Differentiating Between Sex and Gender

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Recommended: The media and gender roles

What differentiates one’s gender from one’s sex? Sex is biological while gender is social. In this sense, a person whose sex is female can have a male gender if some of the tasks she does are more attributed to males. But society has greatly erased this distinction and instead created gender differences that relate to one’s sex. While biological differences do not lead to gender differences, society has created these separate spheres to differentiate between who they consider as a male or a female and have carefully intertwined it in everyday life as seen with messages understood from the media, schools and a child’s first year along with each family’s struggle to attain the dream of an “ideal family.”

Media messages suggest how society transmits its expectations about gender roles throughout all age groups. It specifies what household work has to be associated with males or females. Through TV messages, it is seen that females are almost exclusively associated with household products that deal with cooking, cleaning or taking care of the children, all while looking as perfect as possible. (Media Messages, p. 161) Males related to household work are mostly seen when they have to use huge tools and machines to do their job such as cutting grass or trimming the bushes. These similar stereotypes can also be observed in children’s programming when children’s commercials suggest whether a toy is for a boy or a girl. (Media Messages, p.162) Commercials with “boy toys” include fighting and charging verbs that suggest how boys need to be the protectors and have a lot of strength. Girls’ commercials on the other hand, is filled with princess dolls that they have to look after, put on its makeup and braid its hair. These bring forth the i...

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...ntrue. Society has still been unable to recognize this fundamental difference that is inherently making our society oblivious to the reality.

In conclusion, as society fails to recognize the integral difference between one’s sex and one’s gender, and continues to teach these false beliefs to our next generation, it is our responsibility to begin to take measures to slowly try to correct society’s beliefs. As we understand the distinction between sex and gender, we must begin to bring this distinction to light among other folks as well. Until then, our society will continue to diverge from reality into a place of false beliefs and thoughts leading to great prejudice among people.

Works Cited

• Boys and Girls: The First Year

• Beyond the Family: Media Messages

• The “Ideal Family” of the American Dream

• Beyond the Family: Schools and the Hidden Curriculum

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