Sex and Gender Definitions

• Tulay KAVLAK is the assistant professor who presented on the topic of sex, gender, and its impact on health.

Sex

• Refers to the biological characteristics, including anatomical, physical, and genetic attributes, that define male and female.
• Encompasses the type of genital organs, such as penis, testicles, vagina, uterus, and breasts.
• Determines the predominant hormones within the body, such as estrogen and testosterone.
• Determines the ability to produce sperm or ovum and the ability to give birth and breastfeed.
• It is also used to describe sexual activity including intercourse.

Gender

• Is not solely based on biological differences.
• Refers to how society perceives individuals, the expectations placed on them, and how they are expected to behave as men and women.
• Is how an individual or society defines a man or woman.
• Encompasses socially and culturally defined attitudes, behaviors, expectations, and responsibilities for men and women.
• Includes accepted thoughts and expectations (norms) for women and men in society.
• Includes traits and abilities labeled as "typically" feminine and masculine.
• Learned from various sources, including family, friends, community leaders, religious and cultural institutions, schools, workplaces, advertising, and the media.
• Influences the roles of women and men in society, their social status, alongside their economic and political power.
• Girls are taught not to be interested in sexuality in some cultures when they are raised.
• Women tend to avoid telling men what they find sexually stimulating.
• Women don't refuse intercourse if they re not sufficiently stimulated.
• It is expected for women to not engage in active attitudes that might increase their pleasure.
• A woman should maintain their virginity until marriage in some cultures.
• Sexual freedom is accepted for men in some cultures.
• It is accepted that men cheat/have affairs in some cultures.
• Women's infidelities/cheating is considered the greatest sin, often resulting in honor killings.

Gender and Sexual Intercourse

• There are significant gender differences found on sexual behavior and attitudes.
• Boys are mostly not virgins according to girls.
• The age of first sexual intercourse is earlier in boys than in girls.
• Girls experience more negative emotions such as guilt, shame, regret, fear, and anxiety during their first sexual encounter compared to boys.

Gender Identity

• Involves the perception and acceptance of the individual's body and self in a particular sexuality.
• Includes exhibiting appropriate orientations in their feelings and behaviors.
• In other words, involves accepting the sex to which one belongs and acting accordingly in terms of body, self, feelings, and sexuality-related behaviors.

Gender Identity Development

• Children establish various identifications during their spiritual development.
• Children learn by modeling the adult people around them, especially parents.
• Children imitate behaviors and absorb and make characteristics their own.
• Individuals integrate their childhood identities, adopting the values of their friend groups in youth.
• Identity incorporates characteristics acquired from people in childhood, settling within the self.
• Gender identity is a significant component of identity, being biologically, socially, and psychologically important.
• Perception and acceptance of being a woman or a man, sexual orientation, and sexual behaviors aligned with this perception are vital in sexual identity development.
• An individual without a gender identity problem self-identifies as "I am a man, I am a woman".
• Development is based on input from family members, peers, teachers, and cultural factors.

Sexual Orientation

• It is the gender to which their sexual impulse is directed and what sexual desire is felt.
• Sexual orientation is a characteristic defined by the gender that a person is sexually and emotionally attracted to.
• Heterosexual individuals are sexually and emotionally attracted to the opposite sex.
• Homosexual individuals are sexually and emotionally attracted to the same sex.
• Bisexual individuals are sexually and emotionally attracted to both sexes.
• Transgender individuals are the person who believes that they should change their gender and that they should have the other gender mentally and physically.
• Heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual men are all male regarding bodily gender and gender identity.
• Heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual women have a female bodily gender and gender identity.
• Gay men do not feel like women, and gay women do not feel like men, debunking a common belief.
• How sexual orientation forms is not known.
• One can not answer why a heterosexual man likes a woman, nor is it known how it is formed in other cases.
• Environmental factors on a complex genetic basis are theories for the potential causes.
• Whether people are born heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual is still unknown.
• People do not or can not choose between heterosexuality and other orientations.
• A person is not heterosexual because they want to be, nor can you decide to be gay or to become bisexual and homosexual.
• Experiments don't indicate sexual orientation/gender identity.
• Someone may have sexual experiences with another for reasons other than sexual orientation, they may have some contrary because of social rules.

Sexual Behaviors

• Encompass activities related to a person's sexuality, like touching, kissing, and stimulation.
• Activities or habits done to express sexuality are called sexual experiences or behaviors.
• Sexual behaviors and experiences are defined as what people do sexually with themselves and others.
• The concept of sexuality takes shape in adolescence, starting in childhood.
• The individual's sexual characteristics do not change easily after puberty.
• In adolescence, curiosity usually starts with one's body and turns to those around them.
• limited sexual experiences (kissing, caressing, etc.) replace curiosity and fantasies, expanding boundaries and having sexual intercourse.
• Sexual intimacy is not only having sex.
• It also involves kissing, touching, chatting, hugging, caressing, reading love stories, telling jokes, being happy together, fantasizing and even just staring.
• Intimate sexual behaviors, including oral, anal, and penile-vaginal sex, are called sexual intercourse.

Healthy Sexual Intercourse

• Is built on shared values and has five characteristics,
• Compromise.
• Non-exploitative.
• Honest.
• Wishing to enjoy each other.
• Protection against unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, like AIDS.

Sexually Healthy Adults

• To be considered a sexually healthy adult is to know the value of their own bodies.
• Being able to take responsibility for your own behavior.
• Able to communicate with both genders with respect.
• Expressing their love and sincerity consistent with their values.
• When individuals experience a sexual problem/dysfunction you must involve psychology, biology and social culture elements to fix it.
• Each individual should accept and respect each other's sexuality.
• A Sexual life should be free from coercion(force) and exploitation.
• Sexual behavior should be sincere and based on mutual trust and respect.
• Every child should be protected regardless of any gender.
• Sexual decisions have effects and consequences.
• People have the right to make sexual decisions.
• It is in the interest of families to talk about sexuality.
• Is natural to explore the process.
• Sexual experiences require proper thinking to stop any further risks.
• Should consult Health centers/professionals about sexual health.
• Sexual behaviors require responsibility.
• Postponing sexual intercourse can prevent unwanted pregnancies and diseases.
• Adults are going to develop their values after the experience.
• Learning and adopting protective/safe sex.

Sex Gender and help

• The effectiveness of the relationship between biological and social factors in determining human health or illness.
• Health and illnesses have differences in men and women.
• Women live longer with more illnesses and stress.
• Sexual problems are common.
• One in three people experience at least one sexual dysfunction at some point in life.
• Women live longer which causes mobility rates to increase.
• Health declines/deterioration is part of the aging process for both sexes.
• Majority of elderly women are at a higher risk of age-related diseases.
• Women are more likely than men to experience problems with reproduction.
• Life has both men and women at risk for gender disease.
• Woman is for risk for cancer while men is more for prostate.
• burdens for all women have experience with reproductive health than just men.
• there is negative things rising on women such as gender roles.
• The degree and size of those things have a negative gender on ""female"" is higher.

Reproductive Health Concerns:

• There are reproductive health concerns with gender.
• Older age has concerns related to old age and childbirth
• Issues in adolescence and adulthood include sexually related, which is sexually transmitted diseases
• Female genital mutilation.

The Frequency of Sexual Problems:

• In specific areas, sex is a sensitive area, and there is a lack of education
• In both men and women, women it is vaginismus, but for men it is discharge and desires
• Is observed that there are many premature ejaculations men have that leads to not having more experiences.

Reasons for sexual health concerns:

• Lack of knowledge in sex and education which the study shows 62% lack
• False beliefs
• Disease such as cardiovascular system diseases, Renai, Kidney disease, genetic.
• Drugs that are mostly use and include high blood pressure and depression