Gender Sex

Gender and Sex Worksheet

Ethic/125

2/16/14

Associate Program Material

Gender and Sex Worksheet

Answer the following questions in 50 to 150 words each. Provide citations for all the sources you use.

What is gender? What is sex in biological terms? Are gender and sex the same thing? Explain why or why not?

According to the Webster dictionary, gender is the state of being male or female. (Merriam-webster, n.d.). According to The American Heritage medical dictionary, biology sex is the structural and functional characteristics of a person or organism that allow assignment as either male or female; sex is determined by chromosomes, hormones and external and internal genital. (The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary, 2007). Biology sex is the designation of a person’s anatomy. While gender is a person’s emotional and mental identity.

How do gender and sex contribute to the concepts and constructions of masculinity and femininity?

The human culture helps determine gender roles for what is masculine and feminine. Regardless if we are women or men, this is not determined by a person’s sexual organs. Gender is a person’s internal self which a person can identify with either being a male or a women. The human culture has determined that the men are the providers, the head of household, however, the women are treated typically as being the caregivers or the homemakers.

Do our concepts of gender and sex contribute to the ways we embrace gender and sex in diversity?

Yes, I do believe that our concepts of gender and sex contribute to the way we embrace gender and sex in diversity. In today’s society, we tend to look at the male roles in one way and the female roles in another way. Men are looked at to be stronger, providers, brave. However, with women, they are tend to be looked at as being soft, nurtures, emotional. However, times are changing and the way society looks at these roles are starting to change. Women are becoming providers,...