Sex and Gender

Lesson Outline

Differentiating sex and gender

What about intersex people?
Constructionist approach
Gender inequality
Theories to explain gender
Gender role socialization
Sex, gender and life chances
Women and mens movement
Sexual orientation
Homophobia and heterosexism
Introduction to Sociology: Sex and
Gender

What is sex? What is gender?

Although the terms sex and gender are
often used interchangeably, sociologists
differentiate between the two.
Sex refers to an individuals membership in
one of two biologically distinct categories
male or female.
Gender refers to the physical, behavioral,
and personality traits that a group
considers normal for its male and female
members.
Introduction to Sociology: Sex and
Gender

Intersex
About 1 babies in 1,000 are born
intersexed, or hermaphroditic,
which means having an abnormal
chromosomal makeup and mixed or
indeterminate male and female sex
characteristics.
This is a function of biological sex.
Gender is different because it relates
to the way that a person behaves
based on their biological sex.
In other words, we learn how to act
manly or womanly based on the sex
that were born into and societys
expectations of that sex.
Introduction to Sociology: Sex and
Gender

Hijras embracing at a
wedding.
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Constructionist Approach to
Gender Identity
Most sociologists use a constructionist approach
and see gender as a social construction and
acknowledge the possibility that the malefemale
categories are not the only way of classifying
individuals.
Constructionists believe that gender is constructed,
or created, through our interactions with other
members of society.
In the United States we tend to classify people as
being male or female, but other societies have
different classification systems (hijras and berdaches
for example) and people are treated differently
based on the norms associated with that system.
Introduction to Sociology: Sex and
Gender

Who is this child?

Introduction to Sociology: Sex and

Gender

Gender Inequality
Gender inequality can be found in all past and
present societies.
The activities that women could participate in
were limited because they had less physical
strength and because of the demands of bearing
and raising children.
Men delivered the most important resources to
the group, such as food from hunting or land from
warfare, and became powerful by controlling the
distribution of these resources.
There are several sociological theories that
attempt to explain why this inequality has
persisted in contemporary societies. Were going
to discuss several of these theories now.
Introduction to Sociology: Sex and
Gender

Theories on Gender Inequality

Functionalists:
Believe that there are social roles better
suited to one gender than the other, and
that societies are more stable when
certain tasks are fulfilled by the
appropriate sex.

Introduction to Sociology: Sex and

Gender

Theories on Gender Inequality

(contd)

In the 1950s, Talcott Parsons

advanced the idea that the
nuclear family effectively reared
children to meet the labor
demands of a capitalist system.
According to Parsons:
Men were more suited for
an instrumental role (the
person who provides the
familys material support
and is often an authority
figure).
Women were more suited
for an expressive role (the
person who provides the
familys emotional support
and nurturing).
Introduction to Sociology: Sex and
Gender

Theories on Gender Inequality

(contd)

Conflict theorists:
Believe men have historically had access
to most of societys material resources
and privileges.
Therefore, it is in their interest to try to
maintain their dominant position.

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Theories on Gender Inequality

(contd)

Symbolic
Interactionists
emphasize how the
concept of gender is
socially constructed,
maintained, and
reproduced in our
everyday lives.
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Introduction to Sociology: Sex and

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Gender Role Socialization

Gender role
socialization is the
lifelong process of
learning to be
masculine or feminine,
primarily through four
main agents of
socialization: families,
schools, peers, and the
media.
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Gender Role Socialization

(contd)

Families are usually the primary

source of socialization and greatly
impact gender role socialization.
Social learning theory suggests that
the babies and children learn
behaviors and meanings through
social interaction and internalize the
expectations of those around them.
remember: we learn gender, we are not
born knowing who wears pink
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Gender Role Socialization

(contd)

Schools also socialize children into

their gender roles.
For instance, research shows that
teachers treat boys and girls
differently.
This may teach children that there
are different expectations of them,
based on their sex.
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Gender Role Socialization

(contd)

In Western societies, peer groups

are an important agent of
socialization.
Teens are rewarded by peers when
they conform to gender norms and
stigmatized when they do not.

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Gender Role Socialization

(contd)

Finally, there is no question that sexrole behavior is portrayed in a highly

stereotypical manner in all forms of
the media: television, movies,
magazines, books, video games, and
so on.

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A 1975 survey of childrens books

found that boys played active roles
but girls were frequently passive.
What messages about gender roles
might readers learn from this Dick
and Jane book?

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Sex, Gender, and Life Chances

(contd)

Sex and gender affect almost every

significant aspect of our lives.
Even lifespan is different by gender!
Women are disadvantaged in institutional
settings in our society. Women tend to:
Do a disproportionate amount of housework
Earn less on average than their male peers at
work
Remain more likely to live in poverty

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U.S. Life Expectancy by Gender,

19002007

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Male and Female Median Earnings,

19592008

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Sex, Gender, and Life Chances

(contd)

This has led to a situation called the

feminization of poverty, which is
the economic trend showing that
women are more likely than men to
live in poverty, due in part to:
the gendered gap in wages,
the higher proportion of single mothers
compared to single fathers,
and the increasing cost of childcare.
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Introduction to Sociology: Sex and

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Sex, Gender, and Life Chances

(contd)

Even our language and vocabulary

tend to reflect a hierarchal system of
gender inequality.
Whats the difference between a stud
and slut?
Mankind, mailman, guys
Did I tell you the riddle about the
doctor?

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Feminism and the Womens

Movement
Who considers themselves to be a feminist?
Do you know what feminism is?
Feminism is the belief in the social,
political, and economic equality of the
sexes and the social movements organized
around that belief.
In the United States, the history of the
womens movement can be divided into
three historical waves.
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The Womens Movement

(contd)

The first wave was the earliest

period of feminist activism and
included the period from the midnineteenth century until American
women won the right to vote in 1920.
The campaign organized around
gaining voting rights for women was
called the suffrage movement.
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The Womens Movement

(contd)

The second wave was the period of

feminist activity during the 1960s and
1970s often associated with the
issues of womens equal access to
employment and education.

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The Womens Movement

(contd)

The third wave is the most recent

period of feminist activity and focuses
on issues of diversity and the variety
of identities that women can possess.

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Sexual Orientation
Sexual orientation is the inclination
to be heterosexual (attracted to the
opposite sex), homosexual (attracted
to the same sex), or bisexual
(attracted to either sex).

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Sexual Orientation

(contd)

Is sexual orientation a continuum

rather than a few simple categories?

Those who are asexual may simply

reject any sexual identity at all.
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Homophobia
Homophobia is a fear of or discrimination
toward homosexuals or toward individuals
who display purportedly genderinappropriate behavior.
Some argue that the term homophobia
represents a biased attitude because the
term phobia implies a psychological
condition, thus excusing intolerance.

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Heterosexism
Homophobia refers to individual beliefs and
behaviors, not institutionalized discrimination.
Heterosexism refers to the antihomosexual
beliefs and practices embedded in social
institutions.
Similar to white privilege; were not taught
to see how racism puts some in a position of
privilege but rather view it as something that
puts racial ethnic minorities at a disadvantage.

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Examples of Heterosexism
Hospitals do not recognize spousal rights for samesex partners sick or dying or for same-sex parents
with children in the hospital
Gay, bisexual and lesbian issues are not included in
school curricula
School rules about name-calling, harassment or
bullying are not enforced for anti-gay incidents
Student rights laws or policies do not include sexual
orientation as a protected category
School social events are organized around
assumptions of heterosexuality (dances, dating)
Lesbians and gay men are assumed to be a threat
to children in some professions: teaching, coaching,
pediatric medicine
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Examples of Heterosexual Privilege

You can go wherever you want and know that you will not be
harassed, beaten, or killed because of your sexuality
You do not have to worry about being mistreated by the police
or victimized by the criminal justice system because of your
sexuality
You can express affection (kissing, hugging, and holding
hands) in most social situations and not expect hostile or
violent reactions from others
You can discuss your relationships and publicly acknowledge
your partner (such as by having a picture of your lover on your
desk) without fearing that people will automatically disapprove
or think that you are being blatant
You can legally marry the person whom you love in all 50
states
You can receive tax breaks, health insurance coverage, and
spousal legal rights through being in a long-term relationship
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Lesson Quiz
1. True or False: Sociologists believe that sex
and gender are essentially the same thing.
a. True
b. False

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Lesson Quiz
2. Which theoretical perspective generally
believes that there are still social roles
better suited to one gender than the other?
a. Conflict theory
b. Functionalism
c. Labeling theory
d. Symbolic interactionism

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Lesson Quiz
3. The physical, behavioral, and personality
traits that a group considers normal for its
male and female members is referring to:
a. sex
b. gender
c. sexual orientation
d. the functionalist theory of gender

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Lesson Quiz
4. The economic trend showing that women
are more likely than men to live in poverty
is called:
a. gender inequity
b. the suffrage movement
c. gender role socialization
d. the feminization of poverty

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Lesson Quiz
5. What was the cause most identified with
the first wave of the womens movement?
a. Equal pay for women
b. Equal access to education for women
c. The right to vote for women
d. The celebration of diversity

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For Next Time:

Life at home and the family.
Why do we choose the mates we do?
Dont forget to Read! (check your
syllabus for assigned readings!)

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