Now you're ready for this week's assignment. Take a trip to a local toy store (or visit one on-line). Answer the questions in as much detail as possible and in 300-400 words, write a report that addresses the questions. The report should be in narrative
xiabuantjngo1
what_is_sex-gender-100wst1.pdf
What is Gender?
How does it relate to
Biological Sex?
Gender/ Sex Dichotomy
Sex
Male/Female
Nature
Gender
Masculinity/
Femininity
Nurture
SEX
Sex is biological and determined by one’s
chromosomes.
XX or XY. The normal embryo inherits 23
from mother and 23 from father. The 23rd
pair are the sex chromosomes and
determine the biological sex of the fetus.
GENDER
The socially defined Character traits of
masculinity and femininity LEARNED
through the socialization process.
It is socially constructed
Biological Sex
Anatomy
Hormones
Genetics
XX or XY chromosome
Estrogen and Androgen
How Many Sexes?
Anne Fausto-Sterling theorizes that there
are at least 5 sexes”
1. female
2. male
3. hermaphrodite
4. male pseudo hermaphrodite (“merm” Y)
5. female pseudo hermaphrodite (“ferm
XX)
Intersex
The last 3 can be grouped together under
the umbrella term “Intersexed”
Those born with ambiguous sexual
genitalia. They can’t be characterized as
being either girls or boys just by looking at
them
Gender:
A PROCESS OF SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION
A SYSTEM OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
AN INSTITUTION WHICH STRUCTURES EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIVES DUE TO ITS EMBEDDEDNESS IN FAMILY, THE WORKPLACE, THE STATE, AS WELL AS IN SEXUALITY, LANGUAGE, CULTURE
A SYSTEM OF MEANING WHICH ORGANIZES HUMAN SOCIAL LIFE IN CULTURALLY PATTERNED WAYS
Gender, cont.
ONE OF THE MAJOR WAYS PEOPLE ORGANIZE THEIR LIVES- SO PERVASIVE IT TENDS TO BE INVISIBLE EXCEPT WHEN MISSING OR DEVIANT
CONSTANTLY CREATED AND RECREATED OUT OF HUMAN INTERACTION, OUT OF SOCIAL LIFE- DEPENDS ON PEOPLE CONSTANTLY “DOING GENDER”
Judith Butler
Gender is a “Performance”
It’s something we DO, not something we
are
West and Zimmerman
Doing Gender Rather than seeing gender as a fixed or
learned set of roles, gender is an ongoing
and fluctuating series of behaviors that is
enacted through social interaction
Gender Identity
The subjective experience of being either
male or female
Usually established by ages 3-5
Gender Dysmorphia
Gender identity in conflict with physical
sex
Transgender
Umbrella terms for a variety of individual,
behaviors and groups. People who don’t fit
neatly into the binary concepts of male
and female.
Transsexuals
Transvestites and Cross Dressers
Drag Kings and Queens
Berdache
Native cultures have historically recognized that the
binaries of male and female were not enough and
embraced the notion of a gender identity that is different
from one’s anatomical sex. Almost sacred status
Hijra of India
Considered member
of a third sex, neither
male or female
Most are physically
male or intersex, but
refer to themselves
and dress as women.
Androgyny
High preference for both feminine and
masculine PERSONALITY Characteristics.
Situationally Appropriate
Bem Scale
