family
business. Women inherited property and men did not.
6 Men’s voices break at puberty; women’s do not.
7 Men are susceptible to prostate cancer, women are not.
8 Amongst Indian cultural workers, women are paid 40-60 percent of the male wage.
9 Most building site workers are men.
10 There are more women than men in the caring professions such as nursing.

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References/Attributions:
3G E-Learning. (2020). Gender and Society. New York: 3G E-Learning LLC.

Driver, A. (2018). Gender Studies: Theories, Issues, and Concerns. New York: Willford Press.

Peralta, E. D., Botor, N. B., & Laude, T. P. (2019). A Course Module for Gender and Society: A Human Ecological Approach.
Manila: Rex Bookstore.

Rodriguez, A. G., & Rodriguez, A. L. (2019). Gender and Society: The Whys of Women, Their Oppressions, and Paths to
Liberation. Quezon City: C& E Publishing, Inc.

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