UNIT 1 : GENDER AND

SEXUALITY AS A SOCIAL
REALITY
LESSON 1: SEX ,GENDER AND SEXUALITY
INTRODUCTION :

What does it mean to be a male or a female ,to be feminine or masculine ,or to be man or woman ?
• Being male or female refers to biological differences; with males producing sperm and females producing eggs. Being
a man or a woman or being masculine or feminine, often refers to gender, which is a societal construct. This means it’s
influenced by societal norms and expectations. Masculinity and femininity are associated with certain traits and
behaviors that society deems appropriate for men and women . However , these can vary greatly and everyone has a
unique blend of these traits .
• In recent years ,there’s been a growing recognition of gender fluidity ,with more people identifying outside traditional
categories .these concepts are complex and evolving ,reflecting both biological realities and societal influences.
 SEX
• The biological aspect of sex ; maleness or femaleness.
• This term refers to the physiological differences between male
and female bodies , including aspects related to reproductive
systems , chromosomes ,hormones , and secondary sexual
characteristics . It’s important to note that while “SEX” and
“GENDER “ are often use interchangeably in everyday
language ,they have distinct meanings in the context of biology
and sociology .
 CHROMOSOM
ES
• Chromosomes are structures found in
the nucleus of cells that carry genetic
information in the form of DNA
(deoxyribonucleic acid ) and proteins .
• In humans , there are typically 23 pairs
of chromosomes , for a total of 46
chromosomes . These chromosomes
can be categorized into two types :

1. AUTOSOMES

2. SEX CHROMOSOMES
AUTOSOMES (NON-SEX CHROMOSOMES)

• Autosome are responsible for general body development and

function .There are 22 pairs of autosomes in humans .

SEX CHROMOSOMES
• Sex chromosomes which determine an individual’s biological sex. Females have two X
chromosomes (XX) ,while males have one X and Y chromosomes (XY). The presence of
the Y chromosome in males triggers the development of male reproductive organs and other
male characteristics .
GENDER
• The social interpretation of sex; masculinity,
femininity , etc ….
• Gender is a complex and multifaceted concept that
refers to the social and cultural roles, behaviors ,and
expectations associated with being male and
female .
• It important to note that gender is distinct from
biological sex, which is determined by physical and
genetic characteristics.
 GENDER IDENTIFY

• Gender identity refers to an individual’s deeply held sense of

their own gender, which may not align with the sex assigned to
them at birth . It is a personal and internal experience of one’s
gender , and it may be different from societal expectations or
traditional binary categories of male and female .
SEXUAL
ORIENTATION
• Sexual orientation refers to a person’s enduring pattern of emotional ,
romantic ,and \ or sexual attractions to individuals of the same gender ,
different or multiple genders.it is an inherent aspects of a person ‘s
identity and is not a choice or something that can be changed.There are
different sexual orientations including :

1. Heterosexuality
2. Homosexuality
3. Bisexuality
4. Pansexuality
5. Asexuality
APPRECIATING
DIVERSITY
• Appreciating diversity is an ongoing process that
requires active engagement ,education , and a
commitment to challenging our own biases . By
embracing and celebrating our differences ,we can
create a more harmonious and inclusive world.
• According to the American Psychological Association
(APA) , nature and heterosexuality are part of the
human sexuality and is a large part of the human
experience.
LESSON 1:
GENDER AND SEXUALITY
ACROSS TIME

LESSON 2
DEFINITION OF TERMS:
• PATRIACHY- Social System where men primarily holds in the political power and
private spheres.

• FEMINISM- Continuing series of social movements that aim to challenge the

patriarchal society that creates these oppressive political structures , beliefs, and
practice against women.
INTRODUCTION
• Historical accounts reveal that human societies have evolved over time , changing their
conception of gender and sexuality. In the past , societies valued women’s divine
feminine status, leading to egalitarian power roles. Paternity, particularly during the
agricultural era, influenced how societies viewed women and men. Men were privileged
in productive spheres, while women were revered for their ability to conceive.
PATRIARCHY
• Patriarchy is from the Greek word Pathriarkhes which means “the ruler of the father”. It
is a social system where men primarily holds power in the political and privates spheres.
This means that in this social system, society is organized and maintained in a way that
men rule over women and their children. In the social, legal, political, and economic
spheres, men are expected to lead while women are expected to obey and are relegated to
house chores, bearing children, and child care.
FREDRICH ENGELS
A German philosopher sociologist, argues that
patriarchy came about when people started having private
property instead of communal living. The development in
agriculture and domestication of animals led to creating
product surplus which allows people to have private
property. As a way to control the excess wealth generated
by these advancements, male heir can inherit family wea
HISTORICAL VIEWS ON GENDER
EGYPT

Herodutos, a Greek historian, observed the

Egyptian civilization citing that Egyptian women enjoyed
higher social status than Greek women because they can
inherit property and engage in trade politics. However,
Greek influence quickly spread in Egypt through the
conquests of Alexander the Great across Asia and Africa.
GREEK

Aristotle, Plato and other Greek philosophers

viewed women as the inferior sex and are properties of
men whose only job was to obey their husband, bear
children, and take care of household. They were
forbidden to learn philosophy, politics, and science.
CHINA
Confucianism has stringent written rules that dictate
how women should conduct themselves. The written
documents titled “Three obedience’s and four virtues”
and “Precepts of women” states that women should obey
their father, when married she is to obey her husband, and
when widowed she is tp
SEXISM- prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination based on sex;
Gender Pay Gap- men more than women
Under representation in politics, military, executive position.
Women do more housework and childcare
 WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
During the 19th and 20th century, first- wave of feminism spread across the western countries as women demanded for their right to vote participate in
elections and to be able to legally own property.

In France, Simone de Beauvoir wrote book titled “The Second Sex” in 1949. It outlined how the patriarchal society disadvantaged women by slowly raising
her into submission and how hindering their productivity and happiness by relegating them to house cleaning. This inspired many women to write and speak
their truths, such as Betty Friedan ( The feminine Mystique,, 2693), Kate Millet (Sexual Politics, 1969), and Germaine Greer ( The female Eunuch, 1970).
Beauvior’s books was instrumental in awakening women about their plight as the “wife- servant” to their husband in her famous quote “ one is not born, but
rather becomes, a woman”

Le Mouvement de Liberation des Femmes or the women’s liberation movement was formed in Europe and they sought the right to education, right to work,
and the right to vote in the 1940’s.

Inspired by the Beauvior’s Book, second- wave feminism in 1960’s through the 80’s, women drew attention to various social and cultural inequalities such as
domestic violence specially marital rape, productive right’s, wage inequality, and etc. The 90’s gave birth to the 3 rd wave and 2012 started the forth wave.
GENDER AND SEXUALITY AS A
SUBJECT OF INQUIRY

LESSON 3
GENDER STUDIES

• As an area of knowledge, is about looking into, analyzing, and

examining society so that we notice power relations in the
seemingly “simple things.
GENDER ROLE OR SEX ROLE

• It is a social role encompassing a range of behavior and attitudes

that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate.

• Are “ sets of culturally defined behaviors such as Masculinity and

Feminity”
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Diversity
• is proven to make communities and workplaces more
productive, tolerant and welcoming.

Inclusion
• is the practice of providing everyone with equal
access to opportunities and resources.
GENDER STUDIES AND
RESEARCH
Research Process
• Identifying problems, making hypothesis and
assumptions, gathering data and making conclusion
APPROACH IN RESEARCH

Qualitative

Focuses more on the meanings created and interpretations made by

people about their own personal or vicarious (observed) experiences.
 METHODS USE IN QUALITATIVE APPROACH ARE AS FOLLOW:
• Phenomenology – conducting intensive interviews with individuals who have
experienced a particular event and understanding their “live experience”.

• Hermeneutics – understanding the meaning of texts (literary works, art works) and
what they convey about.

• Ethnography and Ethnomethodology – immersing in a community and taking note

of their experiences, beliefs,, attitudes, and practices.
QUANTITATIVE

• Focuses on characterizing a population or

sample.

• Making generalizations about the populations

based on behavior of a sample.
 METHODS OF QUANTITATIVE APPROACH ARE AS
FOLLOW:
•Survey– collecting information from a sample; and
•Experiment– creating actual set-ups to observe behavior of people in experimental group
(a group receiving treatment such as training or a new experience) and comparing it to the
behavior of people in a control group ( a group without any treatment).
 ETHICS IN GENDER AND SEXUALITY RESEARCH

Ethical principles
•Ethics is a prerequisite to a properly conducted study
•Ethical principles makes sure that people involved in the research are protected from
harm.
 FOUR PRINCIPLES TO REMEMBER IN CONDUCTING
GENDER AND SEXUALITY RESEARCH:

Informed Consent
• •Researchers should make sure that the participants in the study are aware of the purpose and
the process of the study.
• Confidentiality and anonymity
• •Researchers should not reveal any information provided by the participants, much so, their
identity to anyone who are not concerned with the study.
• Non-maleficence and beneficence
• •A study should do no harm (non-maleficence )to anyone. Especially in researchers involving
humans, a study should be beneficial(beneficence) for it to be worth implementing.
Distributive justice
•Any study should not disadvantage a particular group, especially the marginalized and the
oppressed (e.g. Poor people, women, LGBTQ+, the elderly). Th benefits of a study should
be for all.
 GENDER, SEXUALITY AND HUMAN ECOLOGY

• Human Ecology
• As a field recognized the interplay among internal and external environments, physical,
socio economic, cultural(Bronfenbrenner 1994;Bubolz and Sontag 1983)