Module

1
Grasp of Gender and Sexuality
 Lesson 1:
Leveling Off: Sexuality and Gender
What is Sex?
 Sex refers to the physiological characteristics which define humans
as either male or female.
 It is often considered as the act of reproduction (copulation), thus an
essential notion of how population culture sees sex.
 Sex is supposedly performed for pleasure, and in a Freudian sense, it
influences people to behave in particular ways
 The following are the determinants of sexes :
Determinants of Sex Female Male
Genitalia vagina; clitoris penis; scrotum
Internal uterus; ovaries testes
reproductive organ
Chromosomes XX XY
Hormone estrogen; progesterone androgen; testosterone

Others produced eggs fertilized by produces sperm cells to

another sex fertilize the cell
 Facts:
 Our sex differences are usually used to explain the status, roles and characteristics ascribed and
dictated by society to women and men.
For example,
we typically consider it “natural” for a woman to take care of her child and her husband as well as do
household chores (gender) as she is the one who gets pregnant and gives birth (sex). Since we consider men
more potent, they are expected to become breadwinners, heads of the family, and societal leaders.

 We ascribe female characteristics as sensitivity, weakness, and being a "crybaby" woman. At the
same time, male traits such as strong, brave, and aggressive are aggressive.

 Gender is a taught social behavior frequently linked to one's sex. It is how males and females relate
to one another. It is based on how individuals perceive themselves and their propensity to act either
masculinely or femininely. A social construct sets one's tasks, responsibilities, anticipated values,
attitudes, and interactions in male-female relationships. It affects what access men and women have
to decision-making, knowledge, and resources. It identifies men's and women's characteristics,
social behavior, and relationships.
 The main differences between sex and gender are the following
 Gender roles and characteristics are not fixed, may change over time, vary from culture to culture, and are learned or acquired.
However, due to advances in science and other societal trends, one can legally and physically change their gender

Sex Gender
Physiological (born with) Socially constructed (not born with)

Related to Reproduction Cultural

Congenital Learned behavior

Unchangeable Varies within a culture/among culture

• GENDER IDENTITY is defined as a person's internal sense of being male, female, or another
gender. It is how a person sees themselves in society—as a man, a woman, or a blend of the
two. A person may have a penis but prefer to be identified socially as a woman or have a
vagina but prefer to describe as a man.
• GENDER EXPRESSION concerns how a person expresses their gender and how their gender
identity is conveyed to others by their behavior, clothing, hairdo, voice, or physical
characteristics
 Gender Role Socialization
 Gender Role Socialization is known as Learning and internalizing culturally acceptable ways of feeling,
thinking, and acting.
 Socialization affects all parts of one’s identity by dictating what is acceptable because of one’s educational
background, class, religion, and gender.

One’s socialization regulates their perceptions of genders in two ways

1. External Regulation, which involves various institutions dictating what is proper and standard based on one’s
identity. It affects how one sees their gender. It can happen through censorship of some form of sexuality
(homosexuality is terrible!) or subtle forms of control such as microaggression (like “only girly boys do
homework).
2. Internalized Social Control that causes people to police themselves according to society’s standards and norms.
So, if someone deviates from what society finds regular, they may become deviant and excluded from the community.
 Gender Roles from a Theoretical Perspective
 Gender roles are the duties that men and women are expected to fill, depending on gender.
 It is the result of interactions between people and their surroundings.
 The sociology of the family provided the foundation for early sociological views on gender roles. These explanations focused on
why men and women have different responsibilities in the household, which affects their roles outside of the home.
 From the standpoint of conflict
o This is based on the idea that society serves as a stage for struggles for supremacy and power.
o This premise applies to gender roles and, consequently, the family.
o Its continued dominance by men demands a belief system that promotes gender inequality, such as the notion that
women are more valuable inside the home but less significant outside of it.
 From a structural-functionalist standpoint.
o It is founded on the idea that society comprises interconnected pieces, each contributing to the overall
functioning. It examines how each component of social structure contributes to total social balance, harmony,
and equilibrium. Gender roles, marriage, and the family are critical to our values.
 Symbolic Interaction Perspective
o It asserted that people do not respond directly to the world around them, but to the meaning they bring to it.
o This perspective also explains that gender roles are learned through socialization. Women are socialized into
expressive roles (traditionally associated with nurturing and emotionally supportive roles), and men are
socialized into instrumental roles (for example, task-oriented roles).
 Common Self Identity of the Transgender People
Transgender is a word used by the American Psychological Association to describe people whose gender identity, gender
expression, or behavior differs from what is usually associated with the sex given at birth. Transgender has several identities,
namely:

a. Drag Queen (Woman-emulating male) is a man who dresses up in women's clothes, typically for entertainment.
b. A Butch lesbian is a person who identifies as female, has love or sexual feelings for other females (this is the "lesbian" portion), and
behaves in ways that many in society find to be "masculine" (that is the "butch" part).
c. Femme is a Feminine-appearing person.
d. Drag King (Male-emulating woman) is a woman who assumes a male identity and exhibits male traits in public for amusement.
e. An intersex is a person born with mixed sexual physiology.
f. Transvestite refers to a person, typically straight but not necessarily, who enjoys dressing in clothing associated with the other gender
(Crossdresser: Polite term for transvestite).
g. A Transgender is an individual who lives as the gender opposite to their anatomical sex (a person with a penis is living as a woman).
h. Androgyne appears and identifies as neither man nor woman, presenting a gender that is either mixed or neutral.
i. A Transsexual is a person whose sexual character is opposite to their assignment at birth.
j. FTM (female to male) is a born female but sees themselves as partly to entirely masculine.
k. MTF (male to a female) describes someone born male but considers themselves mostly or entirely feminine.
 Gender Stereotypes
Gender stereotypes - are developed when institutions reinforce a biased perception of a particular gender’s role.
These institutions include the family, the church, the school, the state, and the media.

There are four types of gender stereotypes. The following are:

1. Sex stereotypes are the broad perspective of characteristics that men and women should possess, specifically
physical and emotional roles. These stereotypes are unrelated to the functions women and men perform.

2. Sexual stereotypes involve assumptions regarding a person’s sexuality that reinforce dominant views. For example,
all men are sexually dominant. Another notion is heteronormativity, believing all persons are only attracted to the sex
opposite theirs.

3. Sex-role stereotypes encompass the roles that men and women are assigned based on sex and their behavior to
fulfill these roles.

4. Compounded stereotypes are assumptions about a specific group belonging to a gender. For example, young
women, older men, single men and women, and factory workers are just some.
 Gender Stereotypes
Gender Stereotypes in Social Roles
Men Women
Provides financial for the family Takes care of the house and children
Works as manager, construction builder, engineers Works as a nurse, teacher, secretary
Portrayed as leaders Portrayed as followers

Gender Stereotypes in Capacities

Men Women
Good in Math and Science Good in arts and less intellectual pursuits
Physically strong Physically weaker
Firm decision-making Fickle-minded in decision-making

Gender Stereotypes in Traits and Characteristics

Men Women
Active Passive
Aloof Loving
Aggressive Peaceful
Independent Dependent
Brave Fearful
 Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE)
Sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression are referred to as SOGIE. Sexuality is different from sex, as
the former is the expression of a person’s thoughts, feelings, sexual orientation, and relationships, as well as
the biology of the sexual response system of that person.

The different terms standing for SOGIE are further defined below:
Sexual orientation covers the three dimensions of sexuality, namely:
a. Sexual attraction, sexual behavior, sexual fantasies
b. Emotional preference, social preference, self-identification
c. A heterosexual or homosexual lifestyle
Sexual orientation involves who one is attracted to and how one identifies themselves with this
attraction, including romantic and sexual feelings.
Gender identity refers to one’s personal experience of gender or social relations. It determines
one's attitude about gender and sexuality. A person's gender identity might be either masculine or
feminine.
Gender expression determines how one expresses their sexuality through the actions or manners
of presenting oneself.
 LGBTQIA.
LGBTQIA is a short name for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, and asexual. This
category describes groups outside of heteronormativity, usually defined by their SOGIE.

The following thoughts and phrases were popular to show those who deviated from the norm that others are going
through similar problems.

• Heteronormativity is the notion that being heterosexual or attracted to the opposite sex is the standard for correctness.
• Heterosexual or straight refers to sexual and romantic feelings for the opposite gender.
Men who are attracted to women.
Women who are attracted to men.
• Homosexual is a person who has sexual and romantic feelings for the same gender.
Men who are attracted to men.
Women who are attracted to women.
• Cisgender is a person whose sexual orientation and gender identity are the same. One can be homosexual and
cisgender at the same time.
• Lesbian pertains to women who are attracted to other women.
• Gays who are attracted to other men are referred to as gay. It is also a catch-all term for all sorts of homosexuality.
• People who are bisexual or "bi" are attracted to both genders.
• "transgender" refers to someone whose assigned sex at birth does not correspond to their gender identification.
 Gender Issues
Gender issues are equated with woman’s problems because of sexism and
gender stereotypes.
Sexism is defined as prejudice against sex. Women and LGBT people face
persecution because we live in a patriarchal culture.
Gender equality is defined as the state's acknowledgment that all human
beings are free to live in equal conditions and to realize their full human
potential to contribute to the state and society. It is also defined as equality of
the sexes, visible in public and private spheres, and total social participation.
However, discriminatory gender roles can be institutionalized through laws
and policies.women’s