MODULE 2

SEX AND GENDER

OBJECTIVES:

1. Differentiate sex and gender

2. Identify the different gender roles

INTRODUCTION

In nearly all societies, men and women, boys and girls, have a different
status and play different roles. Men and women behave differently, dress
differently, have different attitudes and interests, and have different leisure
activities. Contrary to traditionally held beliefs that these differences between male
and female behavior are biologically or genetically determined, recent research
has revealed that they are to a large extent socially constructed, or based on the
concept of gender.

What is gender? The word was used by Ann Oakley and others in the 1970s to
describe those characteristics of men and women which are socially determined, in
contrast to those which are biologically determined.
Essentially, the distinction between gender and sex is made to emphasize that
everything men and women do, and is expected of them, with the exception of their
sexually distinct functions (impregnation, childbearing and breast-feeding), can change,
and does change, in time and according to changing and different cultural factors.
Gender is a dynamic concept. Gender roles for men and women vary greatly from one
culture to another, and from one social group to another within the same culture. Race,
class, economic circumstances, age - all of this influence what is considered
appropriate for men and women. As culture is dynamic, and socio-economic conditions
change over time, so gender patterns change with them. Sudden crisis, like war or
famine, can radically and rapidly change what men and women do. Sometimes,
however, the old attitudes return after the crisis (as women ex-combatants in liberation
struggles have found). Sometimes, the changes have a permanent impact.

I. Sex and Gender

SEX, as defined by Susan Basow, is a biological term referring to people,

animals,etc., being either female or male depending on their sex organs or
genes. Sex also refers to the differences between individuals that make them
male or female. These differences are biologically determined, e.g.:

MEN WOMEN
Have no developed uterus and cannot Have a developed uterus and can
become pregnant or give birth to children become pregnant and give birth to
children
Have a penis Have a vagina
Have under-developed breasts Have developed breasts
Grow a beard Do not grow a beard

Sex is therefore biologically determined. According to Stoller, for example:

“ to determine sex one must assay the following physical

conditions :chromosomes, external genitalia, internal genitalia, gonads, hormonal states
and secondary sex characteristics....One's sex, then, is determined by an
algebraic sum of all these qualities, and as is obvious, most people fall under
one of two separate bell curves, the one of which is called 'male' and the other
‘female’.(Cited in Oakley, 1985, p. 158).

II. GENDER

Contrary to sex, ‘gender’ has social, cultural and psychological rather than
biological connotations. It is defined in terms of femininity and masculinity. The proper
terms for describing sex, for example, are ‘male and female’ while the corresponding
terms for gender are ‘masculine and feminine.’ Although the latter may be
independent of biological sex, masculinity pertains to the attributes that describe males
in the social and cultural context. Hence, the ‘normal’ male has a preponderance of
masculinity, while the ‘normal’ female has a preponderance of femininity (Stoller).
According to Stoller, therefore, ‘gender’ is the amount of masculinity or femininity found
in a person.
Gender also refers to ‘subjective feelings of maleness or femaleness (i.e.,
femininity or masculinity), irrespective of one's sex’ (Basow). This is known as gender
identity. It is possible to be genetically of one sex with a gender identity of another sex,
e.g., transsexuals identify themselves with the gender of the opposite sex. This implies
that one’s gender may not necessarily be synonymous with that of one’s sex.
One's gender can be determined in many ways, e.g., behaviour. In most
societies, for example, humility, submissiveness, etc., are considered feminine
behaviour and women are expected to behave that way. Men, on the other hand, are
expected to be dominant, aggressive, etc.

Feminine Masculine
submissive dominant
gentle aggressive
emotional not emotional
quiet talkative

Other determinants of gender may include dress, gestures, occupation, social network,
and especially the ROLES played by the sexes in society.

II. SEX AND GENDER ROLES

The trainer must ensure that students are able to realize the differences between
biological and social roles. Often the social dimension of labor is treated as natural. This
leads to the wrong assumption that women are not capable of playing roles normally
played by men and vice-versa.
Sex Role

A sex role is a function or role which a male or female assumes because of the
basic physiological or anatomical differences between the sexes. It is a biologically
determined role which can be performed by only one of the sexes, e.g., women give
birth to children while men make women pregnant.

Female Sex Role Male Sex Role

child-bearing ovum fertilization
lactation produces spermatozoa which
gestation determine child's sex

These roles are not exchangeable because they are biologically determined.

Gender Role

A gender role, as defined by Susan Basow, refers to society's evaluation of

behaviour as masculine or feminine, e.g., cooking is feminine, while fishing is a
masculine role in most societies.

Feminine Role Masculine Role

cooking fishing
childcare hunting
house care repair work in the home
e.g., repairing broken furniture

Differences between Sex Roles and Gender Roles

(Adapted from the classification by Susan Basow.)

GENDER ROLES SEX ROLES

May differ from society to society. Same in all societies: they are
universal, e.g., it is only women who
give birth to children all over the
world.
Can change with history. Never change with history
Can be performed by both sexes. Can be performed by only one the
sexes.
They are socially, culturally They are biologically determined.
determined
 Since you are done with all the activities above, let’s evaluate what you have
learned about the topic. Are you ready?

ACTIVITY 1

Read out the numbered list of statements about men and women. Write ‘G’
against those they think refer to gender, and ‘S’ against those they think refer to sex.

1. Women give birth to babies, men do not.

2. Little girls are gentle, boys are tough.

3. In one case, when a child brought up as a girl learned that he was actually a boy,

his school marks improved dramatically.

4. Amongst Indian agricultural workers, women are paid 40-60 per cent of the male

wage.

5. Women can breast-feed babies, men can bottle-feed babies.

6. Most building-site workers in Britain are men.

7. In Ancient Egypt, men stayed at home and did weaving. Women handled family

business. Women inherited property and men did not.

8. Men’s voices break at puberty, women’s do not.

9. In one study of 224 cultures, there were 5 in which men did all the cooking, and

36 in which women did all the house building.

10. According to UN statistics, women do 67 per cent of the world’s work, yet their

earnings amount to only 10 per cent of the world’s income.

 ACTIVITY 2

Directions. Read the Story. Then, write your reaction about the story.

A STORY: MR. MOYO GOES TO THE DOCTOR

‘What is your job?’ asked the doctor. ‘I am a farmer’, replied Mr. Moyo.
‘Have you any children?’ the doctor asked. ‘God has not been good to me. Of 15 born,
only 9 are alive,’ Mr. Moyo answered.
‘Does your wife work?’ ‘No, she stays at home’.
‘I see. How does she spend her day?’ ‘Well, she gets up at four in the morning, fetches
water and wood, makes the fire, cooks breakfast, and cleans the home. Then she goes
to the river and washes clothes. Once a week she walks to the grinding mill. After that
she goes to the township with the two smallest children, where she sells tomatoes by
the road side while she knits. She buys what she wants from the shops. Then she
cooks the midday meal.’
‘You come home at midday?’ ‘No, no, she brings the meal to me about three kilometres
away.’
‘And after that?’ ‘She stays in the field to do the weeding, and then goes to the
vegetable garden to water.’
‘What do you do?’ ‘I go and discuss business and drink with the men in the village.’
‘And after that?’ ‘I go home for supper which my wife has prepared.’
‘Does she go to bed after supper?’ ‘No, I do. She has things to do around the house
until 9 or 10.’
‘But I thought you said your wife doesn’t work.’ ‘Of course she doesn’t work. I told you
she stays at home.’
(Source: Presented by the Women and Development Sub-committee Ministry of Community Development and Community Affairs,
Zimbabwe, to Women’s Regional Ecumenical Workshop, 26 June - 6 July 1989, Harare, Zimbabwe.)
REFERENCES

1. Anne Oakley: Sex, Gender & Society.

2. G. Archer & B: Lloyd. Exploring Sex Differences.
3. Source: The Oxfam Gender Training Manual. Oxfam UK and Ireland. 1994.

Prepared:

DEANAZON C. GADON
INSTRUCTOR II