GENDER

AND
SOCIETY

Prepared by:
Grace Ann M. Magsino
SEX, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY
 Introduction:
 What does it mean to be male and female, to be
feminine or masculine, or to be a man or
woman? The human mind and body are so
complex such that to answer this question, we
have to trace our journey from the moment we
were born, and go back to the journey we
humans have across the life span
 First thing you need to understand is the
complexities of defining and differentiating
sex, gender, and sexuality. Having a clear
grasp of these concepts is crucial since we will
be using these terms over and over again in
succeeding discussions.
 SEX
 Sex is the biological dimension of your gender
and sexuality. Also referred to as biological sex
or physical sex, the term generally pertains to
your identity depending on your sexual
anatomy and physiology the parts of your
body that are relevant to reproduction and the
function of these parts.
 Hermaphroditism (from Hermes, a male Greek
God, and Aphrodite, a female Greek Goddess) - the
condition of having both male and female
reproductive organs. ... In humans, conditions
that involve discrepancies between external
genitalia and internal reproductive organs are
described by the term intersex
 Chromosomes - Chromosomes are thread-like
structures located inside the nucleus of
animal and plant cells. Each chromosome is
made of protein and a single molecule of
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Passed from
parents to offspring, DNA contains the specific
instructions that make each type of living
creature unique.
 There are specific chromosomes referred to as a
sex chromosomes, which marks a person’s
biological sex.
 XY sex chromosomes is said to be male
 XX sex chromosomes is said to be femal.
 Hormones - are your body's chemical
messengers. They travel in your bloodstream to
tissues or organs. They work slowly, over time,
and affect many different processes, including.
Growth and development. Metabolism - how
your body gets energy from the foods you eat.
 For example, human males tend to have higher
levels of testosterone, which associated to sex
drive and aggressions.
 On the other hand, human females tend to have
higher level of estrogen and progesterone,
which are associated to lactation, menstruation,
and other female reproductive functions.
 GENDER
 However, humans are meaning-making
organisms. Our ability for higher order
thinking and our tendency to create social
norms, allow us to attach social and cultural
meanings to things, including our sex. For
example, males are typically expected be
masculine and females are expected to be
feminine. This social dimension of one’s
sexuality to as gender.
 Heteronormativity - is the belief that
heterosexuality is the preferred or normal mode of
sexual orientation. It assumes the gender binary
and that sexual and marital relations are most
fitting between people of opposite sex.
 Gender Identity – one important aspect of our
gender is our sense of who we are. Do we see
experience ourselves as a man, or neither.
 Transgender - Transgender people have a gender
identity or gender expression that differs from the
sex that they were assigned at birth. Some
transgender people who desire medical assistance
to transition from one sex to another identify as
transsexual
 SEXUAL ORIENTATION
 Another aspect of our gender pertains to our
emotional and sexual attraction to a person.
This aspect refers to our sexual orientation.
 According to Psychological Association of the
Philippines, typically at ages 6 or 8, we
experience or develop attraction to other
people. By adolescence, we already know who
we are attracted to and would experiment
through dating and relationship.
 Everyone’s sexuality is different and deeply
personal. Our capacity for emotional and
sexual attraction is diverse and complex, but
there are a few common terms or labels for us
to use.
 HETEROSEXUALS/STRAIGHT – people who
are attracted to the opposite sex
 HOMOSEXUAL/GAY/LESBIAN – people
who are attracted to people of the same sex
 BISEXUAL/BI – people are attracted to both
sexes, male or female.
 LGBT – refers to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender community
 APPRECIATING DIVERSITY
 According to American Psychological Association
(APA), nature and nurture play a complex role in
shaping our sexual orientation. Homosexuality and
heterosexuality are part of the human sexuality and
is a large part of the human experience.
 Identifying as a heterosexual, lesbian, bi, gay, or
transgender is a deeply personal process, so it may
be more difficult for others to “come out” or for
them to become comfortable enough with their
sexuality that they feel safe to share it with other
people.
 Activity:
 Form 5 groups
 Pick three concepts you learned from the class
 Discuss the concepts you picked and why you
chose them
 Label whether the concepts you picked evoke a
“positive” or “ negative” feeling.
 Create one minute show to your classmates
presenting each of the concepts you picked.
LESSON 2: GENDER AND SEXUALITY
ACROSS TIME
 Society has progressed so much in a way that
information and knowledge is available to
everyone. This gives us an opportunity to
examine our social and political conditions in
more detailed than when information was
scarce and limited to only a few individuals.
 Historical accounts show that across time,
human’s conception of gender and sexuality
has also change.
 DIVINE FEMININE – (the sacredness of a
woman due to her ability to conceived
children) has prevailed, and thus, women and
treated equally with men.
 EGALITARIAN – ( men and women have
equitable power and roles)
 PATERNITY – (fatherhood/role of the father in
conception)presumably during the
Agricultural era,.
 PATRIACHY
 A close examination of our society can lead us to
see the invisible layers of oppression in our
society can lead us to see the invisible layers of
oppression of women wherein they are
perceived to be weaker sex. It is upholds male
supremacy in the law, at home, in the work
place, and in society.
 Patriarchy is from the Greek word Patriarkhes
which means “the rule of the father”. It is a social
system where men primarily holds power in the
politicaal and private spheres.
 A patrilineal society often follows a patriarchal society,
this means only men can inherit property and the
family name. women were left with no inheritance and
are expected to marry a man who can support her
economically.

HISTORICAL VIEWS ON GENDER

 GREEK – Aristotle, Plato, and other Greek philosophers

viewed woman as the inferior sex and are properties of
men whose only job was to obey their husbands, bear
children, and take care of the household. They were
forbidden to learn philosophy, politics, and science.
 EGYPT - Herodotus, a Greek historian,
observed the Egyptian civilization citing that
Egyptian women enjoyed higher social status
than Greek women because they can inherit
property and engage in trade and politics.
 CHINA – Confucianism has stringent written
rules that dictate how women should conduct
themselves. The written documents titled “
Three obedience’s and four virtues” and “
Precepts of women” states that women should
obey their father, when married she is to obey
her husband, and when widowed she is to
obey her son.
 Gender biases in ancient patriarchal societies
were very strict, heavily enforced, and often
violent.
 Women have come a long way since the
ancient times through the feminist movement,
however, patriarchy has taken subtle forms of
oppression that often go unnoticed such as:
 Sexism – prejudice, stereotypes, and
discrimination based on sex;
 Gender pay gap – men earn more than women;
 Under representation in politics, military,
executive positions etc..
 Rape on women and the stigma making
women ashamed to report the crime
 Very conservative expectations on women on
how they behave;
 Women do more housework and childcare
 Boys were trained to be leaders while women
were trained to do house chores
 WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
 Women’s liberation movement, women’s movement,
or feminism is a continuing series of social
movements that aim to challenge the patriarchal
society that created these oppressive political
structures, beliefs, and practices against women.
 In France, Simone de Beauvoir wrote book titled
“The Second Sex” in 1949. It outlined how the
patriarchal society disadvantaged women by slowly
raising her into submission and hindering their
productivity and happiness by relegating them to
housecleaning.
 Le Movement de Liberation des Femmes or the
women’s liberation movement was formed in
Europe and they sought the right to education,
right to work, and right to vote in 1940s. Later,
they also won women’s right to decide on their
own bodies and their sexualities.

 The United Nations reports that women do

more work than men because even when they
work a the office, they still expected to do
household tasks.
 To put simply, feminism demands equality.
Here are few salient points that feminism
demands.

1. WOMEN SUFFRAGE – women were not

allowed to vote before because they were
viewed as irrational and temperamental
therefore, not able to make rational decisions.
This change after World War I (1914 -1918)
were in women were uprooted from the
household. They took on jobs and made
significant contributions to their country.
2. EQUALITY IN POLITICS AND SOCIETY - for
hundred of years, women’s voices were silenced,
so society must make an effort to restore their
rights.
3. REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS means the woman is
in control of her body, and she can decide for
herself on what she sees is best for her.
4. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE – such as marital rape
and physical abuse are often dismissed by society
as part of a “marriage”. Although we have RA
9626 or Anti Violence Against Women and their
Children, our culture still dismiss such incidents
as “Away Mag-asawa”
5. SEXUL HARASSMENT AND SEXUAL
VIOLENCE – the Center for Women’s Resources
in the Philippines estimates that one woman or
child is raped every hour mostly by someone they
know.
6. Other rights include the right to divorce their
husbands, the right to make decisions on her
pregnancy, equitable wages, and equal
employment opportunity.