Gender Identity
One of the most basic and crucial elements that we identify ourselves with is the classification of whether we are male or female. The terms ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ are commonly used interchangeably. However, they have distinct differences between them and they differ in usage. Sex refers to an individual’s biological status and the physical attributes include external genitalia, chromosomes and hormonal profile. At birth, it is used to classify whether the individual is a male or female.
Some characteristics related to sex:
• Females’ reproductive system includes the vagina, ovaries, uterus, fallopian tubes and breasts. Males’ reproductive system includes the penis, testicles, scrotum and sperm ducts.
• Females can get pregnant
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Their male spouses, on the other hand, are expected to go out and earn money for his family.
• In some cultures, women are not allowed to travel within or out of the country alone as they are afraid that they’d fall prey to sexual predators or abductors. Men, on the other hand, can do so, as they are seen to be more masculine and are able to take care of themselves better than the females.
Gender identity, therefore, is defined as “one’s innermost concept of self as male or female or both or neither—how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves.” (Gender Spectrum) It is usually shaped by the combination of both inherent and environmental factors. One’s gender identity may either align with their biological sex – cis-gender – or in some cases where it is not congruent with one’s biological sex, an individual may identify themselves as a transgender or transsexual.
Gender Identity Development in Children
When a child is born, parents of the child will raise them according to their biological sex. Girls are also dressed differently than the boys by the parents – the former puts on dresses and pink clothing while boys are dressed in t-shirt and pants, that are easy to move around in, as boys are usually more active than the
Generations ago it was adults that transitioned from male to female or vice versa but these days many children are transitioning from male to female or vice versa due to advancement in medicine and technology. In the second example Niama who later changed his name to daniel who is a 9 yr old was born as a girl but identify as a girl. Niama has been a girl for 6 yrs and has been a boy for the last 3 yrs. Daniel dont like to be called a girl and like it
The Impact of Culture and Gender Roles Heather Richardson-Barker Drexel University Society has clearly defined boundaries between what is considered to be male or female. The development of an individual’s gender role is formed by interactions with those in close proximity. Society constantly tells us how we should look, act and live based on gender, as well as the influence of family, friends and the media have a tremendous impact on how these roles are formed and the expected behavior of each gender role. The term Gender, as defined by the United Nations, includes the psychological, social, cultural, and behavioral characteristics associated with being female or male. It further defines acceptable
In social psychology, we talked a lot about gender roles. At a young age, you are exposed to them regardless if you know it or not.. Starting at a young age, these children learned what they were supposed to be like. Little girls are dressed in pink dresses and bows, while boys are dressed in blue jeans and a t-shirt. Baby girls are talked to in calm, soft voices and told how precious and beautiful they look, while baby boys are told how tough and strong they look in louder aggressive voices.
Rosemary Okumu PSYC 1113 – Section 11/18 /2016 Gender Gender is the state of being male or female. Male are thought to be adventurous, aggressive, strong whereas females are to be affectionate, attractive, shy and sexy. While I highly identify with my feminine gender characteristics, at times l possess masculine characteristics like confidence, ambition, and sometimes aggression.
“Doing Gender” by West and Zimmerman is similar to Butler’s “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution.” However, West and Zimmerman build upon the ideas that Butler puts forth. Butler focuses on gender as performance and how gender is made up by specific actions. While West and Zimmerman take the concept of performance and constitution and applies it to a new concept, the sex category and how sex categories and gender are intertwined in society. Sex categories and gender, according to West and Zimmerman, are different and interconnected.
In order to understand the true meaning of the sex/gender binary we must look at it as three distinct parts. Sex is the biological aspect of our bodies. It is the make up of hormones, genitalia, and internal compositions that set us into categories, and separate one child from another at birth. Gender is our socialized identity that reinforces
In the following essay, we will explore how your sex and gender affect your identity in society. Let us take a look at the word identity. According to the dictionary of psychology on alleydog.com, a persons identity is defined as their “own sense
Transgender is the term used to describe an individual whose gender identity does not align with their sex assigned at birth. The documentary, “Growing up Trans”, is a sensitive clip to watch about young youths who attempt to navigate family, friends, gender, and the medical decisions they face at puberty. “Growing up Trans” focuses mainly on transitioned young youths. The transgender youth from the documentary links to many theories from chapter eight. Theories such as socialization, gender, sexuality, homophobia, transphobia, and microaggression are associated with “Growing up Trans”.
Gender is it a concept or is it made apparent by our DNA when you are born or does it change as you grow older? Often gender is something that society defines at birth. According to society certain gender roles are pre established when we are born. The majority of society believes that if you are born to a specific gender you should adhere to the gender roles while other people believe that instead we may be born to a gender but it does not always decide if you are that gender. Science has proven that just because you are born a male or female does not mean that you mentally see yourself as that gender.
The story picked is What Means Switch written by Gish Jen. It revolves around the life of Mona Chang, an 8th grade American-born Chinese girl in New York during the 1960s. She meets Sherman Matsumoto, a new Japanese student who becomes her boyfriend. She battles Japanese, traditional and modern Chinese influences, in a western environment. The concepts derived from this short story are as follows.
According to sexologists John Money and Anke Ehrhardt, sex and gender are separate categories. “Sex, they argued, refers to physical attributes and is anatomically and physiologically determined. Gender they saw as a psychological transformation - the internal conviction that one is either male or female (gender identity) and the behavioral expressions of that conviction” (Sterling 4). Although there are biological differences between the two sexes, but gender roles are socially constructed. They determine how males and females should think, speak, dress, behave and interact with society.
Sex and gender are the two terms used for identification of masculinity and femininity among humans in our daily life. Sex is the biological term that determines the biological and “anatomical” differences between male and female species. It also clarifies the primary and secondary sex characteristics a person should have in order to be male or female. However, gender is a socially and culturally constructed term that delineates the distinction between men and women and their roles in the society. Gender is also used to organize relationships between man and women in social life.
What we today see as genders is the norms that follow when born as a girl or as a boy. What is being connected to male norms of masculinity is strength, aggression and dominance, while woman more often than not follow norms such as passivity, nurturing and subordination. We have come to realise in recent years that your gender and your sex is not the same thing. The fact that there is not only two genders but a lot more is also something that has been discovered. Transgender is those who is born as one gender, but identifies as another.
Every culture has different guidelines about what is suitable for males and females and family members may socialize babies in gendered ways without consciously following that path. For example, in a modern society, the colour pink is associated with girls and the colour blue with boys. Even as tiny babies, boys and girls are dressed differently according to what is considered ‘appropriate’ to the respective sexes. Even parents who strive to achieve a less ‘gendered’ parenting style unconsciously reinforce gender roles. A family structure acts as the most important agent of gender socialization for children and adolescents as it serves as the centre of a child’s life.
Throughout most of history and the usage of the word gender in the past, gender has been defined as groups of males or females and a class that is distinguished based off of certain