Sex, Gender and Sexual Health

• The presentation discusses the concepts of sex, gender, their identities, healthy sexual intercourse and sexual health problems.

Sex

• Sex refers to the biological characteristics that distinguish males from females, encompassing anatomical, physical, and genetic attributes.
• Genital organs that determine biological sex, include penis, testicles, vagina, uterus and breasts.
• Predominant hormones like estrogen and testosterone also identify the biological sex.
• Sex also includes the ability to produce sperm or ovum as well as, giving birth and breastfeeding
• Used as a term to describe sexual activity that includes intercourse.

Gender

• Gender is a concept shaped by societal views, perceptions, expectations, and how individuals behave as men and women, rather than biological differences.
• Gender defines how a person identifies as a man or a woman and is defined according to individual and societal concepts.
• Gender roles are socially and culturally defined attitudes, behaviors, expectations, and responsibilities associated with each sex.
• It involves accepted thoughts and expectations (norms) for women and men in society.
• Gender also includes feminine and masculine traits and abilities and how men and women should behave in various situations.
• Gender expectations and thoughts are learned from different sources such as family, friends, community leaders, institutions, media etc.
• The roles of women and men in society, their social status, and their economic and political power, are influenced and reflected based on their gender.
• When girls are raised, they are taught not to be interested in sexuality.
• Many women do not share what they find sexually stimulating with men.
• Refusing intercourse when not stimulated.

Gender Differences in Sexuality

• Some women avoid seeking more active roles to increase pleasure.
• Women maintaining virginity until marriage is more culturally valued.
• Men often have more sexual freedom.
• Men engaging in outside affairs is more accepted.
• Conversely, infidelities by women is heavily stigmatized and can lead to honor killings.

Gender Identity

• Gender identity involves perceiving and accepting one's body and self within a certain sexuality, showing appropriate orientations in feelings and behaviors.
• It is the acceptance of the sex to which the individual belongs, guiding the body and self in accordance with sexuality.
• Various identifications are established during a child's spiritual development.
• Children learn from adults, especially parents, by imitating behaviors and absorbing characteristics.
• Identity forms during adolescence, integrating childhood identities and adopting the values of friend groups.
• Overall identity is formed by integrating accumulated characteristics from childhood and settling in the self.
• Gender identity is an important part of a person's identity.
• Perception, acceptance and orientation of a person sexually important for sexual behaviors.
• Gender identity is developed based on input from family, peers, teachers, and cultural factors.
• An individual with a healthy gender identity can confidently say, "I am a man, I am a woman".

Sexual Orientation

• Sexual Orientation is the gender that someone's sexual desires are directed towards.
• An individual's gender identity (attitude towards their own gender) is important.
• It is the gender that a person is sexually and emotionally attracted to.
• This includes, heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual and transgender, among other variations.
• Male, female, gender identity and sexual expression should all align, with each other.
• Some key definitions:
  • Heterosexual: Attraction to the opposite sex.
  • Homosexual: Attraction to the same sex.
  • Bisexual: Attraction to both sexes.
  • Transgender: Belief they should change gender and that they should have the other gender mentally and physically.
• People do not choose their orientation.
• Sexual experimentation does not decide sexual orientation or gender identity.

Sexual Behaviors

• Sexual behaviors are activities related to a person's sexuality (touching, kissing, etc.).
• Activities that are constantly performed are called sexual experiences and behaviors.
• Sexual behaviors and experiences are the things people do sexually with themselves and others.
• Sexuality starts in childhood and reaches the final shape in adolescence.
• The sexual characteristics of a person do not change easily after puberty.
• Adolescence comes with curiosity and fantasies of people around them.
• Adolescents experience less boundaries with increased curiosity.
• This includes kissing, caressing, and boundaries with first sexual intercourse.

Sexual Intimacy

• Sexual intimacy goes beyond just having sex.
• It includes kissing, touching, chatting, hugging, caressing, reading love stories, telling jokes, being together, fantasizing, and even just staring.

Sexual Intercourse

• Intimate sexual behaviors including oral, anal, and penile-vaginal sex.
• It necessitates being careful around sexual transmitted deseases and consent.

Healthy Sexual Intercourse

• A healthy sexual relationship relies on shared values with these important characteristics:
  • Compromise- Finding common ground
  • Non-Explotive- avoiding exploitation
  • Mutual Honesty
  • Wanting to enjoy each other
  • Protection against unwanted diseases and sexually transmitted diseases.
• Important for sexually healthy adults:
  • Knowing the value of their own bodies
  • Being able to communicate respectfully with both genders
  • The ability to express love and sincerity consistent with their values

Overall Sexual Health and Problem Factors

• Overall a person's mental, physical and social needs should be taken into account.
• Three basic elements should be considered.
• People express and experience their sexuality in different ways.
• Individuals need to respect each other's personal values when it comes to sexuality.
• Sexual life must be free of exploitation and all actions and behavior based on mutual trust and respect.
• All children have the right to be loved and respected when it comes to gender orientation and it is the the right of persons to know and understand sexual decisions.
• Individuals and families must communicate and share their value when it comes to sexual decisions.
• Young people will express and explore sexuality in life.
• Youth are vulnerable and need strong information and support.
• Behavior around sex should include a sense of self control and being aware.
• Sex should be delayed to protect against unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV.
• Learning about one's own belief when it comes to sexuality will define a person as they learn about life.

Sex and Gender Health

• Complex relations between biology and society determine human health and status.
• Disease and differences can be found in men and women.
• In certain studies, women tended to live longer.
• In many societies women experienced stress an disease than men.
• In different regions, cultures, studies show universal sexuality problems when it comes to one's own sexual.

Health and Gender in Depth

• Leading causes for higher mortality rates in women are related to their longer lives and include;
  • Deterioration of health with aging.
• Women are at greater number when it comes to elderly population.
• Also at a much higher rates with immune disorders, hypertension, arthritis and diabetes
• Women have reproductive health problems compared to men.
• Throughout life both men and women can be at risk when it comes to specific gender disease.
• women at risk: cancer, ovaries
• Man at risk when it comes to prostate and testicular cancer.
• Roles that society puts on all genders affects individual care.

Health Problems

• Childhood - problems associated with health with certain genders
• Adolescence- risky behavior when it comes to pregnancy
• Adulthood- Reproductive problems
• Menopause- when women health is not as important

Childhood Factors

• Negatively when it comes to health selection and unwanted problems.
• Malnutrition and infections.
• Also Negligence of taking care of that child.
• Increased diseases.

Adolescence Factors

• Risks because of social pressure and sexual harassment
• Pregnancy
• Transmitted infection
• Substance and and sex traffic.
• Violence and being independent.

Adult Factors

• Having most of the problems faced because it is intense for that one women.
• STDs, Mother mortality
• Sex traffic and other violence

Menopause Factors

• Cardiovascular problem and less care with problems.

Sexual Problem Commonality Reasons

• Lack of the right education, beliefs that are false.
• The lack of the right books or information.

Lack of Information and Education

• This comes from conservative attitude and or how the world works.
• Also loaded with things society deems as wrong behavior and not talked about.
• Important places when it comes to education and ignorance as problems
• Most common in the survey it makes up 62%.
• Prejudice makes up 40 %.
• and causes depression.
• Stress with behavior.

Cultural Influence

• Common in the world and creates problems.
• Make people believe that it is only for the women when it come to the situation.
• Believes that they are sex machines and can get there feeling hurt

Factors with Diseases and Drugs

• Transmitted infections and drugs for the heart affect your health. That causes the problem