Sociological concepts of gender, ethnicity, sexuality and class Flashcards
What does the Equality Act 2010 state about equal access of private and public sector services?
Individuals have equal treatment in employment and access to private and public sector services
What does the NHS constitution state about discrimination?
Duty to not discriminate against patients and staff, must adhere to equal opportunities, equality and human rights legislation
When is sex of an individual assigned, and give 2 ways in which the sex is assigned?
Assigned at birth
Based on physiological characteristics such as genitalia, chromosomes
What is the other term for sex assigned at birth?
Natal sex
What are the 3 binary forms of sex, and how are they generally distinguished?
Male, female, intersex
Physical differences
What is meant by the gender of an individual?
Broad spectrum that describes how individual identifies
What is meant by non-binary?
Umbrella term describing when gender does not fit naturally within generic categories of male and female
What is meant by transgender?
Umbrella term that describes people whose current gender identity/how they express gender differs from sex assigned at birth
What is meant by gender dysphoria?
Psychological and physiological unease that a person has because of a mismatch between their biological sex and their gender identity
What are 2 types of transition for transgender people?
Medical
Social
When referring to the natal sex of an individual who is transgender or has gender dysphoria, what phrase must you use and why?
Assigned sex at birth
Used because sex does not match with gender identity
In NHS content, why are ‘you’ and ‘they’ used instead of masculine/feminine pronouns?
‘You’ and ‘they’ are gender-neutral so are inclusive
When signposting an individual to the relevant service to receive sexual health info and treatment, what terms do you use to describe the individual?
Sexuality
eg. lesbian, gay, bisexual, men who have sex with men (MSM)
Explain why sex and gender are both important to health, using HIV as example?
Women are more likely to gain HIV in terms of sex as their genitalia puts them at higher risk of seroconversion and receptive sex is generally has higher risk than insertive sex.
Women more likely in terms of gender, because social relations have caused gender imbalance between men and women (lower status, social and economic dependency) so women not be able to refuse unsafe sex which exposes them to HIV
According to the Trans Lives Survey 2021, what percentage of transgender people were refused care by GP at least once?
14%
According to the Trans Lives Survey 2021, what percentage of transgender people avoided going to doctor when unwell?
57%
Why does ethnicity not have a set definition?
Ethnicity is contextual and dynamic
Why is ethnicity used in health research instead of race?
‘Race’ doesn’t have scientific validity
What it ethnicity commonly defined as?
Reflecting an individual’s identification with cultural traditions that provide boundaries between groups
Describe the more likely state of job security and working conditions of ethnic groups?
Poor job security
Bad working conditions eg. unsociable hours, stressful
Are ethnic groups more likely to face racial discrimination and harassment at work?
Yes
What is meant by ethnic groups being more likely to have place-based disadvantage at work?
More likely to be placed to work in poorly-serviced area
What is National Statistics Socioeconomic Classification (NS-SEC) used to measure, and what are 4 differentiating factors?
Used to measure employment relations
Classes are differentiated by:
Reward mechanisms
Autonomy
Job security
Promotion prospects
According to NS-SEC, what classes are ethnic groups more likely to be in?
Lower classes
Define sexuality, and give 5 examples?
Individual experience of attraction (or lack thereof) that defines sexual identity
Eg. heterosexual, homosexual, asexual, bisexual, pansexual
Define cisgender?
Umbrella term describing person whose gender identity corresponds with the sex registered for them at birth; not transgender
Define genderfluid, and what 3 umbrella terms does it fall under?
Person who does not identify as having a single unchanging gender
Falls under non-binary, transgender, cisgender umbrella
Define agender, and what 2 umbrella terms does this fall under?
Agender: Individual doesn’t align with any gender
Falls under non-binary and transgender umbrella
Give 4 ways in which you can reduce discrimination in the workplace as a clinician, regarding gender, sex and sexuality?
Safeguarding and whistleblowing
Challenging discrimination in the workplace
Continuously improving your understanding
Avoiding common stereotypes, and using a patient-centred approach
What did the Buggery act 1533 state about homosexuality?
Homosexuality outlawed and those guilty sentenced to death
What did the Clandestine Marriage act 1753 state about secrete marriages?
Requires formal ceremony for marriage instead of secret marriages
What did Karl Heinrich Ulrichs theorise in 1861, which pioneered the gay rights activism?
Homosexuality is inborn/innate and so they should be treated same as everyone else
What did the Beaumont Society and Sexual Offences act 1966-69 partially legalise for males over 21 years old?
Partially legalised same-sex acts in the UK between consenting males over the age of 21 in private
What did Section 28 1988 state shouldn’t be promoted, and by who?
Local authorities should not promote homosexuality
Why did Christie Elan-Cane sue the HM office in 1995?
Sued for not having third gender box in passport so was discriminatory against non-binary people
What did the Sex discrimination (gender reassignment) act 1999 state about discrimination against transgender employees?
It is unlawful to discriminate against a person in relation to employment and vocational training on the grounds that they intend to undergo, are undergoing or have undergone gender reassignment
What does the Gender Recognition act 2004-06 state about people with gender dysphoria and transgender people?
They can change their legally recognised sex by obtaining a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC)
In 2018, what practice did Theresa May call for ban on?
Conversion practices
In 2022, was conversion therapy banned by the government?
No, there was conversion practice backsliding (reverting to it) due to failure to ban it
Define conversion therapy?
Therapy that assumes that certain sexualities/gender identities are inferior so seeks to change/suppress them
In which 3 social environments does conversion therapy most frequently occur?
Healthcare settings
Faith communities
Families
What does gender-affirming care service in healthcare?
Services medical transition
Define medical transition?
Process by which some transgender and non-binary people realign their body with their sense of gender identity
What umbrella term has gender dysphoria and gender identity disorder been reclassified under, by the ICD-11?
Gender Incongruence (GI): condition in which the gender identity of a person does not align with the gender assigned at birth
Why is gender dysphoria classed under the umbrella condition gender incongruence?
Included under GI because people with GI don’t always have gender dysphoria
Gender dysphoria occurs when person also has psychological and physiological unease, but not all people with GI have unease
How do some older healthcare and legal institutions term gender incongruence?
Referred to as transsexualism
Considered a psychological disorder
Does medical transition affect legal gender and protections?
No, they remain unchanged
Give 4 examples of practices in medical transition?
Puberty-delaying treatment/blockers
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
Surgery
Therapeutic interventions
In the UK, who can provide referrals for HRT and surgery (medical transition)?
Specialists of Gender Identity Clinic (GIC)
Pilot schemes eg. TransPlus have given professionals closer to primary care limited ability to make referrals
What is the average wait time to receive a referral for the Gender Identity Clinic, and how does this compare to NHS constitution?
Average wait time is 2 years
People have waited up to 5 years
NHS constitution states that wait time shouldn’t exceed 18 months after GP referral to treatment
After a person has their first appointment at the Gender Identity Clinic, what happens in the next appointments?
Person is assessed by mental health professionals to confirm gender dysphoria diagnosis and treatment plan (wait 6-18 months for HRT, 2 or more years for surgery)
Define transgender healthcare?
Any situation where a transgender or non-binary person accesses a healthcare service
What is the difference between transgender and gender-affirming healthcare?
Transgender healthcare includes all healthcare services accessed by a transgender/non-binary person
Gender-affirming care only includes services for medical transition, no other healthcare services
Why does transgender healthcare exist, and why is it separate from cisgender healthcare?
Exists because transgender people might have different healthcare needs from cisgender people due to their gender identity, not treated differently in any other way
