Chapter 10: Sex and Gender
Objectives (slide 1 of 2)
10.1 Defining Sex, Gender, and Sexuality
• Distinguish the concepts of sex, gender, and sexuality from
the perspectives of biology, behavior, and inequality.
10.2 Sexuality and Varieties of Sexual Behavior
• Illustrate biological and cultural aspects of sexual behavior.
10.3 Theoretical Perspectives on Sexuality
• Compare and contrast the three main theoretical
perspectives on sexuality.
10.4 Gender Socialization
• Identify common agents of socialization and show how they
operate in gender socialization.
Objectives (slide 2 of 2)
10.5 Gender Social Stratification/Inequality Around
the World
• Describe the role of patriarchy in gender
inequality.
10.6 Gender Stratification/Inequality in the United
States
• Illustrate aspects of gender stratification and
inequality in the United States.
10.7 Theoretical Perspectives on Gender
• Compare and contrast different theoretical
perspectives on gender inequality.
Sex
• Sex: The biological distinction between males and
females
• Primary sex characteristics: A person’s genitalia
and a woman’s ability to bear children and nurse
• Secondary sex characteristics: Physical
characteristics not directly related to
reproduction, such as general body shape, the
amount and distribution of body fat, height,
weight, muscular strength, the amount of body
hair, and the tone of one’s voice
Gender and Sexuality
• Gender: The social status associated with
a person’s sex
• Sexuality: A person’s sexual orientation,
sexual behavior, and attitudes about
sexual behavior
Biological Perspectives of Sexuality
• Intersexual people: People whose bodies
have the characteristics of both sexes
• Transsexuals: People who have the biological
characteristics of one sex but identify with
the other sex
• Transgendered: People of one sex who live
as a members of the opposite sex, with
which they identify
• Gender reassignment: Usually surgery and
hormone treatment to make a person’s body
conform with his or her self-identity
Cultural Perspectives of Sexuality
• Sexual orientation: A person’s preference for
sexual partners of a particular sex
• Heterosexual: A person attracted to
members of the opposite sex
• Homosexual: A person attracted to members
of the same sex
• Bisexual: A person is attracted to members
of either sex
• Asexual: A person who has no sexual
attraction to other people regardless of their
sex
Societal Norms
• Sexism: A belief that one sex is superior to
the other
• Double standard: Different standards of
sexual behavior for men and women
• Key studies:
– The Kinsey studies
– The National Health and Social Life survey
Sexual Orientation
• Genetics
• Hormones
• Socialization
Homosexuality in the United States
The heterosexual–homosexual continuum
Homosexual Rights
Homophobia: Prejudice and discrimination against
homosexuals driven by an aversion to or even hatred of
homosexuals and their lifestyles
Social Movements
• Stonewall Riots (1969) led to gays seeking equal
treatment under the law.
• In 1973, pressure from lobbying groups for
homosexual rights forced the medical community to
remove homosexuality from the list of mental
illnesses.
Sexual Issues
• Prostitution: Paid sex
• Pornography: The portrayal of sexual
subject matter for the purpose of sexual
arousal
Pregnancy and Abortion
• Teen pregnancy is a long-standing concern
because most teens, though biologically capable
of having children, are often not ready to handle
the burdens of parenthood and are less likely to
complete their education once they are
responsible for a child.
• The General Social Survey has found relatively
consistent support for abortion when the
woman’s health is seriously endangered (near
90%) and somewhat less support for abortion
when she is pregnant as a result of rape or there
is a strong chance of a serious defect (around
75% or 76% most recently).
Sexual Violence
• Rape: Forced, nonconsensual vaginal,
oral, or anal intercourse
Premarital Sex
• In 1972, only 27% of respondents indicated it is not
wrong at all for a man and woman to have sex
relations before marriage, while 37% indicated it
was always wrong. By 2010, 53% of respondents
indicated it was never wrong and only 22%
indicated it was always wrong.
Other Views of Sex
Hookup Culture
• Hookups: Casual, usually one-time encounters with
others that may lead to sexual activity but often
stop short of intercourse
Technology and Sexuality
• Virtual sex: When two or more people use
some form of communications technology,
such as text, photos, or video,s to arouse
each other sexually by transmitting sexually
explicit messages
• Sexting: The transmission of sexually explicit
photographs, videos, or messages by cell
phone
• Cyber sex: Virtual sex using computers over
the Internet
Theoretical Perspectives on
Sexuality
Structural-Functional Theory
• Attempts to explain
sexuality in terms of the
positive functions for
society
• Reflects the desire to
regulate sexuality to
preserve family,
inheritance, and
support of children
Symbolic Interactionism
• Emphasizes the social
construction of reality
through interaction
• Helps explain
differences in sexual
practices across
societies
Social Conflict, Feminist, and Queer
Theories
• Conflict theory argues that class conflict
accounts for much of social life.
• Feminist theory focuses on the domination
of women by men.
• Queer theory focuses on heterosexual bias in
contemporary culture.
– Heterosexism: A view that labels anyone who is
not heterosexual (including homosexuals,
lesbians, bisexuals, and transsexuals) as “queer”
Gender Socialization (slide 1 of 2)
• Gender roles: Expected behaviors
associated with males or females
Gender Socialization (slide 2 of 2)
•
•
•
•
•
Parents
Peers
Teachers and schools
Mass media and technology
Sports
Gender Social Stratification/
Inequality Around the World
• Patriarchy: A system of social
relationships in which men dominate
women
• Matriarchy: A system of social
relationships in which women dominate
men
• Egalitarian system: A social system in
which both sexes have equal authority
Violence Against Women
• Dowry deaths: The murder of brides for
failing to provide adequate dowry
payments
• Selective abortion
• Human trafficking and sexual exploitation
Gender Stratification/Inequality in
the United States
• Gender stratification: The distribution of
wealth, power, and social prestige among
men and women
The Gender Pay Gap and
Comparable Worth (slide 1 of 2)
Gender pay gap: The difference between average pay for
men and women
• The gender pay gap
is greater for older
workers than for
younger workers.
• Gender pay gap in
other countries
The Gender Pay Gap and
Comparable Worth (slide 2 of 2)
• Pink-collar jobs: Female-dominated
occupations
• Comparable worth: The principle that
jobs requiring similar levels of education
and training should be paid at similar
levels regardless of whether they are
predominately female or predominately
male occupations
Sexism and Harassment
• Glass ceiling: A barrier that, while not obvious or
easily visible, blocks women’s movement into the
top ranks of management
• Institutional sexism: Discrimination against one
sex that results from the day-to-day operations,
rules, and policies of organizations and
institutions
• Sexual harassment: Unwanted attention based on
someone’s sex or sexuality that interferes with job
performance or causes discomfort
Gender Inequality
Gender Inequality in Family
Roles
Gender Inequality in Health
Care
• Second shift: The extra
hours women often
spend performing childcare duties, cooking,
and cleaning after a full
shift of work outside
the home.
• Doctors participate in
unintended sexual
discrimination in
disease treatment that
is not gender related.
• Health issues related to
gender are treated
differently.
Gender Inequality in Education
• The proportion of
women earning
professional degrees
has increased for
degrees such as
medicine, dentistry,
law, and theology.
• Even when women
achieve the same
levels of education
as men, they tend to
paid less.
Violence, Gender, and Sexuality
• Domestic violence is a leading cause of
death for:
– Women ages 15 to 44
– Pregnant women
• African American and Native American
women are at the highest risk of intimate
partner homicide.
• Eighty percent of rape or sexual assault
victims are female.
Structural-Functional Perspectives
on Gender
• Explains the dominance of males as a
consequence of biological differences
between men and women related to
reproduction
• Men are better suited for instrumental
roles, performing goal-directed behavior,
whereas women are better suited to
perform expressive roles providing for
supportive, emotional relationships.
Conflict Perspectives on Gender
• Argues that cultural ideologies evolved to
support male dominance over females,
stressing the “natural” physical and
intellectual superiority of males and
nurturing instincts of females
Symbolic Interactionism
Perspectives on Gender
• Patterns of interaction continually
reproduce gender inequalities.
Feminism
• Feminism: A perspective that argues men
and women are essentially equal and
should be treated equally in social life
• Three “waves”:
– 1830-1920: Women started advocating for
the right to vote.
– 1960s: Women attempted to achieve greater
equality in the workplace.
– 1990-present: Women are emphasizing
diversity.
Types of Feminism
• Liberal feminism: Seeks to improve the lot of
women through reform of existing social institutions
• Socialist (Marxist) feminism: Argues that it is
necessary to have a more socialist society, in
particular socialized means of child care
• Radical feminism: Argues that equality requires the
elimination of patriarchy
• Postmodern feminism: Rejects the notion that all
women share a single perspective and experience
that can be explained by a single grand theory