Sex and Gender

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Associate Program Material Tamara Jacobs 2/2013

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?

Gender, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2013), is the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex. Sex is the biological and psychological characteristics that define men and woman (“sex, gender,” 2013). Gender and sex are two very different, but also very similar concepts. Gender refers to ones concept of masculinity and femininity. Sex refers to ones biological make up. Male and female are terms used to explain sex categories. Masculine and feminine is terms used to explain gender categories. There are also concepts used for gender characteristics and sex characteristics. Examples of sex characteristic is woman having menstrual cycles and men don’t, men have testes and woman don’t, and woman having breast that lactate and men do not. Examples of gender characteristics is in almost all countries woman earn lower wages for very similar type work., in Saudi Arabia men drive cars but woman are forbidden, and in most of the world woman do more household chores than most men (“World health org.”. 2013)

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

Gender and sex contribute to the concepts and constructions of masculinity and femininity by giving them a baseline. Gender gives one a gender identity. A gender identity is the sense of ones self as male or female and does not refer to ones sexual orientation or gender role. Gender roles refer to the behaviors and desires to act a certain way in which can be culturally acceptable or unacceptable. Sex gives one the biological direction of ones gender. Society’s culture says what is considered masculine and...