Key Concepts:

Gender & Sex

Course: B.Ed.
Paper code: BED210
Paper Title: Gender School & Society
 What is Sex?
• Sex refers to a set of biological attributes in humans and animals.
• It is primarily associated with physical and physiological features
including chromosomes, gene expression, hormone levels and
function, and reproductive/sexual anatomy.
• Sex is usually categorized as female or male but there is variation in
the biological attributes that comprise sex and how those attributes
are expressed.
• Sex refers to physiological differences found among male, female, and
various intersex bodies.
• Sex includes both primary sex characteristics (those related to the
reproductive system) and secondary sex characteristics (those that are
not directly related to the reproductive system, such as breasts and
facial hair).
• In humans, the biological sex of a child is determined at birth
based on several factors, including chromosomes, gonads,
hormones, internal reproductive anatomy, and genitalia.
• Biological sex has traditionally been conceptualized as a binary in
Western medicine, typically divided into male and female.
• Male (Primary sex organs, XY chromosomes, high levels of
testosterone)
• Female (Primary sex organs, XX chromosomes, high levels of
estrogen)
• Intersex (a person born with the sexual anatomy or chromosomes
that don't fit the traditional definition of male or female. A
combination of reproductive sex organs, including internal sex
organs, chromosomes. and hormones).
1. Genitalia
• Some believe genitals determine sex, with males having
penises and females having vaginas.
• However, this definition excludes some people with a DSD
(difference of sexual development).
• It can also invalidate trans people who are non-operative
— those who don’t want to have bottom surgery — or
pre-operative.
• For example, a transgender man — a person who was
assigned female at birth and identifies as a man — may
have a vagina but still identify as male.
2. Chromosomes
• We’re typically taught that people with XX chromosomes
are female and people with XY chromosomes are male.
• This excludes folks with a DSD who may have different
chromosomal configurations or other differences in sexual
development.
• It also doesn’t account for the fact that trans people often
have chromosomes that don’t “match” their sex. A
transgender woman, for example, can be female but still
have XY chromosomes.
3. Primary sex characteristics
• We tend to associate a predominance of estrogen with females
and a predominance of testosterone with males. It’s important
to understand that every person has both of these hormones.
• In fact, estradiol, the predominant form of estrogen, is critical
to sexual functions for the Source for people who were
assigned male at birth. Estradiol plays a significant role in
sexual arousal, sperm production, and erectile function.
• Although hormone replacement therapy is an option for trans
and gender non-conforming people, a trans man who isn’t on
hormones, for example, isn’t any less male than one who is.
4. Secondary sex characteristics
• Many secondary sex characteristics are easily identifiable.
This includes facial hair, breast tissue, and vocal range.
• Because of this, they’re often used to make quick
assessments about sex.
• But secondary sex characteristics vary greatly, regardless of
whether someone identifies with the sex they were assigned
at birth.
• Take facial hair, for example. Some people who were assigned
female at birth may go on to develop facial hair, and some
who were assigned male at birth may not grow any at all.
 What is Gender?
• Society has traditionally taught us that there are two genders: man and
woman.
• We’re told that those who are assigned male at birth are men and those
who are assigned female at birth are women.
• But gender isn’t an either/or scenario. It’s a spectrum.
• Although a majority of people in our society do identify as men or women,
there’s a wide range of possibilities between and beyond the two.
• Some people identify as nonbinary, an umbrella term for people whose
gender identities don’t align with the man-woman binary.
• Others identify as bigender, meaning they identify as both men and women
at varying points, or agender, meaning they don’t identify with any gender.
Many non-Western cultures have a long history of welcoming third-gender,
non-gendered, and transgender people in society.
• “Gender” is more difficult to define, but it can refer to the
role of a male or female in society, known as a gender role,
or an individual’s concept of themselves, or gender identity.
• Sometimes, a person’s genetically assigned sex does not line
up with their gender identity. These individuals might refer
to themselves as transgender, non-binary, or gender-
nonconforming.
• A person’s sex, as determined by his or her biology, does not
always correspond with their gender; therefore, the terms
“sex” and “gender” are not interchangeable.
• “Gender” is a term that refers to social or cultural
distinctions associated with being male, female, or intersex.
• Typically, babies born with male sex characteristics (sex) are assigned
as boys (gender); babies born with female sex characteristics (sex)
are assigned as girls (gender).
• Because our society operates in a binary system when it comes to
gender (in other words, seeing gender as only having two options),
many children who are born intersex are forcibly assigned as either a
boy or a girl and even surgically “corrected” to fit a particular gender.
• Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours,
expressions and identities of girls, women, boys, men, and gender
diverse people.
• It influences how people perceive themselves and each other, how
they act and interact, and the distribution of power and resources in
society.
 Gender Identity
• Gender identity is a person’s sense of self as a member of a
particular gender.
• Individuals who identify with a role that corresponds to the
sex assigned to them at birth (for example, they were born
with male sex characteristics, were assigned as a boy, and
identify today as a boy or man) are cisgender.
• Those who identify with a role that is different from their
biological sex (for example, they were born with male sex
characteristics, were assigned as a boy, but identify today as
a girl, woman, or some other gender altogether) are often
referred to as transgender.
• Gender roles in some societies are more rigid than those in
others.
• The degree of decision-making and financial responsibility
expected of each gender and the time that women or men are
expected to spend on homemaking and rearing children varies
between cultures. Within the wider culture, families too have
their norms.
• Gender roles are not set in stone.
• In many societies, men are increasingly taking on roles
traditionally seen as belonging to women, and women are
playing the parts previously assigned mostly to men.
• Gender roles and gender stereotypes are highly fluid and can
shift substantially over time.
Who wears the high heels?
• For instance, high-heeled shoes, now considered feminine throughout much
of the world, were initially designed for upper-class men to use when hunting
on horseback.
• As women began wearing high heels, male heels slowly became shorter and
fatter as female heels grew taller and thinner.
• Over time, the perception of the high heel gradually became seen as
feminine. There is nothing intrinsically feminine about the high heel. Social
norms have made it so.
Pink for a girl and blue for a boy?
• In many countries, pink is seen as a suitable color for a girl to wear, while
boys ar dressed in blue.
• However, infants were dressed in white until colored garments for babies
were introduced in the middle of the 19th century.
 Relationship between Sex & Gender
• The expectation that if you’re assigned male at birth, you’re a man, and that if
you’re assigned female at birth, you’re a woman, lines up for people who are
cisgender.
• But for people who are trans and gender non-conforming, the sex they’re
assigned at birth may not align with the gender they know themselves to be.
They may identify with a different sex than what they were assigned at birth.
• Ultimately, the concepts of gender and sex are socially constructed. This
means that we as a society assign sex and gender to people based on socially
agreed-upon characteristics.
• When trans people are understood to be the sex they were assigned at birth
— and not the sex they truly are — it can have a significant impact on their
physical, mental, and emotional health.
• For example, this can make it difficult to obtain fundamental rights, such as
healthcare, and even access to basic necessities, such as public bathrooms.
 Conclusion
• To conclude, in general terms, “sex” refers to biological
characteristics and “gender” refers to the individual’s and
society’s perceptions of sexuality and the malleable concepts of
masculinity and femininity.
• As we’ve seen here, sex and gender are far more complicated
than many of us were raised to believe.
• The most important thing to remember is that it’s up to each
individual to determine their gender, and indeed, sex.
• The best thing you can do is respect the sex and gender identity
of the people you encounter and treat each individual you meet
with sensitivity and care.