Exam
What, if anything, does our understanding of sex contribute to our understanding of gender?
Sex is defined as the biological differences between men and women whereas gender is the fashion in which society highlights the sexual differences between both species (Siann, 1994).From the moment we are born, our lives are shaped by our biological identity, which in turn, is further influenced by an unlimited number of social, cultural, environmental and psychological forces. Even when we reach adulthood, these social and psychological forces are still prevalent. Determining what it means to be male or female involves more than a strictly biological definition. Often without our awareness; our behaviour, attitudes and aspirations have been strongly influenced by the gender role expectations of our particular culture. By the time we reached late childhood and adolescence our concept of gender identity and sexual orientation is firmly entrenched (Wood, 2010).This essay is about the contribution of sex to our understanding of gender.
The term “sex” refers to the genetic makeup, internal reproductive organs and the organization of the brain of individuals that distinguish them as male or female. On the contrary, the social roles and behaviour associated with both males and females are due to their cultural awareness and the way they were brought up (Lippa, 2005). Thus one can claim that the gender of an individual is nurtured by social, environmental and cultural factors whereas sex is a biological trait and, while it can be altered in the course of advanced surgery, it is normally believed to be fixed and determined by natural forces.Scientists in the medical field have found that the determination of basic sexual behaviours are not only conditioned by society and the process of socialisation, but also innate— beginning from the mother’s wombs. The way the brain of the baby is wired, and the quantities of male hormones (testosterone) that exist in the babies are responsible for influencing this sexual difference (Williams, 2011).
On the other hand gender is an existing socio-cultural model that describes social outlooks of masculinity and femininity. The gender theory suggests how society typically expects men or women to do; how they behave and what kinds of personality attributes to associate with each gender (Hutson, Warne & Grover, 2012). Thus one can assert that sex refers to biological variables and that hormones play a chief role in sex differentiation. In contrast gender refers to the cultural, social and psychological orientation of feminine and masculine behaviour.
What does sex have to do with gender?àusingBuller, David,2005
Implications of sex for gendered experienceà using Wilson, Margo, Martin Daly and Joanna Scheib 1997
Sex, gender and developmentà using Worthman, Carol 1999
How to think about sex and genderà using Hrdy, Sarah 2009
Jermaine Byrant
Nicole Johnson
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