Sex, Gender and Sexual Identity: Pillars of Society

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Identity is a core component of society as a whole. Without an identity, society and its complex structure break down. The belief of knowing whom ones’ self is and what they represent is crucial because all individuals are a part of society no matter what social status they hold. Every person is important to society because society is based on functionalism, which is the idea that all aspects of society serve a function and are necessary for its survival (Oxford). Therefore, sex, gender and sexual identity are very important components of society since they are forms of identity. Firstly, sex is defined to the biological identification, either being male or female(Andersen, 254). Aside from this there are plenty of ways people associate themselves …show more content…

Because gender and sexual identity are an important factor in society, there are many concepts and norms instituted in order for people to be categorized into society. One of these concepts are gender roles. Gender roles are sets of societal criterion that impose what types of behaviors are considered appropriate or desirable for an individual based on their discernible sex. This is a problematic concept because these roles differ from one culture to the other, but all cultures have developed gender roles. These roles are learned early in one’s life, from the socialization through parents, family and religion (Andersen, 258). The ideas brought on by gender roles are especially challenged by ideologies such as gender essentialism, gender binary, and heterosexism are analyzed. Through the scrutinization of these ideologies one can realize the flaws of these beliefs and come to understand why gender roles are also an inaccurate generalization of many individuals in society. Truly misconceptions like these disregard the identities of countless amounts of people who are a great part of …show more content…

This model of gender classifies everyone into one of two genders, male or female (Nonbinary). Under the gender binary there can be no such thing as a person with two genders (Nonbinary). There is no gray area under the gender binary theory. This belief may be due to the fact that there are strong gender roles in our society and because some people feel the need to classify others under a rigid set of criterion. Again, this is incorrect because there are people who do not fit under the “female” title or the “male” title given by society. Society pressures people within its culture to conform into this gender binary when this is not even a natural option. There are variations that exist in basic biology that cannot be encapsulated by these rigid titles. Gender identity is multidimensional and cannot be contained by the simplicity of gender roles. Simply put, gender is a social construct, especially in regards to gender expression. Therefore, gender and sex cannot be combined and gender cannot be

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