Gayle Rubin created the sex/gender system concept in the year 1975. She created this term to offer a new way of thinking about the difference between sex and gender. She defined the sex/gender system as “the set of arrangements by which a society transforms biological sexuality into products of human activity, and which these transformed sexual needs are satisfied” (WRWC, 2015). The sex/gender system has many explanations that attempt to address how our sex plays a role in how we learn gender. A few of these theories include: cognitive-developmental theory, social learning theory, gender schema theory, social interactions and gender roles, and lastly, performativity theory. In this essay I will explain how the sex/gender system is created and reinforced from the perspectives of feminist theorists.…
According to Professor Heather Paxson (2006) of MIT, gender refers to the characteristics that differentiate men and women’s behaviors and it includes value judgments connected to masculinity and femininity and everything in between. However, as one learns more and more about gender, they question the necessity of gender and even its existence. In the piece X: A Fabulous Child’s Story by Lois Gould (1978 or 2006) gender is portrayed as unimportant in order to have a good life; gender doesn’t matter. It shows that people have a need to categorize everything into groups because if they don’t, the unknown lingers in their minds and they fear it. People fear the unknown and the different, therefore they fear any gender other than the binary. But…
Money, T., Ehrhardt., 1972. Man and Woman, Boy and Girl, The differentiation and dimorphism of gender identity from conception to maturity. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press. [Online] Available from: http://www.gender.org.uk/about/ [cited 3 January 2009]…
The term sex and gender tends to be interchangeable in today’s society to help identify a character. In spite of that, sex is defined as a biological characteristic that differentiates male from female through characteristics like their reproductive organs, and gender is assigned by “the behavior and attitude that a society considers proper for its males and females” (Henslin J., 2014, p. 288). Nevertheless, if you were to explain the concept of gender as a structure you would look at men as the defender of their household and providers for their family through what society coined as masculinity. While on the other side, women are regarded as the nurturers in the family and provide the means of procreating, taking care of the kids while the husband is away; as well as, speak and behave in a gentle manner through what is known as femininity.…
Sex is the biological identity of a human being, “The criteria for classification can be genitalia at birth or chromosomal typing…” (West and Zimmerman, 2015). Sex category is determined through the sex criteria although, according to west and Zimmerman, a person may classify themselves in a specific sex category even though they do not have the sex criteria for that category. Gender is the agreed upon way one person should present themselves if they identify in a specific category (masculinity and femininity). Hegemonic masculinity is dictated through the three societal standards that are put in our heads as a baby. Whether it is the cars and trucks to the guns and swords little boys get; we see masculinity being something in which is taught at a young…
Gender identity literature offers many variations on the same theme when defining the term “Gender Identity”. Hird argues that "‘sex’ referred to biological differences between women and men, whereas ‘gender’ signified the practices of femininity or masculinity in social relations" (Hird, 2000, p. 348). Due to the nature of gender identity and the…
This portfolio was published online by Jonis Portfolio to recognize and argue the issue of nature vs. nurture and its concern with sexual identity. It describes many cases where biologically born males who were raised as females so vehemently were determined to be males. It describes nature as a leading factor over nurture for determining sexual identity. It’s helpful to this essay because it presents some major arguments concerning the matter of nature vs. nurture. It even describes the John/Joan case and what happened there.…
Gender has several controversial definitions but it here refers to an individual's inner sex or psychological sense of being a male or female irrespective of one's outer sex identity as determined by one's sexual organs. There are two main genders: masculine (male), or feminine (female). Gender identity refers to the options available to members of a society to choose from a set of social identities, based on the combination of one's sex identity on the one hand, and one's natural gender, interests and social experiences on the other. Some ancient tribes have more than five human genders. Some non-Western societies have three human genders – man, womanand third gender. Gender roles refers to the set of attitudes and behaviors socially expected from the members of a particular gender identity. Gender roles are socially constructed which are often politicised and manipulated, which then result in the oppression of people.…
As Grewal &Kaplan (2005) writes, the “two gender system” that at first seemed so “natural” has not been so for all time or everywhere in the world (P.2).” The two-gender system, also known as the “gender binary”, which classifies sex and gender into two distinct forms of masculine and feminine, sets limitations for individuals who may or may not wish to fit into specific categories of two gender roles. Setting out this boundary denies one the ability to express their sexuality freely: this may result in the discrimination and subordination of alternative forms of gender that society does not deem as “natural”. In other words, individuals who do not classify themselves as belonging to the main types of gender systems may be socially neglected and their sexuality, frowned upon. This essay will illustrate what society deems as “natural” and how the concept of gender and sexual diversity vary across cultures and historical periods. In addition, this paper will argue that the two-sex systems embedded in our society are not adequate to encompass the full spectrum of human sexuality.…
Gender is not something we are born with, and not something we have, but something we do, something we perform (Butler, 1990).…
In an excerpt from her book, Gender Trouble, Judith Butler discusses the enigma that is gender identity, while clearly distinguishing between gender and sex. Claiming that gender is a “fabrication”, Butler is able to deconstruct the typical gender notions. Over two decades later, this theory is now being broadcasted to thousands of viewers each week via the popular television show, I am Jazz.…
Her argument about gender and sexual understanding first begins with the comprehension of traditional definitions of gender and sex. Gender, as she summarizes it, is the “repeated styles of flesh” that take shape over time due to its repetition (cats 1). Sex is certain biological processes divided into separate categories (Julia). She claims that these definitions are only used because humans cannot understand gender…
Everywhere we look social media, TV, Radio and even in our everyday lives, our gender identity and roles are determine by societies rule. Since the day we are born, actually it goes as far as the day our sex is discovered. Since sex and gender, specific roles could not be more stereotypical, and even more that sexuality has become an obsession. To the point that everywhere you look you can see the roles gender and sex play in our everyday life. “In today’s society we are expected to conform, portray and adhere to strict social standards set forth to preserve our sexual identities. With research on gender, sex and sexuality becoming more prevalent, a deeper understanding can be had of how each of these co-exist in the human body and how each can be better understood as fluid or existing on a spectrum.” (Dillon C.)…
Today there continues to be a strong conflict over the ideas of gender and their roles in society. Gender as a social construct creates order in what it means to be an ideal male or female as well as structures the definitions of what is masculine or feminine. Anyone who deviates from their assigned gender is punished through ridicule and shame.…
This essay by Aaron H. Devor is about Gender Identity in society. Aaron has done research on how children become accustomed to gender and learn their role in society. It starts as early as eighteen months to two years of age, by this time children can identify their gender and the gender of other people, At age five to seven they believe that they are permanently a part of their gender group. He did studies on children with dolls. These kids were asked to identify the gender of the dolls. Most of them used attributes like hair length and not the anatomy of the dolls, thus proving that they do not fully understand the concept of the sex of people, but the gender of certain roles. They still believe at the age of five to the age of seven…