Gender and Sexuality
Why study Human Sexuality?
Human sexual behavior is responsible for the reproduction of the
human race, but it is also one of the most important motivators of
human behavior. Gender, the psychological identification of a person
as male of female, affects not only how people think of themselves
but also their relationships with others as friends, lovers, and coworkers, and how those others think of them as well.
The Physical Side of Human Sexuality
Primary Sex Characteristics-present at birth
 Females: vagina, uterus, and ovaries
 Males: penis, testes, scrotum, and prostate gland
Secondary Sex Characteristics-develop during puberty
What is an intersexed individual?
 An individual that is born with sexual organs that are
ambiguous
 Both male and female organs
 Also called hermaphroditism
 Means between the sexes
 Caused by: chromosome defects or wrong hormones at a
critical time
 Rare- 1 out of 1,500
 Surgery recommended-what do you think about this?
Important terms
Gender-cultural, social, and psychological meanings that are
associated with masculinity and femininity
Gender roles-the culture’s expectations for a person’s behavior,
attitudes, and personality traits based on their gender
Gender identity-your psychological sense of being male or female
Gender identity disorder-a person feels that they are occupying the
wrong body
 Some have surgery
 Called transsexuals
What influence do the following have of gender?
 Biology-different hormones (estrogen and testosterone)
 Environment-societal pressures
 Culture-Hispanic culture men are…
Theories of Gender Role Development
From birth, babies are treated differently according to which sex they
are (ex. Pink and blue blankets)
Study about babies in wrong color clothes and optional toys
Parents have a huge role in how we develop our gender roles
2 Theories:
Social Learning Theory of Gender Role Development:
 gender roles are learned through reinforcement, punishment,
and modeling
 inappropriate gender behavior is either ignored or discouraged
 who do we learn from? Teachers, parents, siblings, friends, t.v
Gender Theory Schema:
 children actively develop mental categories for masculinity and
femininity
 trucks are for boys, dolls are for girls
Gender role stereotypes-our beliefs about typical characteristics and
behaviors of each sex
Sexism-prejudice based on gender
Androgyny-describes people who have positive characteristics of both
genders
 more flexible in life, less depressed
 example: man’s wife leaves him to raise the children
Gender Differences
Gaps narrowing everyday
Cognitive:
 Women better verbally, reading, writing, and spelling
 Men better in math and special skills
 Men listen with left hemisphere
 Women listen with both hemispheres (pay attention to tone
and emotion as well as content)
Social and Personality:
 Women-have revealing conversations, don’t interrupt, nurturing
 Men-talk about sports, current events, interrupt each other a
lot, more aggressive
Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors:
 Men greater acceptance of casual sex
 Men more sexual partners
 Men 1st intercourse at earlier age
 Men masturbate more (most dramatic difference)
 Why be skeptical???? Most people are NOT honest. They want
to fit societal norms. Men tend to exaggerate and women tend
to downplay
The Stages of Human Sexual Response
-In 1957 Masters & Johnson observed more than 10,000 acts of
sexual activity in their laboratory to find out the stages (before then,
did research on prostitutes)
Stage 1 Excitement
 the beginning of sexual arousal
 initial attraction
Stage 2 Plateau
 breathing, heart rate, blood pressure rises
 blood shifts to genitals
 erection and vaginal lubrication
Stage 3 Orgasm
 shortest phase
 breathing, heart rate and BP reaches peak
 male ejaculates
 females vaginal walls contract rhythmically
 subjective experience-most agree it is a positive experience
In women, there are two different kinds of orgasm. Is one superior
to the other?
Stage 4 Resolution
 experience a sense of well-being
 everything returns to normal
 males have a refractory period during which they are incapable
of experiencing another orgasm (varies)
-Put all this info in a book called The Human Sexual Response in
1966
-Lead to the creation of the field of sex therapy
Different Types of Sexual Behavior
The Kinsey Study
 1948 Alfred Kinsey, zoologist
 Interviewed males only, then females only
 Sexuality is not either or, but rather on a continuum pg. 412
 Key findings:
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11% of males had anal sex
46% of males had bisexual experiences
6-14% of females had bisexual experiences
21% of males and 6% of females had intercourse by the
age of 16
67-985 of males had reported having premarital sex
50% of females reported premarital sex
50% of males and 26% of females had extramarital
experiences
10% of males are predominantly homosexual
92% of males masturbate
62% of women masturbate
The Janus Report
 1993 study of sexual behavior
 Asked the same questions as the Kinsey Study
 Also looked at sexual deviance
Sexual Behavior
We are all curious about sex and the sexual behavior of other people
Media representations of sex are untrue and based on myths
Interesting questions??
1. How many sexual partners do people have? Younger people
have more sexual partners. Why??? Back in the day,
people waited till marriage. Now, people are having sex
earlier and not waiting till marriage. In the past year, how
many sexual partners?? 1 or none. Why??? By age 30,
90% of Americans are married.
2. How often do people have sex?
-men 7 times/month
-women 6 times/month
-married people have the most sex (more available)
-85% of people say they are satisfied
-married people more satisfied than non-married people
3. What do people actually do when they have sex? Vaginal
intercourse most practiced, more than 2/3 have received or
performed oral sex, 26% have had anal sex
4. What would people like to do sexually? Most people have
sexual fantasies. 1) vaginal intercourse 2) watching partner
undress 3) receiving oral sex 4)giving oral sex 5) sex with a
stranger
5. What do people find unappealing? 1) being force to do
something sexual 2)forcing someone else to do something
sexual 3) receiving anal intercourse 4) having sex with same
sex partner 5) sex with a stranger….group sex, sex with a
vibrator or dildo, and watching others have sex
Skip the Spaceship Exercise part…
Sexual Orientation
Heterosexual-sexually attracted to members of the opposite sex
Homosexual-attracted to members of ones own sex, 9% of men and
5% of women
Bisexual-attracted to members of both sexes
Does one experience mean that someone is bisexual? No, only if it
becomes the preferred, stable, sexual identity.
Development of Sexual Orientation
Homosexuality used to be considered a sexual disorder
What determines our sexual orientation??
 researchers not sure
 there is no single factor: combo of environmental, genetic,
social, and cultural factors
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determined BEFORE adolescence and beginning sexual activity
determined as early as age 6
Is it a choice?????? NO
once sexuality is established, it is highly resistant to change
(especially for men)
 most of us could not change our sexuality even if we wanted to
Sexual Disorders and Problems
Most people experience some sort of sexual problem at some point:
can be due to feeling grumpy, performance anxiety, doing something
uncomfortable
Sexual dysfunction-consistent disturbances in sexual desire, arousal,
or orgasm that cause psychological distress
 43% of women and 31% of men suffer from sexual problems
Categories of Sexual Dysfunctions
1. Hypoactive sexual desire disorder-having little or no sexual
desire
2. Sexual aversion disorder-person avoids genital contact with a
sexual partner b/c of extreme anxiety, fear, or disgust over
sexual contact
3. Dyspareunia-chronic genital pain before, during, or after sexual
intercourse
4. Male erectile disorder-inability for a male to achieve or maintain
an erection
5. Male orgasmic disorder-delays or an inability to have an orgasm
6. Premature ejaculation-reaching sexual orgasm too soon
7. Female orgasmic disorder-same as male
8. Vaginismus-involuntary contractions of the vaginal muscles
resulting in painful intercourse
Paraphilias
Definition: a disorder in which sexual gratification is achieved by
means that are socially unacceptable
1. Exhibitionism-sexual arousal achieved from exposing genitals to
strangers
2. Frotteurism-sexual arousal from touching or rubbing against
strangers
3. Fetishism-sexual arousal from inanimate objects
4. Transvestic fetishism-arousal from dressing in clothes of the
opposite sex
5. Pedophilia-arousal from sex with a prepubescent child
6. Voyeurism-arousal from watching someone disrobe
7. Sexual sadism-arousal from inflicting pain on another
8. Sexual masochism-arousal from suffering
9. Necrophilia-sexual arousal achieved by touching or having
sexual intercourse with a corpse
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Definition- a disease that is contracted through unprotected sex
Chlamydia-bacterial infection that causes swollen testicles, discharge,
burning during urination; women may experience no symptoms
Syphilis-bacterial infection that causes sores on the genital areas; can
spread to other body parts and the brain
Gonorrhea-bacterial infection that causes discharge, burning during
urination, and an inflamed cervix in women
Genital Herpes-virus that causes sores on the genital areas, itching,
burning, throbbing, and a “pins and needles” feeling where sores are
about to appear
HPV-virus that causes genital warts on the genitalia
AIDS-autoimmune virus that breaks down the immune system
How
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to protect yourself:
Use condoms
Have a relationship with an uninfected partner
Don’t share needles
Have regular exams
Learn the common symptoms
Talk openly with your partner
Understand that abstinence is the only 100% effective
prevention