- 10 May 2021, 01:06
#20648
Differences between Sex and Gender.
Society is composed of standards and norm that shape the way we see thoughts encompassing us, this incorporates the way we see sex and gender. Though these words would mean the same at layman perspective, the focus of this paper will be understanding the different definitions and contrasts between these terms and examine how society constructs gender categories from birth. As generations pass by, there has been different ways in which sex has been categorized. This has brought a problem in understanding gender as society has created a single, narrow-minded definition of sex where it is now enforced into our daily life. Moving away from this is either simply shunned upon or in many cases legally banned in a country.
Having these two terms defined will further increase our knowledge in helping us how society categorizes gender from birth. Sex is defined as “physical or physiological differences between males and females” (Little, McGivern, 2014). This shows that society has classified sex through sex reproductive organs (male and female genitals) as well as secondary differences such as muscularity, height, and facial features where males are known to be more muscular and taller than females. The problems arise when certain sexes do not feel they “fit” into their categorized roles, females feel more confident in themselves with male characteristics and vice versa (McCauley, T. Gender Categories. PowerPoint slide no. 4).
Gender on the other hand is defined as “social or cultural distinctions associated with being male or female.” (Little, McGivern, 2014). Also, gender is a social construct (McCauley, T. Gender Categories. PowerPoint slide no. 2) which is an idea created by a specific society and thus varies across various communities, religions as well as cultures where masculinity and femininity are seen differently. An example can be Arab men, especially Muslims, wear long scarfs or turbans to cover their heads like what Muslim women wear however this is an option for men and mandatory to women. Despite being optional, most Arab men wear them and are not considered to be feminine wearing it, however it is more of a cultural aspect.
To figure out how society categorizes gender from birth, a look into socialization is needed as this is how society is kept well organized where gender is constructed from it (McCauley, T. Male Female Relationships. PowerPoint slide no. 11). This is proven when gender is assumed during one’s biological birth. As mentioned before, as individuals grow up, most see themselves differently from what society has classified them as, “they feel comfortable in the opposite sex or in some sex categories” (McCauley, T. Gender Categories. PowerPoint slide no. 4). An example of social construction can be shown within families as society perceives men to be the financial bone of the home where the food and clothes come in and the women are seen as the stay-at-home mothers raising their children and cooking the food brought by the men. This specifically implies to the nuclear family as it fits this case and is more functional in the modern society. Similarly, when an individual chooses to play both roles, they enter what Parson defines as a “dysfunctional family” (McCauley, T. Male Female Relations. PowerPoint slide no. 21) which includes single parents or same sex families (having two mothers or two fathers). This creates discrimination to those gender who are a biologically a female but represent male characteristics.
A real-life example of socialization is shown before as well as after birth. Before birth, parents, friends, and family members would gift the couple even before the gender of the child giving pink for girls or blue for boys (McCauley, T. Male Female Relations. PowerPoint slide no. 14). This depicts how social categorization has taken place before and during birth by giving them pink or blue toys and specifically colored clothing (blue/pink). Furthermore, as these children grow up with this lifestyle, society then teaches them how to act, either being more masculine or feminine. Thus, objection by the growing child can never be called for due to society already fixating a certain role on them since birth and would be seen as “weird” or “abnormal” to opinionize it, which leads issues such as bullying and homophobia.
In conclusion, the world is very accustomed to having only two genders while now it is more complex then generations before where life was simpler in terms of what was right or wrong and when opinions were strictly shunned by law unlike how freedom of speech is expressed worldwide, this makes gender easily changeable to avoid any discrimination and thus allows us to accept every gender as one.
Bibliography:
Little, W, McGivern, R. (2014) ‘Introduction to Sociology’ Gender, Sex, and Sexuality Retrieved on October 6, 2020 from https://opentextbc.ca/introductiontosoc ... ection12.1.
McCauley, T. (2020) ‘Gender Categories’ Male Female Relationships (PowerPoint Slides) Retrieved from URL: https://eclass.yorku.ca/eclass/course/view.php?id=1954
McCauley, T. (2020) ‘Male Female Relationships’ (PowerPoint Slides) Retrieved from URL: https://eclass.yorku.ca/eclass/course/view.php?id=1954
McCauley, T. (2020) ‘Male Female Relations’ (PowerPoint Slides) Retrieved from URL: https://eclass.yorku.ca/eclass/course/view.php?id=1954
Society is composed of standards and norm that shape the way we see thoughts encompassing us, this incorporates the way we see sex and gender. Though these words would mean the same at layman perspective, the focus of this paper will be understanding the different definitions and contrasts between these terms and examine how society constructs gender categories from birth. As generations pass by, there has been different ways in which sex has been categorized. This has brought a problem in understanding gender as society has created a single, narrow-minded definition of sex where it is now enforced into our daily life. Moving away from this is either simply shunned upon or in many cases legally banned in a country.
Having these two terms defined will further increase our knowledge in helping us how society categorizes gender from birth. Sex is defined as “physical or physiological differences between males and females” (Little, McGivern, 2014). This shows that society has classified sex through sex reproductive organs (male and female genitals) as well as secondary differences such as muscularity, height, and facial features where males are known to be more muscular and taller than females. The problems arise when certain sexes do not feel they “fit” into their categorized roles, females feel more confident in themselves with male characteristics and vice versa (McCauley, T. Gender Categories. PowerPoint slide no. 4).
Gender on the other hand is defined as “social or cultural distinctions associated with being male or female.” (Little, McGivern, 2014). Also, gender is a social construct (McCauley, T. Gender Categories. PowerPoint slide no. 2) which is an idea created by a specific society and thus varies across various communities, religions as well as cultures where masculinity and femininity are seen differently. An example can be Arab men, especially Muslims, wear long scarfs or turbans to cover their heads like what Muslim women wear however this is an option for men and mandatory to women. Despite being optional, most Arab men wear them and are not considered to be feminine wearing it, however it is more of a cultural aspect.
To figure out how society categorizes gender from birth, a look into socialization is needed as this is how society is kept well organized where gender is constructed from it (McCauley, T. Male Female Relationships. PowerPoint slide no. 11). This is proven when gender is assumed during one’s biological birth. As mentioned before, as individuals grow up, most see themselves differently from what society has classified them as, “they feel comfortable in the opposite sex or in some sex categories” (McCauley, T. Gender Categories. PowerPoint slide no. 4). An example of social construction can be shown within families as society perceives men to be the financial bone of the home where the food and clothes come in and the women are seen as the stay-at-home mothers raising their children and cooking the food brought by the men. This specifically implies to the nuclear family as it fits this case and is more functional in the modern society. Similarly, when an individual chooses to play both roles, they enter what Parson defines as a “dysfunctional family” (McCauley, T. Male Female Relations. PowerPoint slide no. 21) which includes single parents or same sex families (having two mothers or two fathers). This creates discrimination to those gender who are a biologically a female but represent male characteristics.
A real-life example of socialization is shown before as well as after birth. Before birth, parents, friends, and family members would gift the couple even before the gender of the child giving pink for girls or blue for boys (McCauley, T. Male Female Relations. PowerPoint slide no. 14). This depicts how social categorization has taken place before and during birth by giving them pink or blue toys and specifically colored clothing (blue/pink). Furthermore, as these children grow up with this lifestyle, society then teaches them how to act, either being more masculine or feminine. Thus, objection by the growing child can never be called for due to society already fixating a certain role on them since birth and would be seen as “weird” or “abnormal” to opinionize it, which leads issues such as bullying and homophobia.
In conclusion, the world is very accustomed to having only two genders while now it is more complex then generations before where life was simpler in terms of what was right or wrong and when opinions were strictly shunned by law unlike how freedom of speech is expressed worldwide, this makes gender easily changeable to avoid any discrimination and thus allows us to accept every gender as one.
Bibliography:
Little, W, McGivern, R. (2014) ‘Introduction to Sociology’ Gender, Sex, and Sexuality Retrieved on October 6, 2020 from https://opentextbc.ca/introductiontosoc ... ection12.1.
McCauley, T. (2020) ‘Gender Categories’ Male Female Relationships (PowerPoint Slides) Retrieved from URL: https://eclass.yorku.ca/eclass/course/view.php?id=1954
McCauley, T. (2020) ‘Male Female Relationships’ (PowerPoint Slides) Retrieved from URL: https://eclass.yorku.ca/eclass/course/view.php?id=1954
McCauley, T. (2020) ‘Male Female Relations’ (PowerPoint Slides) Retrieved from URL: https://eclass.yorku.ca/eclass/course/view.php?id=1954
- By Fatema.Khimji