Sex and Gender

AMSTRADA P. TINTE

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
SEX
AND
GENDER
WHAT IS…
SEX?
GENDER?
 SEX AND GENDER
• Sex refers to the natural distinguishing variable based
on biological characteristics of being a woman or a man.
It refers to physical attributes pertaining to a person's
body contours, features, genitals, hormones, genes,
chromosomes and reproductive organs. 
 SEX
refers to the biological differences between males
and females, such as the genitalia and genetic
differences.
 DETERMINANTS OF SEX
FEMALE MALE

 GENITALIA Penis
Vagina
Clitoris

 REPRODUCTIVE Uterus Testes

ORGANS Ovary

 CHROMOSOMES XX XY

 HORMONES Estrogen Testosterone

Progesterone Androgen
 SEX AND GENDER
• Gender refers to roles, attitudes and values
assigned by culture and society to women and
men. These roles, attitudes and values define the
behaviors of women and men and the relationship
between them. They are created and maintained by
social institutions such as families, governments,
communities, schools, churches and media.
Because of gender, certain roles, traits and
characteristics are assigned or ascribed distinctly
and strictly to women or to men.
 GENDER
refers to the socially constructed role of a male or
female in the society, known as gender role, or an
individuals' concept of themselves, or gender identity.
 Who wears the high heels?
 For instance, high-heeled shoes, now considered feminine
throughout much of the world, were initially designed for
upper-class men to use when hunting on horseback.

 As women began wearing high heels, male heels slowly

became shorter and fatter as female heels grew taller and
thinner.

 Over time, the perception of the high heel gradually became

seen as feminine. There is nothing intrinsically feminine
about the high heel. Social norms have made it so.
 Pink for a girl and blue for a boy?
 In many countries, pink is seen as a suitable color for a girl to
wear, while boys are dressed in blue.

 However, infants were dressed in white until colored garments for

babies were introduced in the middle of the 19th century.
 The following quote comes from a trade publication
called Earnshaw's Infants' Department, published in 1918:

"The generally accepted rule is pink for the boys and blue for the girls. The
reason is that pink, being a more decided and stronger color, is more
suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier
for the girl."
1. Women give birth to babies, men do
not.
2. Little girls are gentle, boys are rough.
3. According to UN statistics, women do 67% of
the world’s work, yet their earnings amount only
to 10% of the world’s income.
4. Women can breast-feed babies, men can
bottle-feed babies.
5. Most-building site workers in the Philippines
are men.
6. Men’s voices break at puberty, women’s do not.
7. In one study of 224 cultures, there were 5 in which men did all the
cooking and 36 in which women did all the house building.
SEX GENDER

• Categorized as male • Masculinity and

or female femininity
• Biological • Socially, culturally and
• Fixed at birth historically determined
• Does not change • Learned through
across time and space socialization
• Equally valued • Varies over time and
space
• Unequally valued
 DO GENDER ROLES CHANGE?
SEX ROLE
Role which male or female assumes because of
basic physiological or anatomical differences
Male- lifting heavy things (hard work)
Female- child bearing; child rearing
GENDER ROLE
Role assigned to men and women based on
their gender. It also refers to activities which
are considered appropriate and acceptable for
boys or girls; men or women.
Men as providers, decision makers
Women are responsible for all of the housework
and care of all the members of the household
 GendernormsFG

GENDER NORMS

It refers to the way by which a society expects men and women to

behave; deals not only with differences on how men and women,
girls or boys behave, but about the different values associated with
being a boy or a girl, man or woman.
 Gender Identity

GENDER IDENTITY

It is the defined notion of femininity or masculinity ; one’s internal,

personal sense of being a man or a woman (or a boy or a girl).
 Gender Expressions

GENDER EXPRESSION

It is the external manifestation of one’s gender identity usually

expressed through “masculine,” “feminine” or gender-variant
behavior, clothing, haircut, voice or body characteristics.
Asexual Lesbians

Cisgender
Bisexual Gays
Transgender/Transexuals
Intersex
Queer
 To conclude, in general terms, "sex" refers to
biological characteristics and "gender" refers to
the individual's and society's perceptions of
sexuality and the malleable concepts of
masculinity and femininity.
TOMBOD INTEGRATED
SCHOOL:

AN ADVOCATE OF
GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT (GAD)