Sex and Gender
Oct. 8th, 2009 01:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
darishaHere's a bit of a question for you: what gender are you?
Not too hard to answer at first glace - you're either male or female, right? But why? What makes us male or female? If we were to never reveal (or never even know) the specific form of our reproductive organs, would we still be male or female? Would this change how we think or act, or how we are perceived? Damn right it would.
"Gender", often used interchangably with the word "sex", refers to a set of characteristics that people perceive as distinguishing between the condition of being male or female. However, these words really aren't that interchangable. Sex refers more specifically to the genetic composition of our physical bodies and is something that is decided for us on a cellular level. Gender, on the other hand, is an entirely social construct, dictating one's social role and identity within their particular culture.
Everyone is born in to a culture - ‘a set of ideas shared by a group of people’ which are ‘symbolically expressed in their behaviour and artefacts’ (Walum, 1977). These ideas give people an idea of what is, and what ought to be - including the attitude towards sex and gender. Unlike sex, which is an ‘ascribed status’ in that a person is assigned to being either male or female at birth, in her book The Dynamics of Sex and Gender, Laurel Richardson Walum describes gender as an ‘achieved status', meaning ‘psychological, social, and cultural components’ that are learned. As children, we are socially conditioned to think, feel, and act in culturally condoned, gender-appropriate ways according to our biological structure. The idea of gender identity - what it means to be masculine or feminine - is one of our most basic definitions of self, but is by no means universally agreed upon.
In the book Erect Men/Undulating Women Melanie Wiber defines gender as ‘culturally specific constructs central to the definition of social categories of personhood’. These assumptions about gender-specific roles even permeate evolutionary models. A survey of evolutionary reconstructions and illustrations demonstrates that the gender components of their content follow the long-standing idea of the “male active” theories, despite recent feministic challenges. In other words, the male figure is still represented as upright and dominant - the proficient and prolific hunter who is the most active player in daily life/evolution as a whole. Females are usually depicted stooped or crouched - a smaller, passive figure, often skinning the kills of the male and/or carrying his children. The children themselves seem to lack any clear social role. Crossing species or even genus boundaries seems to be no barrier to portraying the ‘universal nature of gender’, both male and female. Even in our post-feminist society, textbooks and publications still continue to publish gender-loaded illustrations. The repetitive nature of this material can lead many students to assume that ‘primitive’ gender roles were the same as we see them today, rather than as they actually may have been.
And what about transexuals? How do they fit into this picture? While latent femininity and masculinity are within us all, transsexuals cross the boundaries of gender identity and are drawn, both emotionally and psychologically, to aspects stereotypically applied to their physical opposites. The idea of being either male or female is usually derived from the physiology of a person, the gender role placed upon them by the attitudes of society, and the biological responses of their physical bodies. The later can be especially confusing for a transsexual for, while they acknowledge their physical gender, the presence of a ‘hard-on’ or menstruation, for example, feels like a distortion of reality (Johnson et. al., 1982). In order to overcome these distortions, transsexuals will seek to alter their anatomical appearance to conform to their psyche.
Unfortunately, the idea of a sex change runs counter to what many believe to be the ‘natural order’ of things. It is seen as some sort of sexual perversion, leading to many transsexuals being shunned and abused (mentally and physically). They, on the other hand, simply believe their condition to be a physical handicap - the result of a ‘biological malfunction at the time of gender differentiation in the womb’ (Johnson et. al., 1982), rather than a social or psychological error. They merely seek to be freed from the emotional torment of being born in to the wrong bodies and embrace their ‘true’ gender identities.
I'm a heterosexual female, but whether you're gay, straight, bi- or trans-sexual, finding a partner can often be difficult. Especially if you have NO idea what you're doing. Scientists suggest that partner selection is all about genetics - appearance, scent, physical attractiveness etc. - but all these do are help you FIND a suitable partner, they're not ways of getting or keeping a partner.
In the book Gendered Communication in Dating Relationships, Sandra Metts looks at the idea of dating going hand-in-hand with gender in being a social construct. She states that gender is ‘fluid and a socially embedded construction’ that consist of ‘meanings and expectations of men and women that are created and upheld by social structures and practices’. This role-appropriate behaviour determines how we act, speak, and even date and select a partner. We communicate via ‘interaction scripts’ associated with our gender roles, depending on where and to whom we are speaking.
With dating relationships, gender influences our relationship expectations, presentation, goals, and methods to meet those goals. We generally follow a set of ‘scripted’ relationship sequences relevant to gender-specific behaviours e.g. men will make the first move (i.e. the opening line), test for sexual availability, and be the one to propose marriage; women will flirt and reply with non-verbal signals if they’re interested, display their physical attractiveness, but show restraint to tests of sexual availability, and have higher relationship-maintenance expectations.
While men and women essentially enjoy dating and look for long-term partners for the same reasons, we are all socially conditioned to fall into gender-relevant patterns. The whole ‘mate selection ritual’ of dating tends to subconsciously evoke these gender-specific roles, no matter what our sexual orientation may be.
References
* Johnson, C. & Brown, C. with Nelson, W. 1982. The Gender Trap. Great Britain: Proteus Books.
* Mets, S. 2006. ‘Gendered Communication in Dating Relationships’, The SAGE Handbook of Gender and Communication. California: Sage Publications, Inc. Pp. 25-40.
* Walum, L. R. 1977. ‘Culture and Gender’, The Dynamics of Sex and Gender: A Sociological Perspective. Chicago: Rand McNally College Publishing Company. Pp. 3-12.
* Wiber, M. G. 1998. ‘Gender: The Ubiquitous Story Operator’, Erect Men/Undulating Women: the visual imagery of gender, “race” and progress in reconstructive illustrations of human evolutionCanada: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. Pp 75-103.
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Just when you thought getting a date couldn't be any harder, someone in an office somewhere goes and turns it into a scientific formula, lol. I'm going to assume that I'm not the only person who didn't really understand the difference between "sex" and "gender" before now (cause I'll feel dumb if I don't). It's been an interesting experience learning about how and why these social constructs really affect the development of our personal identity, and it will be really useful when it comes to developing characters in Refraction. For anyone who's followed us from the beginning, you'll eventually notice a MAJOR change has already occured. Look forward to it! <3
EDIT: It's not lost on me that all my references were written by women. Unfortunately, gender studies is a predominantly woman orientated field and there weren't many male sources to choose from (at my library anyway). If you'd like some male-orientated reading, check out some books by Michael Kimmel or Michael Messner.
Dimi's Random Thought For The Day: I feel a little less dumb today :P
-
Not too hard to answer at first glace - you're either male or female, right? But why? What makes us male or female? If we were to never reveal (or never even know) the specific form of our reproductive organs, would we still be male or female? Would this change how we think or act, or how we are perceived? Damn right it would.
"Gender", often used interchangably with the word "sex", refers to a set of characteristics that people perceive as distinguishing between the condition of being male or female. However, these words really aren't that interchangable. Sex refers more specifically to the genetic composition of our physical bodies and is something that is decided for us on a cellular level. Gender, on the other hand, is an entirely social construct, dictating one's social role and identity within their particular culture.
Everyone is born in to a culture - ‘a set of ideas shared by a group of people’ which are ‘symbolically expressed in their behaviour and artefacts’ (Walum, 1977). These ideas give people an idea of what is, and what ought to be - including the attitude towards sex and gender. Unlike sex, which is an ‘ascribed status’ in that a person is assigned to being either male or female at birth, in her book The Dynamics of Sex and Gender, Laurel Richardson Walum describes gender as an ‘achieved status', meaning ‘psychological, social, and cultural components’ that are learned. As children, we are socially conditioned to think, feel, and act in culturally condoned, gender-appropriate ways according to our biological structure. The idea of gender identity - what it means to be masculine or feminine - is one of our most basic definitions of self, but is by no means universally agreed upon.
In the book Erect Men/Undulating Women Melanie Wiber defines gender as ‘culturally specific constructs central to the definition of social categories of personhood’. These assumptions about gender-specific roles even permeate evolutionary models. A survey of evolutionary reconstructions and illustrations demonstrates that the gender components of their content follow the long-standing idea of the “male active” theories, despite recent feministic challenges. In other words, the male figure is still represented as upright and dominant - the proficient and prolific hunter who is the most active player in daily life/evolution as a whole. Females are usually depicted stooped or crouched - a smaller, passive figure, often skinning the kills of the male and/or carrying his children. The children themselves seem to lack any clear social role. Crossing species or even genus boundaries seems to be no barrier to portraying the ‘universal nature of gender’, both male and female. Even in our post-feminist society, textbooks and publications still continue to publish gender-loaded illustrations. The repetitive nature of this material can lead many students to assume that ‘primitive’ gender roles were the same as we see them today, rather than as they actually may have been.
And what about transexuals? How do they fit into this picture? While latent femininity and masculinity are within us all, transsexuals cross the boundaries of gender identity and are drawn, both emotionally and psychologically, to aspects stereotypically applied to their physical opposites. The idea of being either male or female is usually derived from the physiology of a person, the gender role placed upon them by the attitudes of society, and the biological responses of their physical bodies. The later can be especially confusing for a transsexual for, while they acknowledge their physical gender, the presence of a ‘hard-on’ or menstruation, for example, feels like a distortion of reality (Johnson et. al., 1982). In order to overcome these distortions, transsexuals will seek to alter their anatomical appearance to conform to their psyche.
Unfortunately, the idea of a sex change runs counter to what many believe to be the ‘natural order’ of things. It is seen as some sort of sexual perversion, leading to many transsexuals being shunned and abused (mentally and physically). They, on the other hand, simply believe their condition to be a physical handicap - the result of a ‘biological malfunction at the time of gender differentiation in the womb’ (Johnson et. al., 1982), rather than a social or psychological error. They merely seek to be freed from the emotional torment of being born in to the wrong bodies and embrace their ‘true’ gender identities.
I'm a heterosexual female, but whether you're gay, straight, bi- or trans-sexual, finding a partner can often be difficult. Especially if you have NO idea what you're doing. Scientists suggest that partner selection is all about genetics - appearance, scent, physical attractiveness etc. - but all these do are help you FIND a suitable partner, they're not ways of getting or keeping a partner.
In the book Gendered Communication in Dating Relationships, Sandra Metts looks at the idea of dating going hand-in-hand with gender in being a social construct. She states that gender is ‘fluid and a socially embedded construction’ that consist of ‘meanings and expectations of men and women that are created and upheld by social structures and practices’. This role-appropriate behaviour determines how we act, speak, and even date and select a partner. We communicate via ‘interaction scripts’ associated with our gender roles, depending on where and to whom we are speaking.
With dating relationships, gender influences our relationship expectations, presentation, goals, and methods to meet those goals. We generally follow a set of ‘scripted’ relationship sequences relevant to gender-specific behaviours e.g. men will make the first move (i.e. the opening line), test for sexual availability, and be the one to propose marriage; women will flirt and reply with non-verbal signals if they’re interested, display their physical attractiveness, but show restraint to tests of sexual availability, and have higher relationship-maintenance expectations.
While men and women essentially enjoy dating and look for long-term partners for the same reasons, we are all socially conditioned to fall into gender-relevant patterns. The whole ‘mate selection ritual’ of dating tends to subconsciously evoke these gender-specific roles, no matter what our sexual orientation may be.
References
* Johnson, C. & Brown, C. with Nelson, W. 1982. The Gender Trap. Great Britain: Proteus Books.
* Mets, S. 2006. ‘Gendered Communication in Dating Relationships’, The SAGE Handbook of Gender and Communication. California: Sage Publications, Inc. Pp. 25-40.
* Walum, L. R. 1977. ‘Culture and Gender’, The Dynamics of Sex and Gender: A Sociological Perspective. Chicago: Rand McNally College Publishing Company. Pp. 3-12.
* Wiber, M. G. 1998. ‘Gender: The Ubiquitous Story Operator’, Erect Men/Undulating Women: the visual imagery of gender, “race” and progress in reconstructive illustrations of human evolutionCanada: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. Pp 75-103.
-
Just when you thought getting a date couldn't be any harder, someone in an office somewhere goes and turns it into a scientific formula, lol. I'm going to assume that I'm not the only person who didn't really understand the difference between "sex" and "gender" before now (cause I'll feel dumb if I don't). It's been an interesting experience learning about how and why these social constructs really affect the development of our personal identity, and it will be really useful when it comes to developing characters in Refraction. For anyone who's followed us from the beginning, you'll eventually notice a MAJOR change has already occured. Look forward to it! <3
EDIT: It's not lost on me that all my references were written by women. Unfortunately, gender studies is a predominantly woman orientated field and there weren't many male sources to choose from (at my library anyway). If you'd like some male-orientated reading, check out some books by Michael Kimmel or Michael Messner.
Dimi's Random Thought For The Day: I feel a little less dumb today :P
-