CHAPTER TEN CONSTRUCTING GENDER AND SEXUALITY What Is Sex transsexuals individuals who identify with the opposite sex and have surgery to alter their own sex so it fits their self image sex an individual s membership in one of two biologically distinct categories male or female based on chromosomes hormones and reproductive organs which combined make up the primary sex characteristics also differing secondary sex characteristics facial body hair and musculature 17 out of 1000 babies are born intersexed or hermaphroditic characteristics are neither exclusively male nor exclusively female person and so surgical procedures are taken to remedy this intersexed or hermaphroditic terms to describe a person whose chromosomes or sex in modern Western society it seems threatening to have an ambiguously sexed Gender gender the physical behavioral and personality traits that a group considers normal for its male and female members men expected to be more aggressive and competitive women expected to be more emotional and nurturing no society leaves it up to nature to dictate the behavior of its members therefore gender is something culturally transmitted and learned men and women have different brain structures and different chemicals going through Nature and Nurture some argue gender differences between men and women are innate our bodies leading to different experiences and perceptions however biology alone can t tell us everything about how sex and gender work human sexual dimorphism the extent much debated in recent years to which inherent physical differences define the distinctions between the 2 sexes scientists often fail to consider the interrelationship between nature and nurture in the differences between men and women culturally prescribed masculine and feminine behavior rather than the cause so possible that behavior influences biology just as biology influences behavior Lepowsky suggest that in some cases biological differences may be the result of contested due to attention to transvestites transsexuals and transgendered aggressive behavior increases production of testosterone in men and women chromosomes determine your identity the way you interact with others how you see Essentialist and Constructionist Approaches to Gender Identity essentialists those who believe gender roles have a genetic or biological origin and therefore cannot be changed gender identity the roles and traits that a social group assigns to a particular gender essentialists believe gender identity is unambiguous 2 category system yourself and the activities you engage in every day found in medicine theology and biology most mainstream sociologists are constructionist those who believe that notions of gender are socially determined such that a dichotomous system is just one possibility among many only way of classifying individuals historical periods to them gender is a social construction and believe male female categories aren t the believe the meaning of masculinity and femininity differ in different societies and Gender Inequality found in all past and present societies current patriarchy literally meaning rule of the father a male dominated society little evidence that a matriarchal society has ever existed inequality can be tracked to biological differences in early societies i e hunting and gathering however its origins do not explain persistence in contemporary societies modern theories of gender stratification must look beyond biological sex differences Talcott Parsons 2 roles instrumental role the position of the family member who Macro Theoretical Perspectives two major macrosociological theories of gender inequality functionalists believe there are still social roles better suited to one gender than the other and societies are more stable when norms are fulfilled by the appropriate sex emphasize how each role works in relation to one another provides the family s material support and is often an authority figure provides emotional support and nurturing inequality and fails to acknowledge families are sources of social instability conflict theorists men seek to maintain dominant status gender inequality is a manifestation of exploitation some believe it originates with private property introduced by Fredrich Engels functionalist view does not explain well why gender relations are characterized by expressive role the position of the family member who capitalists benefitted from patriarchy men benefit from inequality men would lose a lot if they abolished gender segregation Interactionist Perspectives interactionists emphasize how gender is socially constructed and maintained in our everyday lives gender identity is so important to our social selves we can barely interact with anyone without determining that person s gender because we need to categorize however for some this is not easy transgendered term describing an individual whose sense of gender identity is at odds with his her physical sex but who has not necessarily sought sex reassignment surgery Gender Role Socialization gender role socialization the lifelong process of learning to be masculine or feminine primarily through four agents of socialization families schools peers and the media continues throughout our lives Family primary source of socialization Kara Smith GRS begins before birth sex changes how mother talks to the fetus in tone of voice and words used most telling is how significant others interact with the baby social learning the process of learning behaviors and meanings through social interaction each gender gender pervades every aspect of family life babies respond to and internalize the expectations of others around them baby learns through observation imitation and play by age two aware of own gender age three begin to identify traits associated with Schools by fifth grade gender is established key area of difference is in the way that teachers interact with students teachers tend to favor boys in attention instructional time challenging questions and tasks and more praise for quality of their work girls tend to earn higher grades textbooks contain sexist language and gender stereotypes in social structure of school women are lower as teachers and aides men higher as upper management and administrators large proportion of men receive bachelor s or higher degree than women Peers by three develop a preference for same sex playmates and this preference increases as childhood progresses some have argued that gender
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