SOC101Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Sexual Differentiation, Gender Role, Masculinity
Document Summary
First we must distinguish between sex and gender. Sex is a biological concept: most people typically present as male or female from the moment of conception, possess unambiguous sexual organs i. e. , men and women have different reproductive functions. However, there is little scientific proof of biological, socially relevant differences between men and women: moreover, sex is less binary (separated into two unique and clear cut categories) than we once though. Gender => masculinity and femininity: gender is based on learned notions of masculinity and femininity, masculinity and femininity: pa(cid:272)kages of (cid:395)ualities that people e(cid:454)pe(cid:272)t to fi(cid:374)d i(cid:374) a (cid:862)t(cid:455)pi(cid:272)al(cid:863) (cid:373)a(cid:374) a(cid:374)d a (cid:862)t(cid:455)pi(cid:272)al(cid:863) (cid:449)o(cid:373)a(cid:374) Ideas of masculinity and femininity change over time and through cross-cultural interaction. In many societies, gender is less binary than we once thought. Through socialization, we learn to perform gender roles that fit with cultural norms and our sense of self.
