Sex, Gender, and Health: An Overview

Sex, Gender, and Health: An Overview

• Asst. Prof. Tülay KAVLAK presents on Sex, Gender, and Impact on Health.

Presentation Plan

• The plan is to cover Sex, Gender, Gender Identity, Healthy Sexual Intercourse, and Sexual Health Problems.

Defining Sex

• Sex refers to biological characteristics, including anatomical, physical, and genetic attributes, that determine whether one is male or female.
• These characteristics include genital organs, such as the penis, testicles, vagina, uterus, and breasts.
• Predominant hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone, also determine sex.
• The ability to produce sperm or ovum is a biological function of sex.
• The ability to give birth and breastfeed is also a biological function of sex.
• Sex is also used to refer to sexual activity including intercourse.

Understanding Gender

• Gender is not solely based on biological differences
• Gender is shaped by societal perceptions, expectations, and how individuals are expected to behave as men and women.
• Gender is defined by how an individual or society categorizes a man or woman.
• Gender roles are socially and culturally defined attitudes, behaviors, expectations, and responsibilities.
• Gender includes accepted thoughts and expectations (norms) for women and men in society.
• These norms include traditionally feminine and masculine traits and abilities.
• These norms are learned from family, friends, community leaders, religious institutions, schools, workplaces, advertising, and the media.
• Gender norms reflect and influence the different roles of women and men in society, their social status, and their economic and political power.

Gender and Sexuality

• Girls are often raised to suppress interest in sexuality.
• Women may avoid expressing their sexual desires to men.
• Women may not refuse intercourse even when not sufficiently stimulated.
• Women may not take initiative to increase their pleasure.
• Women have been taught a woman must maintain her virginity until marriage.
• Men are often taught that there is sexual freedom for men.
• Men's infidelities, such as having an affair, can be more easily forgiven.
• Women's infidelities are considered more reprehensible.

Gender Differences in Sexuality

• Gender differences were found on sexual behavior and attitudes, in a study conducted in the presenter's country.
• Boys are more likely than girls to have lost their virginity.
• The age of first sexual intercourse is earlier in boys than girls.
• During first sexual intercourse, girls tend to experience more negative emotions like guilt, shame, regret, fear, and anxiety than boys.

Gender Identity Explained

• Gender identity is the perception and acceptance of one's body and self in a particular sexuality
• Shows appropriate orientations in their feelings and behaviors.
• Gender identity is the acceptance of the sex to which one belongs
• Incorporates the behavior of their own body and self in accordance with their perception, feelings, and behaviors of sexuality.

Developing Gender Identity

• A child's spiritual development leads to various identifications.
• Children take adult figures as models, particularly parents in a narrow sense.
• Children imitate adult behaviors, absorb them, and internalize them for their own characteristics.
• Identity is formed by integrating childhood identities and adopting the values of peer groups during youth.
• Identity is formed by integrating characteristics gained in childhood with people around youth and settling in the self.
• An important component to this is gender identity.
• Biologically, socially, and psychologically, the perception and acceptance of one's self is important for sexual habits
• The acceptance of a person being a woman or a man, along with sexual orientation and sexual behaviors, are crucial stages in sexual identity's development.

Gender Identity and Expression

• An individual without a gender identity problem defines themselves as "I am a man, I am a woman."
• Gender identity develops based on input from family members, peers, teachers, and cultural factors.

Understanding Sexual Orientation

• Sexual orientation directs a person's sexual impulse and what sexual desire individuals feel towards others.
• Sexual orientation is defined by the gender to which a person is sexually and emotionally attracted.
• Heterosexual individuals are sexually and emotionally attracted to the opposite sex.
• Homosexual individuals are sexually and emotionally interested in the same sex.
• Bisexual individuals are sexually and emotionally attracted to both sexes
• Transgender individuals identify as a gender different from their biological sex and wish to change their gender both mentally and physically.

Sexual Orientation in Context

• Heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual men are male in bodily gender and gender identity.
• Heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual women have a female bodily gender and gender identity.
• Gay men, contrary to belief, do not feel like women, and gay women do not feel like men.
• It is unclear how sexual orientation is formed.
• It is also also not known why a heterosexual man likes a woman etc.
• Accepted explanations point to environmental factors on a complex genetic basis.
• This does not say that heterosexual, homo or bisexual people, are born.
• But what's known is that they do not/ cannot make a choice between hetero/other orientations.

Nuances of Sexual Orientation

• A person cannot choose to identify which sexual orientation they want to be.
• Sexual experimentation does not indicate sexual orientation or gender identity.
• Experiencing people sexually may not reflect thier desires of the individuals present, but something else like needing money ot survive

Sexual Behaviors Defined

• Sexual behaviors are activities related to a person's sexuality, involving touching, kissing, and body stimulation.
• Activities or habits constantly performed as an expression of sexuality are sexual experiences or behaviors.
• Sexual behaviors and experiences encompass what people do sexually with themselves and others.

Development of Sexual Behaviors

• Sexuality starts in childhood and takes shape with adolescence.
• After puberty, sexual traits do not change easily.
• Adolescence starts with self-interest and continues with curiosities for others.
• Adolescent fantasies are later replaced by kissing/caressing etc.
• People can later expand thier horizon and can have thier first sexual intercourse.

Sexual Intimacy

• Sexual intimacy involves more than just having sex
• Kissing, touching, chatting, caressing, reading love stories, telling jokes, being happy together, and fantasizing are all sexual intimacy
• Staring mean sexual intimacy as a sexual experience

Sexual Intercourse Explained

• Intimate sexual behaviors, including oral, anal, and penile-vaginal sex, are defined as "Sexual Intercourse"

Healthy Sexual Intercourse

• Healthy sexual relationships are based on shared values, as well as compromise.
• Other important aspects are non-exploitation, honesty and wishing to enjoy being intimate.
• Important also is protection from STIs and pregancy.

Qualities of a Sexually Healthy Adult

• Knowing the value of one's own body.
• Able to take responsibility for thier own actions
• Able to connect with the other gender with respect
• Being able to express love and sincerity that is consistent with thier beliefs

Factors for Individual's Experiences with Sex

• Individuals issues with sex is based on psychological, biological, and sociocultural.

Expressing Sexuality in context

• Individuals can express thier sexuality in different ways.
• Important is to respect one and another
• Sex must be free from exploitation and should be a matter of choice.
• Sexual behavior mut be authentic and based on mutual trust.

Informing Children About Sexuality

• All children deserve to be supported unconditionally
• Sex must be given thought and serious consideration
• It's everyone's personal right to make thier decisions
• Families must also inform kids about it.

Natural Progression of Sexuality

• Its imperative to explore and connect with nature, as part of the process.
• Sex requires thinking for a sexual experience.
• Individuals must get the right healthcare if required.
• Sex needs responsibility and self control

Important Health Measures

• It's essential to delay sexual activity to avert STIs and AIDS
• All individuals must become more informed.
• Need to adopt healthy practices for saftey.

Sex v Gender Impact

• Intertwined connections must be considered to fully evaluate.
• Varied health effects depends on men and women.
• Women have more high mortality rates, but men have life expectancy.

Varied Sex related problems

• Research tells that common concerns, especially across people.

Understanding Morality

• Higher death rates are linked because of longer lifespans of women.
• Body functions decreases with age.
• Women tends to be mostly affected by old-age issue.

Gender Specific Health

• Different health problems plague women and men with reproduction.
• The risk for illnesses depends on each gender.
• Womens reproductive is known to be sensitive than mens.

Impact of Gender Roles

• Adversity arises because of society that comes with women roles.
• Extent relies on society but is prominent in poor areas.

Childhood Health Problems

• This is with females being targeted for sex.

Adolescence to Teen Years

• This must come with societal expectations and STIs to violence.

Adulthood to Prime Years

• When issues that woman will face comes to its peak.

Elder Years

• Women often neglected with this period.
• These issues can be unrecognised completely.
• Important with period can be women.

Frequency and Causes of Problems by Gender

• Sexual orientation is often hidden and is a subject that is mostly not approached with proper care and empathy.
• Lack of proper education.
• Preconcieved thoughts of what sex should be.
• These issues leads to premature ejaculation and inability to come and enjoy the moment for females.

Roots of the Problems

• Sexual illiteracy leads to this.
• Having misguided thoughts and lack of understanding the topic.
• Having certain disease/condition that make one function worse
• And using medication that stops the chemicals required to function.