5 Questions
What does gender refer to in a sociological context?
The roles and characteristics society assigns to women and men
What is the term for someone who feels affinity with the socially constructed sex category they were assigned at birth?
Cisgender
What is the term for someone with the physical characteristics of one sex category with a drive to belong to another?
Transexual
What does gender role refer to?
A set of attitudes and expectations concerning behavior related to the sex assigned at birth
What is the umbrella term used to describe those who identify with gender roles beyond male and female?
Two-spirit people
Study Notes
Sex and Gender
- Sex refers to the biological differences between boys/men and girls/women
- Sex is categorized by societies, often as either male or female, particularly in the west
Gender
- Gender is the socially constructed and socially unequal division of masculinity and femininity
- Gender is not binary, but rather a sliding scale of roles and identities
- Gender refers to the cultural meaning that societies attach to sex categories
- Critical work on gender has been conducted by women, particularly black women and women of color
- Ann Oakley describes gender as a socially constructed and socially unequal division of masculinity and femininity
Test your knowledge on the differences between sex and gender, and the social constructions of masculinity and femininity. Explore the biological and sociological aspects of categorizing people.
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