Much of society is based on, and influenced by, the ideas of sex and gender. While the two are dissimilar in many ways, they are often thought of as interchangeable and are in a way connected. While gender is the biological makeup of one’s physical body, including chromosomes, hormones, gonads, genitals, and a variety of secondary characteristics, such as facial hair or breasts, gender is a socially constructed concept that influences social roles and behavior. However, one must ask how society can function properly, when a factor which influences social structures so heavily is inaccurately represented. Typically, it is understood that men are people with male bodies, and women are people with female bodies. However, these lines can get blurred when one’s gender identity does not coincide with their sex. An example of this is a transgender person, a person whose gender identity does not match their biological sex. …show more content…
In addition to the sexes male and female, Fausto-Sterling proposes we add three more categories including herm, (a true hermaphrodite) which has both testes and ovaries, merm (a male pseudo-hermaphrodite), which has testes and no ovaries, although some aspects of female genitalia, and fem, (a female pseudo-hermaphrodite) which has ovaries and some aspects of male genitalia but no testes. The reason for the addition of these sexes is to be more accurate and inclusive for all persons. Fausto-Sterling’s arguments for having at least five sex categories are valid because only having two categories is biologically inaccurate, and exclusive to people who do not fit into either category perfectly, both contributing to societal
To begin, I think it is important to analyze the difference between “sex” and “gender”. Up until researching for this paper, I though that the two terms were interchangeable in meaning, rather, they are separate ideas that are connected. According to Mary K. Whelan, a Doctor of Anthropology focusing on gender studies, sex and gender are different. She states, “Western conflation of sex and gender can lead to the impression that biology, and not culture, is responsible for defining gender roles. This is clearly not the case.”. She continues with, “Gender, like kinship, does have a biological referent, but beyond a universal recognition of male and female "packages," different cultures have chosen to associate very different behaviors, interactions, and statuses with men and women. Gender categories are arbitrary constructions of culture, and consequently, gender-appropriate behaviors vary widely from culture to culture.” (23). Gender roles are completely defined by the culture each person lives in. While some may think that another culture is sexist, or dem...
In “The Gender Blur: Where Does Biology End and Society Take Over?” Deborah Blum states that “gender roles of our culture reflect an underlying biology” (Blum 679). Maasik and Solomon argue that gender codes and behavior “are not the result of some sort of natural or biological destiny, but are instead politically motivated cultural constructions,” (620) raising the question whether gender behavior begins in culture or genetics. Although one may argue that gender roles begin in either nature or nurture, many believe that both culture and biology have an influence on the behavior.
However, an umbrella term, or a word that covers more than one specific topic, such as transgender, does not only describe people who identify as the opposite sex; it also describes people who identify with both male and female genders, people who identify as genderless, or people who fluctuate between two or more genders. Many transgender people often refer to themselves simply as “trans.” Transgender does not define one’s sexual orientation, however; gender is considered a social construct while sexuality is not.
Throughout Gendered World sociologist argue that gender and sex are socially constructed instead of being innate. The authors present evidence in regards to history, biology, and contemporary viewpoints using day-to-day examples. Although alternative viewpoints may argue that through a biological perspectives gender and sex is an innate characteristic through deeper examination it can be determined that gender and sex are truly socially constructed.
Gender is seen as a spectrum, and one can fall anywhere on this spectrum. Again, according to Sam Killerman, being transgendered means living "as a member of a gender other than that expected based on sex assigned at birth." Just because a person is born with male genitalia does not mean they have to be male.
Gender is a social construct and does exist independently. It is an invention of society that dictates what is ‘masculine’ and what is ‘feminine’. Cultural practices and norms further permeate the construct of gender, with stereotypes and the dictation by media and governing bodies regarding how the sexes should identify. Gender associates ‘feminine’ with female, and ‘masculine’ with male, and suggests that these characteristics should be sex-exclusive. Female and male are, themselves, constructed at birth on the basis of the child’s genitals; intersex children are frequently subjected to physical change in an attempt to ‘organize’ them into a particular social category. Gender dictates the roles humans are to play in society, and thus children are taught from an early age the accepted characteristics of their gender. In adulthood, the teaching appears to continue, as a plethora of media outlets and a variety of social discourses outline the behavior that those of a particular gender must exhibit. Social depiction of gender dictates what hobbies we should pursue, how we communicate with others, the type of work we’re supposed to do, and even the sex we should be attracted to.
Anatomical level involves the “genitals and secondary sexual characteristics” (Fausto-Sterling 22). During the anatomical level not all the genitals will allow a person to become distinctly identified as a male or female. Many people would use both sex, gender and gender traits to judge individuals as either male or female on a single spectrum. Gender identity of being identified as a male or female can be “poorly understood interaction with environment and experience” (Fausto-Sterling 22). People with gender identity issues are confused on the fact of how society views their sexuality either as a male, female or both. Gender identity is a way for a person to identify themselves with what they believe is their true identity; despite the physical characteristics. The gender development levels show that “masculinity and femininity is in almost every possible permutation” (Fausto-Sterling 22). Masculinity and femininity has a lot of variations between the chromosomal, hormonal and genital level. “A chromosomal, hormonal and genital male emerges with a female gender identity” (Fausto-Sterling 22). A transgendered male is still prone to
From a very young age, children are taught the basics: letters of the alphabet, standard colors on the color wheel, happy from sad, and girl from boy. Following this distinction of boy from girl, often times there are numerous socialization events which occur throughout a child 's life. Whether conscious or not, the interactions that a child has with other individuals, and even with their environment, pose novel and reinforcing indications of the idea that their sex is culturally tied to specific gender characteristics. With this being said, it is important to realize that many fail to come to terms with the idea that biological sex is completely independent of gender identity. A multitude of gender roles are socialized into thousands of cultures across the world, often times without establishing an open dialogue for those in the population. One point that remains true is the fact that there are differences between an individual 's sex and gender, and often times these dynamics can manifest in social issues, such as female genital mutilation.
The social construction theory claims that gender, along with gender inequalities, are conceived by society and are not innate (Klement lecture notes September 27 2016). Instead of agreeing that gender and its inequalities are biologically determined, this theory explores how society, culture and norms influence our understanding of the variances between masculinity and femininity and govern our practices, customs and rules concerning the way we “perform” our gender.
The human population is unevenly distributed amongst a multitude of cultures, numerous value and belief structures, and countless societal arrangements that dictate every single thing within our lives. These systems and structures have overlaps and similarities along with their contrasting features, and further separate amongst themselves for an even more defined subset of genres and lifestyles, acting as connections amongst people who lack geological likeness. However, despite the potential for connections and links between these cultures and structures, there are still key concepts that cause great divides amongst people. In this essay, I will discuss one of the many issues that splits our species apart: Gender.
One such word is transgender. While there are other gender identities that may fall under the general idea of being transgender, the main idea is that a person’s gender identity is opposite or not matching to their sex assigned at birth. Commonly, the word transgender (or the common abbreviation of trans) is used alongside the standard male or female. This means that a trans guy/man/boy is someone who was assigned female sex at birth, but that their gender identity is male. A trans woman/girl is someone who was assigned male sex at birth, but identifies as female. It is important to understand that not all transgender people go through the process of physical transition (such as hormones, genital surgery, etc.), and that a person’s transition is only what they make it to
In our everyday life, the terms Sex and Gender are often used to denote the same thing. But they are totally different terms, sex referring to physical variations that differ between a male and a female. Sex is an obvious difference from the birth (physical characteristics like genitals and all the other characteristics which differ when the child matures like breasts or growth of facial hair). Contrary to what gender is usually defined as, it is what a child becomes to be either masculine or feminine in nature. This difference is shaped by the society and not something a person is born with. Gender is something that a person is mould into and it is his own. This essay will further emphasize on the differentiation between sex and gender and how society plays a crucial role in the gender development.
The complexities of gender identity extend far beyond its definition—gender refers to the socially constructed roles assigned to biological sex. Non-binary gender identity, also referred to as being transgender, is a complex and highly misunderstood concept. Transgender people are typically born with male or female anatomy but from a young age feel born in the incorrect body. Someone who was born of the female sex may identify as a man, and therefore they consider themselves of a transgender. Aside for experts in the academic fields of gender and sexuality, few professionals who encounter cases of complex gender identities are prepared for what it entails. Specifically, cases of young transgender children are often deemed illegitimate simply
As discussed before when it comes to gender identity is when a person self-identifies as either a female, male, both, and or neither from their opposite gender (Hays & Erford, p.
The term transgender is, according to GLAAD, “used to describe people whose gender identity differs from the sex the doctor marked on their birth certificate. Gender identity is a person's internal, personal sense of being a man or a woman (or someone outside of that gender binary). For transgender people, the sex they were assigned at birth and their own internal gender identity do not match.”