Sex and Gender Definitions

• The presentation covers sex, gender, their impact on health, gender identity, healthy sexual intercourse, and sexual health problems.

Defining Sex

• Sex refers to the biological characteristics that define males and females.
• Biological characteristics include anatomical, physical, and genetic traits.
• These traits encompass genital organs, predominant hormones (estrogen, testosterone), the ability to produce sperm or ovum, and the capacity for childbirth and breastfeeding.
• Sex can refer to sexual activity including intercourse.

Understanding Gender

• Gender transcends biological differences; it is rooted in how society perceives, thinks about, and expects individuals to behave as men and women.
• It reflects how an individual or society defines a man or a woman.
• Gender roles which encompass attitudes, behaviors, expectations, and responsibilities are shaped socially and culturally.
• Gender shapes acceptable thoughts, expectations, and norms for women and men in society.
• These norms include feminine and masculine traits, expectations about behavior in various situations, and are learned through family, friends, community leaders, institutions, schools, workplaces, advertising, and media.
• Gender influences roles of women and men in society, their social status, economic power, and political influence.

Gender and Sexuality

• Girls are often raised not to be interested in sexuality while there is a social allowance for men.
• Women may avoid expressing their sexual desires and are expected not to refuse intercourse and curtail pleasure-seeking.
• Women are often expected to remain virgins until marriage, while men are given more sexual freedom.
• Men's infidelity tends to be accepted as "having an affair, but women's infidelity is considered to be "The Greatest Sin" or grounds for "honor killing".
• Study in specific country revealed significant gender differences in sexual behavior and attitudes.
• Boys are mostly not virgins while the age of first sexual intercourse is earlier for boys.
• During first intercourse, girls experience more negative emotions like guilt, shame, regret, fear, and anxiety than boys.

Gender Identity Explained

• Gender identity encompasses the perception and acceptance of one's body and self within a particular sexuality and expressing appropriate orientations in feelings and behaviors.
• Essentially, it is accepting one's sex, behaving in accordance with this acceptance, and aligning feelings and behaviors with one's sexuality.

Gender Identity Development

• A child establishes various identifications during their spiritual development.
• Children take adult figures, particularly parents, as models, imitating behaviors, absorbing traits, and developing their own characteristics.
• Later in adolescence, integrating childhood identities, adopting values of friend groups identity forms.
• Identity is formed by blending characteristics gained from relationships during childhood and becoming part of the self.
• Perception and acceptance of person's sex are important stages in the development of sexual identity.
• Gender identity develops based on input from family, peers, teachers, and culture.
• An individual with resolved gender identity can define themselves as "I am a man, I am a woman".

Sexual Orientation Overview

• Sexual orientation involves the gender toward which someone's sexual impulse is directed and what sexual desire is felt.
• It is a characteristic defined by the gender the person is sexually and emotionally attracted to.
• Heterosexual describes someone sexually and emotionally attracted to opposite.
• Homosexual characterizes sexual and emotional interest in one's own gender.
• Bisexual refers to sexual and emotional attraction to people of both sexes.
• Transgender describes individuals who believe they should change their gender, mentally and physically.
• Bodily gender and gender identity apply if someone is heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual while sexual orientation doesn't matter.
• Gay men do not necessarily feel like women, and gay women do not feel like men.
• How sexual orientation forms remains unknown, however environmental factors on a complex genetic basis are involved
• Whether people are born heterosexual, bisexual/homosexual is unknown
• People cannot make a choice between these orientations.
• A person's sexual experiments don't indicate their sexual orientation or gender identity.
• People may have sexual encounters for reasons beyond sexual orientation.

Sexual Behaviors Defined

• Sexual behaviors encompass activities related to a person's sexuality, like touching, kissing, and body stimulation.
• Regularly practiced activities are considered sexual experiences or behaviors.
• Encompasses what people do with themselves and with others.
• Concept of sexuality takes shape in adolescence and the sexual characteristics of individuals doesn't easily change after adolescence.
• Adolescence typically starts with interest in body then extends to curiosity about others.
• Curiosity and fantasies turns into kissing then sexual intercourse

Sexual Intimacy

• Sexual intimacy goes beyond just sexual intercourse.
• It includes kissing, touching, chatting, hugging, reading love stories or telling jokes, being happy to be together or even just staring.

Healthy Sexual Intercourse

• Intimate sexual behaviors, incorporating oral, anal, and penile-vaginal contact, are labeled sexual intercourse.
• A healthy sexual relationship is built on shared values and five characteristics
• Characteristics require compromise, absence of exploitation, honesty, wishing to enjoy each other and protection against unwanted pregnancy. It is also protection against sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS.

Sexually Healthy Adult

• Sexually healthy adults know values of their bodies, take responsibility for behavior and are able to communicate with respect.
• They are able to consistently express love and share values.
• Achieving healthy and happy relationships involve recognizing psychological, biological, and sociocultural points of view..
• Individuals should be respected in experiencing sexuality. Their lives should be free from all coercion.
• People should share sexual decision and all children protected.
• Individuals have a right to make sexual decisions.
• It is important for children to know and share basic values with their families

Maturing with healthy sexuality

• Young people must explore sexuality safely and sexual behavior require responsibility and self-control.
• People should get counsel from health centres if they choose to engage in sexual relations
• Postponing sexual intercourse prevents unwanted pregnancies and STDs.

Sex and gender-based health impacts

• Biological and social relations impact health.
• Men and women show differences in health and disease.
• Women live longer but experience more illness and stress.

Sex, Gender, and Health Problems

• Sexual problems are common worldwide with approximately one out of every three people experiencing a sexual dysfunction.
• Women live longer, hence, higher morbidity rates
• Deterioration of health happens as a process of aging to both sexes.
• Women have more age-related diseases. But, women have more reproductive problems.
• Women have higher burden of reproductive disease. There are also gender related issues in childhood to adulthood.

Negativities that effect girls' health (In childhood)

• Gender selection
• Unwanted pregnancy
• Voluntary abortions
• Female-Genital Mutilation
• Malnutrition
• Infections
• Negligence, inability to benefit from the service
• Increased morbidity and mortality rates (especially 2-5 years)
• More risks for female adolescents
• Societal pressure
• Sexual harassment/abuse
• Unwanted pregnancies
• Voluntary abortions
• Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
• Anemia/malnutrition
• Substance abuse (alcohol, smoking, drugs)
• Sex trafficking
• Violence

Specific to female adults include:

• Pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum complications
• Unwanted pregnancies/intentional abortions
• STDs
• Anemia/malnutrition
• Sex trafficking/sexual harassment-abuse/violence
• Maternal mortality

Relating to menopause:

• Are often neglected
• Menopausal symptoms
• Malignancies
• Cardio Vascular Diseases (CVD)
• Osteoporosis
• Urogenital prolapse
• Violence

Frequency & causes

• Lack of sex education is a major sexual problem as well as false beliefs, diseases, and drugs with both partners contributing.
• There are societies that prohibit exploring sex which affects sex education
• Societies views create taboos and virginity becomes an important attribute
• Premature ejaculation is common in men with insufficient experience; women have orgasm difficulties.
• CETAD survey identified 62% of Turkish society lacks general knowledge about sex

Cultural factors affecting

• Societies approach and associated prejudices/taboos impacts a significant number with psychological causes.
• It is believed if society supports a rigid approach, that causes problems and dysfunctions
• False beliefs include exaggerated sexuality, based mostly on wrong jokes and media portrayals.
• These beliefs belittle women. Another lie is that being asexual is a sin.

Diseases that can cause sexual problems

• Cardiovascular and circulatory system diseases
• Renal and urological diseases
• Liver diseases
• Lung diseases
• Genetic diseases
• Nutritional disorders
• Hormone system diseases
• Nervous system diseases, including cord injuries and tumors
• Poisonings
• Surgeries

Drugs that can cause sexual problems

• Include diuretics, tension drugs, psychiatric drugs, H-2 antagonist, Beta-2 Antagonists and sympathomimetics, and alcohol/drugs etc.