Sex Vs. Gender

By: Emilie Fiskio, Emily Lloyd, Aisling Steel, Clayton Krueger, Ian Cooper, and Jon

Benney

1)

I am involved in politics, I earn a lot of money, and I like to hunt for an activity, Who am I?

2)

I wear a lot of makeup, I write a lot of pop/love songs, and all my fans are girls, Who am I?

Guess the Gender?

1) Sarah Palin 2) Prince

“Why do people say "grow some balls"? Balls are weak and sensitive. If you wanna be tough, grow a vagina. Those things can take a pounding.” - Betty White

Why are all of these stereotypes in our society?

How does our society create these stereotypes?

What are other gender stereotypes and what are their effects on people?

Some Definitions

Sex- defined by biological organs that signal classification as male and female

ex: vagina and penis

Sex Category - socially constructed physical markers of membership in a certain sex.

ex: hair style, clothing, body language

Gender- attitudes, behaviors and preferences that affirm one's membership in a certain sex

ex: playing with dolls versus trucks, blue vs. pink, babysitting vs. yard work

Main Points of the Article

*Sex and gender are different

*Gender is a social construct, creating generalized roles for each sex.

*Gender is something that is done everyday in order to show your membership in a certain gender group

*Social norms to display the gender that corresponds to your sex are very strong and when these norms are violated you experience social punishment (Durkheim)

*Society has linked the definitions of sex and gender perfectly so there is no room for your sex and gender to differ

Quotes / Summary

"We contend that the 'doing' of gender is undertaken by women and men whose competence as members of society is hostage to its production. Doing gender involves a complex of socially guided perceptual, interactional, and micropolitical activities that cast particular pursuits as expressions of masculine and feminine 'natures'"

"Our human nature gives us the ability to learn to produce and recognize masculine and feminine gender display - 'a capacity [we] have by virtue of being persons, not males and females'"

Quotes / Summary

"if people can be seen as members of relevant categories, then categorize them that way"

"we include ourselves and others in it as 'essentially, originally, in the first place, always have been, always will be, once and for all, in the final analysis, either 'male' or 'female'"

"We claim that gender itself is constituted through interactions"

Movie Clip

She's The Man

How does this clip relate to the article?

Discussion Questions

Do you agree that sex and gender are separate?

What does this imply for people who identify themselves as transgender?

Where do you see yourself "doing" gender?

Where do you see sexual orientation fitting into this discussion?