What Is The Distinction Between Sex And Gender?

Superior Essays
The dominant idea is that there are two genders, male and female, which are based on the biological notion of sex. It is important to make a distinction between sex and gender. Sex ‘refers to the biological differences between male and female’ and is defined ‘in terms of chromosomes, gonads and genital’ (Oakley cited in Delphy 1993: 2). Gender however is about psychological attributes and behaviours that are developed as a result of what society expects of us as males and females and is based on the ideas of masculinity and femininity (Hubbard 1996: 157). Hence, it can be concluded that sex is something we are born with and it is hence, purely biological and on the other hand, gender is something we ourselves construct as we grow up from our …show more content…
People tend to think biologically female is always only a female and biologically male is always fully a male, with the unquestioned assumption that sex and gender are the same thing. Many people grow up and often live their whole lives with this binary view and never feel the need to think about it further. However, the concept of two genders is mostly a western view in which Western religions such as Christianity have a big role to play. For example, for hundreds of years there has occurred the so-called ‘coupling’ between sex and procreation. Family and having children have always been central parts of life and the idea of traditional family is closely linked to Western religions and teachings (Hubbert 1996: 158). However, many cultures have and still do except the idea of more than two genders. For instance, some Native Americans acknowledge the existence of people who are not male or female, but something between. They construct a third gender and are often referred as ‘the Berdache’ (Schnarch 1992). The same kind of notion of third gender can be found in India where ‘hijras’ form a third gender group. They are either intersex or made to be the third sex through castration (Lal 1999: 119). The notion of a third gender in a large number of non-Western cultures tells about how the concept of two genders is not actually fixed nor based completely on biological …show more content…
These sex correction surgeries and treatments are usually done although there is nothing wrong with the child’s health. Thus, the reason behind correcting baby’s sex seems to be more about pleasing and ensuring parents and the child’s future gender identity is ignored. When it comes to our understanding of sex, the binary paradigm, being intersex is seen as a mistake, abnormality or even something unnatural and so correcting the sex is seen as a rational thing to do (Hubbert 1996: 161). However, there is the danger of getting the sex of intersex baby wrong which can cause trauma and psychological issues later in their lives. One great example is the case of Finnish woman called Ami who was born intersex but was made to appear as a girl very soon after being born. She did not know about her condition until she was an adult but she never felt like an actual woman and thus, had a deep uncertainty of herself. Today she does not want to identify herself as anything and would choose to legally be a third sex if it was an option (Nousiainen

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The term “Two Spirit” is introduced as a Cherokee person who identifies with both male and female gender roles, creating a third gender. Two Spirits’ goals are to change these patriarchal patterns back into what was an equal community with no suppressed gender. They feel as if they have an obligation to try to restore traditional gender roles because of their combination of their own gender. Two Spirits try to prevent the suggestion that gender can “be [a] site of violence and tool of oppression” (128).…

    • 527 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Unit 5, Activity 4: ISP Essay Gender Inequality in Water for Elephants In today’s society, there is a common misconception between “gender” and “sex”. Although many believe these two identities to be similar in context, they have two different meanings: One’s “sex” refers to their genetic make-up (in terms of hormonal profile, sex organs etc.), while gender describes the characteristics that are classified as feminine or masculine by a culture or society. For example, in western cultures, women are usually seen as “more delicate and compassionate than men...have expectations to be domestic, warm, pretty, emotional, dependent, physically weak, and passive.”…

    • 1730 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the article containing excerpts of her book, Anne Fausto-Sterling emphasizes that there are children born outside of dimorphism. Using only the two gender identities are not sufficient in identifying the genders of every individual. She writes at length about her belief that the two-sexes, male and female, should no longer be accepted as the only human forms. In fact, the two socially and medically dominant classifications should be expanded to include genital ambiguity as normal, suggesting that we replace our two-sex system with a five-sex standard method. Her argument is that five-sexes should be the predominant opinion: male, female, “herms”, “merms”, and ferms”.…

    • 150 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Traditionally, society has implemented the gender binary of male/female. This binary stays constant due to the power society places in the concept. The details of the separate categories may change a little, but the binary has stayed in place. “Gender is an identity tenuously constituted in time, instituted in an exterior space through a stylized repetition of acts,” (“Gender” 2552). Different portrayals of gender change how the society views the binary but never is the binary completely destroyed.…

    • 2360 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    For people who don’t know what gender they are, who have the “wrong” genitalia for their gender, or for females, sayings like these can be devastating and demoralizing to hear from a friend or loved one. Not everyone is born with 10 fingers and 10 toes, and for an unlucky few these birth defects must seem like a small imposition. Those who are born intersex have altered combinations of male and female physical features. Genetic males can be born with ‘normal’ hormones and testicles, but without a penis or with a smaller one (David Myers, 2014). For these people, the line drawn by society can be blurry and it can be difficult to tell where they belong, “One study reviewed 14 cases of boys who had undergone early sex-reassignment surgery and had been raised as girls.…

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Many cultures throughout the world have more than two genders. The Native American culture is one of the many who have “third sex” cultures. This term in reference to the Native Americans would mean someone who is two spirited or berdache. The term "two spirited" is for the people who do not just fit into one gender, male or female. The Native American culture sees gender and sexuality as multifunctional; they believe that anyone can have multiple spirits, meaning multiple genders.…

    • 994 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Non-Binary and Transgender People When a child is born the first thing their parents hear is, “Congratulations it’s a girl,” or “Congratulations it’s a boy”. Already trying to enforce the idea that there are only two genders the moment they take their first breath. JAC Stringer of the Heartland Trans* Wellness Group defined, gender binary as the cultural belief of only two genders existing and they have to correspond to the appropriate sex. This social construct is iterated on a daily basis whether it is through medical institutions, language or applications. As a result of its dominance in society, the gender binary system is highly exclusive towards non-binary and transgender people.…

    • 1097 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The social dynamics of a group are structured by the cultural normatives, division of categories, conception of the world, and other ideologies that affect how a group conceptualizes gender. What a person is allowed to become -- and who they ultimately become -- is largely dependent upon their assignment as a male, female, or an alternative gender. The degree of importance placed on gender is different across cultures in different ways. The Native American practice of Two Spirits demonstrates how significantly the cultural norms…

    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Anne Fausto-Sterling’s “Dueling Dualisms” explores the concept of gender and sex through society’s perspective. Fausto-Sterling initiates the selection by introducing readers to the story of Maria Patiño. Patiño who is a Spanish Olympic hurdler who was forced to have a sex test to prove her sexuality. She tested positive for being a male and was eventually “barred from competing on Spain’s Olympic team” (Fausto-Sterling, 4). Readers eventually learned that the reason why Patiño tested positive for being a male was that she was born with a condition called androgen insensitivity.…

    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The binary gender system is the accepted notion in the society which labels gender as two different and opposite forms i.e. men and women. The system makes it easier to understand how society works as it assigns the identity to both males and females where males are supposed to be masculine and females feminine. It also establishes the roles in the society and creates a ‘normal’ society in which a woman does housework, takes care of the family and the man is the breadwinner of the family. Although the system looks very simple and good but there are many limitations of the system as it ignores the complexity and diversity of the sex and gender. This paper examines the threats and difficulties which a binary gender system poses to the society…

    • 708 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The evolutionary and ethnographic world offers an intriguing diversity of cultural constructions of gender. Essentially all societies show some amount of difference between women and men. The thoughts of gender fluidity are also correlative by studies of sexual variation. When both are compared, they give persuasive discussions about the cultural construction of both gender and sexuality. Anthropologists must investigate…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In our modern times with ever-changing attitudes, it is becoming more important to distinguish between sex and gender. Sociologists describe sex as the biological differences between a male and a female, particularly anatomically and physiologically (Newman, 2016). Moreover, it helps to explain the genitalia differences, as well as our differences in hormones. Some may see sex as more difficult to define – it is not as easy as black and white – and may be seen as something continuous instead, rather than only male and female.…

    • 911 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Some people challenge the traditional gender roles, but culture remains the center of evidence. Therefore, before we can start talking about gender, it is helpful to understand gender. First we must understand the retained of our mind from experience, reasoning or imagination. We have seen these from generation to generation in the whole setting of society.…

    • 1643 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In addition, Becker illustrates the importance of looking at familiar events, because this is when one is able to gain insight on different perspectives, such as in how one becomes a marijuana user. In fact, most marijuana users do not like it the first place, but will after many tries because they would have then learned the proper way to get high. Therefore, the marijuana users have to “learn to recognize the effects and connect them with drug use and then learn to enjoy the sensation they perceive” (5). The marijuana does not just work, as users have to have a specific perception of the drug for its pleasurable effects cause the individual to want to do it again. Therefore, once the feeling of fear and distasteful taste disappears, the user…

    • 1272 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics