Sex And Gender

Question 1

What is sex?

Answer 1

Sex refers to a person’s biological status as either male or female determines by chromosomes, hormones and anatomy.

Question 2

What is gender?

Answer 2

Gender refers to the psychology and cultural differences between males and females including attitudes, behaviours and social roles.

Question 3

Distinguish between the terms sex and gender (3 marks) /

What are the differences between sec and gender (3 marks)

Answer 3

• sex refers to whether an individual is male or female, whereas gender refers to whether an individual is masculine, feminine or androgynous
• sex relates the physical differences between males and females, whereas gender relates to differences in their attitudes or behaviours
• sex is innate and a result of nature whilst gender is partly environmentally determined and therefore due in part to nurture. It may be that gender is more fluid and open to change.

Question 4

What study showed whether a person can change their gender?

Answer 4

Imperato-McGinley et al. - The Batista Boys

Question 5

Describe The Batista Boys case study

Answer 5

A family in the Dominican Republic who exhibit a rare genetic disorder. Four of the children were identified as girls at birth and raised as such until puberty, when they ‘changed’ into males.

Genetic disorder meant that their male genitalia was not external at birth because dihydrotestosterone was not introduced in the womb. So biological sex was male but had external appearance of girl. They adopted a female gender identity.

At puberty, the dihydrotestosterone was produced and true biological sex was revealed (vaginas closed over and testes and penis grew).

The boys abandoned their female gender identity with very few problems if adjustment, and quickly adapted to their new roles of boys and men.

This study provides evidence that gender may be flexible rather than fixed.

Question 6

Evaluate the Batista Boys case study

Answer 6

Although the study would appear to support the idea that gender identity can change, the Dominican Republic was a highly patriarchal society when the boys grew up. Males were valued over women to the extent that the Batista Boys were described as ‘little miracles’. This would not happen in the western world, which suggests that cultural and environmental factors made the transition easy for the ‘boys’.

Question 7

It was the lack of what chemical in the womb that caused the male sex organs in the Batista Boys to remain internal?

Answer 7

Dihydrotestosterone