BSN3- HORTA

Module 1 – Sex, Sexuality, and Gender

Module Outcome:

In this module students will be able to understand terms that they will come across
throughout out the course. They will be tasked to recall previous lesson about the
reproductive system. They will also understand how individuals form their sexual identity
and how it was influenced. They will also realize their sexual orientation and how this
will affect their lives. It will also help us how we develop our gender identities, explores
the workings of the institutions that shape our gendered lives and leads to an
understanding between gender and the social structure.

LESSON 1 - SEX
Biological sex is an individual's sex (male or female) based on an individual's external
anatomy and their assumed sex chromosomes or hormones.

Characteristics of Sex
Primary Sex Characteristics - are present at birth and comprise the external and internal
genitalia (e.g., the penis and testes in males and the vagina and ovaries in females).
Secondary Sex Characteristics - are those that emerge during the prepubescent
through post pubescent phases

Primary Sex Characteristics

Reproductive System
The tissues, glands, and organs involved in producing offspring (children)

Male Reproductive System

Unique for its role in human reproduction, a gamete is a specialized sex cell
carrying 23 chromosomes—one half the number in body cells. At fertilization,
the chromosomes in one male gamete, called a sperm (or spermatozoon),
combine with the chromosomes in one female gamete, called an oocyte.
The function of the male reproductive system is to produce sperm and
transfer them to the female reproductive tract. The paired testes are a crucial
component in this process, as they produce both sperm and androgens, the
hormones that support male reproductive physiology. In humans, the most
important male androgen is testosterone. Several accessory organs and
ducts aid the process of sperm maturation and transport the sperm and other
seminal components to the penis, which delivers sperm to the female
reproductive tract.
Secondary Sex Characteristics
Sex Roles - is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes
that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a
person based on that person's sex.
LESSON 2 – SEXUALITY

Human Sexuality is a part of your total personality. It involves the interrelationship of

biological, psychological, and sociocultural dimensions.

According to the (SIECUS) The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the
United States sexuality encompasses sexual knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, values,
and behaviors of individuals.

The (ASPSH) Alberta Society for the Promotion of Sexual Health indicates that
sexuality means many things: feelings about ourselves, roles we play in society and,
reproduction. It is not limited to how we behave sexually but it is the total physical,
emotional, spiritual responses, thoughts, and feelings. Sexuality is more about who we
are than about what we do.

The concepts of human sexuality are learned, and we learn them from the following
dimensions.

Dimensions in Sexuality:
1. Biological – involves our physical appearance, especially the development of
physical sexual characteristics, our responses to sexual stimulation; our ability to
reproduce or to control fertility; and our growth and development in general.

2. Psychological – which is our sense of being. Sexual wellness which is related to

body image. A positive self-image leads itself to a feeling of overall wellness; a
negative self-image can lead to drug abuse or psychological disorders. Sexual
wellness also includes our attitudes and feelings toward ourselves and other people.

3. Sociocultural – is the sum of the cultural and social influences that affect our
thoughts and actions. Tiefer (1995) promotes the idea of social constructionism, which
proposes that sexual identities and experiences are acquired from and influenced and
modified by an ever-changing social environment. People acquire and assemble
meanings, skills, and values from the people around them.

 Religious Influences – religious and spiritual beliefs influence feelings about

morality, sexual behavior, premarital sexual behavior, adultery, divorce, contraception,
abortion, and masturbation. Throughout the years, religion has been found to
influence the number of sexual partners, the frequency of various forms of sexual
behavior, the age at first sexual intercourse, types of sexual behaviors, standards
related to sexual activity before marriage, and even marital satisfaction.

 Multicultural Influences – cultures within countries differ in their views of

sexuality. Your ability to respect your sexual partner’s cultural beliefs and feelings will
result in a higher level of satisfaction for both of you.
USA – in some states in the USA abortion is legal.
Africa, Middle East, Asia- FGM Female Genital Mutilation
Religious countries – practice sex after marriage; do not accept LGBTQ community
Japan - Kanamara Matsuri Festival citizens will show up to celebrate sex, fertility and
the creation of life itself.

 Socioeconomic Influences – social statues and education also influence sexual

attitudes and behaviors. Socioeconomic status influences more than just sexual
activities. The poor have less access to proper health care, birth control, care during
pregnancy, daycare for children, and positive sexual role model.

 Ethical Influences – The ethics of people involve questioning the way we treat
ourselves and other people. Examples of sexually oriented ethical dilemmas include
the following:
Should I or should I not participate in a certain sexual behavior?
Is it ethical to use a prostitute?
Is it ethical not to disclose my full sexual history to a new partner?
How we consider such questions and ultimately decide what is right and wrong
profoundly shapes our sexuality.

 Media Influences – Media helps shape public attitudes on many topics. The
depictions of sexuality we encounter in the media are there mainly to entertain and sell
products. Consequently, the media do not provide us with realistic depictions. TV
shows are filled with portrayals of sexual activity and double-meaning comments.
Songs you will hear about sexual content. Magazines, tabloids, and books contribute
to the many sexual themes that bombard us.

 Political Influences – choosing the right people for the position, public policy and
laws also affect our sexual behavior.

All these dimensions constantly interact and influence our sexuality.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n5O9tz30So

Types of Sexuality
 Heterosexual - is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior
between people of the opposite sex or gender.

 Homosexual “Gay or Lesbian” - is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual

behavior between members of the same sex or gender.

 Bisexual - is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both

males and females, or to more than one gender.
 Pansexual - is sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction towards people
regardless of their sex or gender identity.

 Asexual - is the lack of sexual attraction to others, or low or absent interest in or

desire for sexual activity.

Sexual Orientation
According to the APA, refers to an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic and/or
sexual attractions to men, women or both sexes. Sexual orientation also refers to a
person's sense of identity based on those attractions, related behaviors and
membership in a community of others who share those attractions. Research over
several decades has demonstrated that sexual orientation ranges along a continuum,
from exclusive attraction to the other sex to exclusive attraction to the same sex.

LESSON 3 – GENDER

Gender Identity – Who you think you are

Gender Identity is each person’s internal and individual experience of gender. It is a
person’s sense of being a woman, a man, both, neither, or anywhere along the gender
spectrum. A person’s gender identity may be the same as or different from their birth-
assigned sex.

How you, in your head, think about yourself. As you know it, do you fit better into
societal role of “woman” or “man,” or neither? It’s also important to note that many
people consider their identity to fall outside of the traditional woman to man spectrum,
which is referred to as non-binary gender expressions

 Agender - Not having a gender or identifying with a gender. They may describe
themselves as being gender-neutral or genderless.

 Bigender - A person who fluctuates between traditionally “male” and “female”

gender-based behaviors and identities.

 Cisgender - A person whose gender identity and biological sex assigned at birth
are the same. For example, they were born biologically as a male, and express their
gender as male. Often used in the shortened form 'cis'.
 Gender Fluid - A person who is gender fluid may always feel like a mix of the
two traditional genders but may feel more man some days, and more woman other
days.
 Genderqueer - A gender identity label often used by people who do not identify
with being a man or a woman, or as an umbrella term for many gender non-
conforming or non-binary identities.
 Non-Binary - A gender identity and an umbrella term for people whose identity
falls outside of the binary of male and female. Some people don't identify fully, or at
all, with the gender they were assigned at birth and some people have no gender at all
 Third Gender - A term for a person who does not identify with either man or
woman, but identifies with another gender. This gender category is used by societies
that recognise three or more genders, both contemporary and historical, and is also a
conceptual term meaning different things to different people who use it.

 Transgender - A person who lives as a member of a gender other than that

expected based on sex assigned at birth. Trans people may describe themselves
using a range of different terms.

Gender Expression

Gender expression is about how someone acts and presents themselves to world. For
example, does someone wear makeup? Do they wear dresses? Do they prefer to only
wear pants? Gender expression is not related to someone’s gender or sex, but rather
about personal behaviors and interests.

How a person publicly expresses or presents their gender. This can include behavior
and outward appearance such as dress, hair, make-up, body language and voice. A
person’s chosen name and pronoun are also common ways of expressing gender.
Others perceive a person’s gender through these attributes.