Sex, Gender, and Sexuality

Question 1

Introduction

Answer 1

1. When we talk about sex differences between people, we are referring to their biological differences in chromosomes, hormones, and genital organs
2. However, sex classification is also a social process
   - The biological characteristics to which we refer are socially agreed upon criteria which make up the sex classification system
3. In this system, people who fit into certain criteria are classified as female and people who fit other criteria are male

Question 2

problems with this binary model of sexuality

Answer 2

1. There may be variations in hormone levels and external genitalia
   - People that are intersex
2. There are serious social implications if a person defines themselves outside of these heterosexual categories
   - May lead to exclusion, harassment, or even violence

Question 3

gender

Answer 3

1. On the other hand, gender is commonly understood to refer to the characteristics (masculine or feminine) that a society or culture assigns to a person on the basis of their sex
   - For example, in many contemporary societies, when a female baby is born, she is often dressed in pink and as she grows up and is expected to behave differently from her brothers

– For example by being quieter, gentler, and more concerned with her appearance

Question 4

expression of gender

Answer 4

1. How people respond to ones biological characteristics and the demands people make on them to behave in certain ways are their culture’s expression of gender
2. Although there is no natural or innate link between sex and gender, we can observe how closely the two are associated
   - Those people who have a female baby and then dress her in pink and expect her to behave in feminine ways, are combining sex and gender into one
   - - They are assuming that sex determines gender and that the two are inseparable

Question 5

sexuality

Answer 5

1. The way people experience and express their sexual feelings
2. There are variations in how or where people direct their sexual interest and this is usually referred to as their sexual orientation

Question 6

sexual orientation

Answer 6

1. Often thought to exist along a continuum between exclusive interest in someone of the other sex and exclusive interest in someone of the same sex
2. Examples: heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, and asexual person

Question 7

homosexuality

Answer 7

1. Sexual orientation is usually an important part of a person’s identity
2. As recently as the 1970s, a person having a same-sex orientation was considered to be pathological
   Homosexuality was only declassified as a psychological disorder in 1973
3. In many parts of the world, same-sex orientation is now accepted as a variant of sexuality rather than a condition or problem to be treated
4. Even in nations that provide civil rights for LGBTQi individuals, there is an assumption that heterosexuality is normal and any other orientation deviant
5. In addition, non-heterosexual people continue to experience prejudice and discrimination and are not always protected by the civil rights laws established in a number of countries
   - Nearly all nations, for example, only allow heterosexual couples to marry

Question 8

Cross-dressing

Answer 8

1. aspect that relates to gender identity but not necessarily to sexual orientation
   - When a person cross-dresses, they wear the clothes and accessories that in their culture are usually associated with the ‘opposite’ gender
2. Interestingly, in Western society it seems more acceptable for girls and women to dress as males (think jeans or other trousers), whereas a young boy who tries on the fairy outfits at pre-primary school raises much more concern

Question 9

Psychology and Gender

Answer 9

1. The study of gender has not traditionally been included in psychology, and women’s issues have not been an established focus of research, theory, and practice
2. As a science, psychology has been criticised for being biased against women, emphasising the experiences of men (mostly white, middle-class, heterosexual, and from the global north) and generalising these to all of humanity
3. In response to such criticism, psychology as a discipline turned to the study of sex differences
4. Perhaps the most debated questions in this area of research are:
   - Whether there are significant psychological differences between the sexes
   - - And if so, what the origins of these differences are

Question 10

Sex difference research

Answer 10

1. Sex difference research in psychology has focused on variations in sensory abilities, attention, verbal and spatial skills, cognitive styles, aggression, and many other areas
2. In a classic study, Maccoby and Jacklin (1974) reviewed the evidence from studies that focused on sex differences
   - They concluded that there were differences between males and females in only four areas
3. This included verbal ability, visual-spatial ability, mathematical ability, and aggressiveness
   - However, they also pointed out that the differences were overstated and that similarities were frequently ignored
4. Based on the assumption that there are real differences between the sexes, psychology has offered a number of theories to account for the development of sexual identity

Question 11

Theories that Account for Gender/Sex Differences

Answer 11

1. biological accounts
2. social learning theory
3. psychoanalytic theory
4. cognitive developmental approaches
5. gender schema theory
6. social constructionism