What is sex?
The biological characteristics of maleness of femaleness.
Three biological characteristics can be used to identify a person’s sex.
Physical Appearance
•Genitalia are commonly used at birth, but not without some occasional
errors.
•Hermaphrodite
•Physical abnormality
The Second Biological Characteristic
Hormones
•Hormones can also be used, but hormone levels vary greatly between
members of the same sex.
•Hormone levels are also influenced by physical activity.
•Males and females have the same hormones.
•Estrogen
•Testosterone
The Third Biological Characteristic
Chromosomes
•Chromosome testing is used to measure the presence of either XX or XY
pairs.
•Chromosome testing is not frequently done, but when the test is done some
errors do occur.
•Olympic FEM-testing has been criticized for many years.
•Errors are associated with all methods of determining individual sex.
Sex Category – is the assigning of a person (or self) to either male or female
sex.
What attributes do people use to identify someone's sex?
•Hair length?
•Physique?
•Skin complexion?
•Voice?
•How often are you wrong???
The concept of Gender
•A misunderstood concept that is not synonymous with sex.
•The behavior and attitudes that support the masculine or feminine
dimensions of the self.
•The social conceptions about personality traits and behavior appropriate for
males and females.
Gender Identity
•The mixture of masculine and feminine traits that are unique to each
person.
•The specific makeup of each persons gender is highly variable.
•In fact most sociologists believe that gender differences are greater within
the same sex than between the opposite sexes.
Males Only Please:
•What characteristics are associated with ultra-feminine women?
1.
2.
3.
Females Only Please:
•What characteristics are associated with ultra-masculine men?
1.
2.
3.
Gender Identity as One-or-Two Dimensional
What is a persons sex role?
•SEX ROLE – The learned pattern of gender behavior considered
appropriate for males and females in a society.
•The socialization into sex roles takes place in many ways:
Social Learning Theory – People learn their appropriate sex role by
watching and participating in social life.
•Girls games and boys games
•Cooperative v. competitive
•Indoor v. outdoor
•Close v. distant
•Age homogeneous v. age heterogeneous
•Television and movies
•Observing adults behavior
Labeling Theory – Successful application of labels leads to the
internalization of matching norms and values.
•The most powerful tool used to socialize females toward femininity and
males toward masculinity is homophobia.
•Homophobia - is the fear that others will think you are a homosexual.
•The fear of being identified as homosexual.
•Why would anyone be afraid of homosexual identification?
Sex Role Socialization
•Males are socialized primarily with prescriptive norms and females are
socialized primarily with proscriptive norms.
Male Female
•Strength
•Nurturer
•Provider
•Protector
•Emotional
•Leader
MALE SEX ROLE MODELS
Mr. Tough
Mr. Jock
Mr. Playboy
Mr. Money
Mr. Fearless
All male sex role models represent three masculine attributes: Power,
Control and Dominance.
FEMALE SEX ROLE MODELS
Mrs. Mom.
Ms. Model.
Ms. Professional.
Ms. Athlete.
Super-Mom.
All female sex role models represent three basic feminine attributes:
nurture, beauty and duty.
Sexuality is the internalized norms and values that represent a pattern of
sexual behavior.
•Genetic sexuality?
•Choice sexuality?
•Critical period conditioned sexuality?
•All sexual behavior is acquired (?) behavior.
Sexuality, Gender and Culture
•Men are more often the initiators of sexual activity than women, even
though the positive response rates are equal.
•Men are more permissive about casual sex than women.
•Men begin sexual activity at an earlier age than women.
•There is more stigma for a women than a man to be sexually promiscuous.
PROMISCUITY: variations in definition
The Grand Valley Dani
Do not begin sexual relations until two years after marriage
The population is barely maintained
A couple will abstain for sex for 4-6 years after the birth of child
Very low extramarital sex
No evidence of homosexuality or masturbation
PROMISCUITY: variations in definition
South Pacific Mangaia
Both male and female have considerable premarital sex, with many
partners
18 year old males have 3 orgasms a night each night of the week
28 year olds 2 orgasms per night, 5-6 times a week
Extramarital relations are common
What are the physiological differences between male and female humans?
A few of the commonly held beliefs are:
•Intelligence
•Body Fat
•Hormones and Chromosomes
•Pelvic Bone?
•Muscle Mass
•Will a female ever be able to run, jump, or lift equal to the male?
Perceived Versus Actual Differences Between Males and Females
Sexism is the belief that a persons behavior is the product of their sexual
biology.
What behaviors are commonly believed to be female?
•Nurturing?
•Emotional?
What behaviors are commonly believed to be male?
•Aggression?
•Hunting?
Language reveals much of the sexism that is pervasive in American society
•The language does not creates sexism, but rather reveals the presence
in everyday life.
•The common language is a powerful tool in the socialization process of
children.
•Language teaches the appropriate behavior, attitudes, and status of
males and females in a society.
The language ignores the female.
•He and his, mankind, all are supposed to include females.
•Try reading a story that only has she and see if you can put yourself in
the role of the character.
•HISTORY
The language defines the status position of females and feminine.
•Women are defined by losing their name when married.
•When possessions are named by men, the possession is named
feminine.
•We often denote that a status typically held by a man with the defining
title of LADY surgeon, truck driver, police officer (chick-cop).
The language depreciates things that are female or feminine.
•The use of -ess or -etts to end the titles of gender neutral status
positions is used to devalue the position because a female occupies the
status.
•For example, actor/actress, waiter/waitress, or the names of teams for
sports bobcats/lady bobcats.
•There are over 200 swear slang words that refer to female anatomy,
but only 20 referring to male anatomy.
•What is the worst thing one man can call another?
•What is the worst thing a woman can call another?
Voice and Gender
Tone of voice is often used to identify the gender of others.
Males end sentences with low tones
Females end sentences with high tones
Tone influences the authority and confidence expressed by the voice
Males are said to command
Females are said to request
Voice and Gender cont.
Tone of voice influences the perception others have of the speaker
Masculine tone generates a perception of authority and confidence
Feminine tone generates a perception of insecurity and submissiveness
One explanation for the “glass ceiling” is the gender differences is voice
presentation.