Understanding Gender

and Sexuality as a
Social Reality 1.1. The
concept of sex, gender, and sexuality
 OBJECTIVES
1. Define sex, gender, and sexuality, and
related concepts
2. Differentiate sex and gender
3. Discuss the implications of these
differences 4. Recognize one’s sexuality
and sexual diversity
1. Introduction

OUTLINE
2. Definition of sex, intersex, and
gender 3. Difference between sex
and gender
4. Meanings of heteronormativity, transgender,
sexual orientation (including the types)
5. Recognizing sexual diversity
INTRODUCTION
What does it mean to be a male or a female, to
be feminine or masculine, or to be a man or
woman?

…trace our journey from the moment we were

born, and go back to the journey we humans have
across the life span.
INTRODUCTION
We need to understand
•The complexities of defining and
differentiating sex, gender, and sexuality

•Nuances in the
meanings of these
terms – implications on
the context
SEX
1. Biological dimension
of one’s gender and
sexuality
2. Biological sex or
physical sex
3. Identity based on
sexual anatomy and
physiology
SEX
4. Determined by
examining genitals
5. Often assigned at
birth: penis and
testicles (male);
vagina (female)
6. However, there are
cases of difficulty in
determining one’s
sex based only on
genitals
7. INTERSEX
Biological
definition of sex
Basis/Determinants Male Female
 Chromosomes XY XX

Gonads Testes Ovaries

Hormones Testosterone Estrogen

Internal Wolffian ducts Mullerian duct system

Reproductive
Structures
External Sex Structures Penis and Scrotal Sac Clitoris and Vagina

INTERSEX
1. Most embryos are consistent
on the five biological
 definitions of sex

2.But this is not always

the case

In around 23/10,000
3.

births, these five

definitions of sex are not
consistent, resulting
in what is
referred to as an intersexed birth.
 INTERSEX: What is the
Cause?Can be caused by
1. Chromosomal Level Inconsistencies
abnormal complement of sex chromosome 2. Or
because of Hormonal Level
Inconsistencies
Chromosomal Inconsistency Types
1. Turner’s Syndrome (X)
❏ Ifthe sperm fails to divide properly, that is, if what is called
nondisjunction occurs, one kind of sperm produced will have
neither an X nor a Y chromosome. If this sperm fertilizes a
normal egg, the offspring will have only an X chromosome.
❏ The person appears to be a female because although it lacks
ovaries, it possesses some external female characteristics.
❏ This condition is estimated to occur in about 4/10,000 live
births (Fausto-Sterling, 2000: 53).
2. Klinefelter’s Syndrome
(XXy syndrome)
❏ Anothercase of nondisjunction
is a sperm produced with
both an X and a Y
chromosome, or two Y
chromosomes, resulting in the
XXY and XYY chromosome
abnormalities.

❏ occursin roughly 9/10,000

live births

❏ No interest in sex, no testosterone

❏ 2.
Klinefelter’s Syndrome
(XXy syndrome)

❏A person born with this

chromosomal characteristic
has the height of a normal
male, with long legs, an
absent or weak sex drive,
“feminized” hips, some
breast development, and a
small penis and testes
(Money and Ehrhardt,
1972).

❏ Presence of extra X stops

development of male
structures, resulting in
sterility
3. Jacob’s syndrome (XYY
syndrome) ❏ occurs in about
1/2,000 births

❏A person born with this chromosomal

characteristic is an anatomical male
with no physical abnormalities,
except for unusual height.

❏ The extra Y chromosome does not

result in the person’s having more
androgens than an XY male. Such
persons appear to be able to
reproduce successfully and rarely come
to the attention of investigators, except
through large scale screening of
 newborns.

4. Triple X Syndrome, XXX or

(Trisomy X)
❏ This too occurs roughly in
1/2,000 live births.

❏ People born with this

chromosomal characteristic
are anatomically females
and show few visible signs of
abnormality, although they
tend to be taller than XX
females and have a slightly
higher incidence of learning
disorders
4. Triple X Syndrome, XXX or
(Trisomy X)
5. Adrenogenital syndrome (AGS) or Congenital adrenal

hyperplasia (CAH) 1. An XX fetus receives an excessive amount

of androgens
2. Untreated females with AGS have normally functioning ovaries
and normal internal female sexual organs but a masculinized
external appearance.

3. This can vary from a slightly enlarged clitoris to a nearly normal-

size penis with an empty scrotum.

4. If treated with cortisol from birth on, these females will have a
later menarche than normal but will be able to conceive, lactate,
and deliver babies normally.

Hormonal Inconsistency Types

1. Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS)
❏ fetuses that are chromosomally male with genitals that are ambiguous
or that look more like a clitoris than a penis.
❏ It cannot be treated by administering androgen after birth because the
cells remain incapable of responding to androgen. At puberty, AIS
persons develop breasts and a feminine body shape, and identify as
females.
❏ Results in female genitals, including a shallow, but nonfunctional
vagina
❏ Raisedas girls, they assume a female gender identity and thrive as
females

Fetally Androgenized Females

■ Chromosomally normal females exposed to
excessive androgens
■ At birth genitals appear to be male
■ “Corrected” by minor surgery, most still reject a
female gender identity with some assuming a male
gender identity and behavior
DHT-Lacking Males
■ Males who cannot produce crucial DHT
■ Dihydrotestosterone, a hormone with powerful androgenic actions, causes the body to mature during puberty and is
responsible for many of the physical characteristics associated with adult males.

■ Result – female appearing external genitals, at least

initially
■ Typically raised as girls, they suddenly sprout into males
at puberty
■ In one study, 16 of 18 cast off their female gender
identity and happily assumed male sex roles
Genderrefers to the
distinctive qualities of men
and women, the masculinity
and the feminity of an
individual that are
culturally created.
GENDER
The state of being male or female
(typically used with reference to
social and cultural differences
rather than biological ones).
 GENDER
Identifies the characteristics and social
behavior of men and women and the
relationship between them

Gender roles & characteristics are:

• not fixed, may change over time
• may vary from culture to culture

It is learned or acquired

Difference between Sex &

 GENDER
Gender SEX
What makes one male or What is masculine or feminine
female
Socially-determined; culturally-
Biologically defined
determined
Refers to
Refers to physical learned behavior
characteristics

Distinctions between Sex & Gender

Sex Gender
Female Feminine
 Male Masculine
Physical Social
Universal Cultural
Congenital Learned Behavior
Unchanging Changes over time
Unvarying Varies within a
culture/ among
cultures

Manifestations of Gender include

• Colors • Clothing • Behavior
 •

Social roles • Characteristics or traits

To a Social Male

Definition Logical
 Emotional
Female
Leader/
A chiever

Follower/Supporter Sexually aggressive Sexually

submissive Independent

Dependent

“Can anywhere”
do
anything, anytime, Incompetent
Heteronormativity
•The phenomenon of
determining the
normality
of a behavior based
on
whether it conforms
or not
to the expectations
relative
 to one’s biological sex

However...
• There are those who do
not follow culturally-
accepted standards of
 masculinity and
femininity

• Natural variation of
human gender
expression

• Social and cultural

practices change
through time

Gender Identity

• Aspect of gender
referring
 to the sense of who we are

• How we see and

experience
ourselves (as a man, a
woman, or neither).

Transgender
• Cases when a person’s
biological sex does not align
with one’s gender identity
• Example:
 • a male who does not feel
comfortable identifying as a man
(transgender woman) • a female who
is not comfortable
identifying as a woman (transgender
man) • May undergo gender
reassignment surgery

Sexual
Orientation
• Aspect of gender that
pertains to
our emotional and sexual
attraction to a person:
• Heterosexuals or “straight” –
attracted to the opposite sex
• Homosexual (gay or lesbian) –
attracted to people of the same sex
• Bisexual – attracted to both sexes,
male or female
Recognizing Diversity
• Nature and nurture play
a
complex role in shaping
our
sexual orientation
(American
Psychological Association)

• Homosexuality and
heterosexuality are part
of
human sexuality and
large part
of human experience.
 Recognizing
Diversity
• Identifying as heterosexual,
homosexual, or bisexual is a
deeply
personal process – so may be
difficult to “come out”

• Some come early in

adolescence,
others may take time to understand
and discover themselves
Recognizing Diversity
• According to the Psychological Association of the Philippines,
“We can only tell if the person is gay, lesbian, or
bisexual if they share with us their experiences and feelings of
attraction towards them.. that is why, it is important for
everyone to feel safe as they share their sexuality since it is a
personal and sensitive topic.”

It can be done in an environment wherein we do not feel

judged and discriminated upon.
 ACTIVITY WORK!
INSTRUCTIONS
❑ Please refer to the Assigned Activity in your
Google Classwork.
END OF LESSON 1
God Bless!