...Gender gender is a range of physical, mental, and behavioral characteristics distinguishing between masculinity and femininity.[1][2][3] Depending on the context, the term may refer to sex (i.e. the state of being male or female), social roles (as in gender roles), or gender identity.[1][2][3][4] Gender studies is a branch of the social sciences. Sexologist John Money introduced the terminological distinction between biological sex and gender as a role in 1955. Before his work, it was uncommon to use the word "gender" to refer to anything but grammatical categories.[1][2] However, Money's meaning of the word did not become widespread until the 1970s, when feminist theory embraced the distinction between biological sex and the social construct of gender. Today, the distinction is strictly followed in some contexts, especially the social sciences[5][6] and documents written by the World Health Organization (WHO).[4] In contrast, for many contexts, including some areas of social sciences, the meaning of gender has expanded to include "sex" or even to replace the latter word.[1][2] Although this gradual change in the meaning of gender can be traced to the 1980s, a small acceleration of the process in the scientific literature was observed when the Food and Drug Administration started to use "gender" instead of "sex" in 1993.[7] "Gender" is now commonly used even to refer to the physiology of non-human animals, without any implication of social gender roles.[2] In the English...
Words: 348 - Pages: 2
...Gender is a range of physical, mental, and behavioral characteristics distinguishing between masculinity and femininity.[1][2][3] Depending on the context, the term may refer to sex (i.e. the state of being male or female), social roles (as in gender roles), or gender identity.[1][2][3][4] Gender studies is a branch of the social sciences. Sexologist John Money introduced the terminological distinction between biological sex and gender as a role in 1955. Before his work, it was uncommon to use the word "gender" to refer to anything but grammatical categories.[1][2] However, Money's meaning of the word did not become widespread until the 1970s, when feminist theory embraced the distinction between biological sex and the social construct of gender. Today, the distinction is strictly followed in some contexts, especially the social sciences[5][6] and documents written by the World Health Organization (WHO).[4] In contrast, for many contexts, including some areas of social sciences, the meaning of gender has expanded to include "sex" or even to replace the latter word.[1][2] Although this gradual change in the meaning of gender can be traced to the 1980s, a small acceleration of the process in the scientific literature was observed when the Food and Drug Administration started to use "gender" instead of "sex" in 1993.[7] "Gender" is now commonly used even to refer to the physiology of non-human animals, without any implication of social gender roles.[2] In the English literature...
Words: 347 - Pages: 2
...Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to, and differentiating between, masculinity and femininity. Depending on the context, these characteristics may include biological sex (i.e. the state of being male, female or intersex), sex-based social structures (including gender roles and other social roles), or gender identity.[1][2][3][4] Gender symbols. The pink signifies is the female Venus symbol. The blue represents the male Mars symbol. Sexologist John Money introduced the terminological distinction between biological sex and gender as a role in 1955. Before his work, it was uncommon to use the word gender to refer to anything but grammatical categories.[1][2] However, Money's meaning of the word did not become widespread until the 1970s, when feminist theory embraced the concept of a distinction between biological sex and the social construct of gender. Today, the distinction is strictly followed in some contexts, especially the social sciences[5][6] and documents written by the World Health Organization (WHO).[4] However, in many other contexts, including some areas of social sciences, gender includes sex or replaces it.[1][2] Although this change in the meaning of gender can be traced to the 1980s, a small acceleration of the process in the scientific literature was observed in 1993 when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) started to use gender instead of sex.[7] In 2011, the FDA reversed its position and began using sex as the biological classification...
Words: 268 - Pages: 2
...to convince the reader that gender is a social construct and is socially determined. This will be done by analysing evidence, both biological and social and showing how social research is much stronger and what we can learn from it. The ways in which society determines gender will be brought to light and then the main points which biologist thinkers tend to ignore will be explained. it will then be shown why and how this can effect not just women but men as well. By doing this the reader will understand relevant research, identify the key points of how gender is socially constructed and then finally be able to realise how this is effecting individuals lives and how it would be beneficial to some...
Words: 1753 - Pages: 8
...Gender Identity Paper Brandie Thurman PSY/340 May 25, 2013 Dr. Stephanie Sencil-White There are many biological, psychological, and sociological factors involved in the formation of gender identity. Gender identity is not completely understood as it is much more complex than the joining of a sperm and an egg. For many people, the terms “gender” and “sex” are interchangeable. Biological sex and gender are different; gender is not inherently connected to one’s physical anatomy as biological sex is. When one thinks’ of the term “gender”, we are referring to the role and personalities one assumes within society, for example in American culture females tend to be perceived as more nurturing and males are aggressive and dominant. Hormones and behavior affect gender identity in significant ways each with a distinct purpose. To understand the difference of biological sex and gender, nature versus nurture, and how the environment has an effect this paper will review and explain the interactions between hormones and behaviors and how those interactions affect the determination of gender identity. Gender development starts at the point one is conceived. Gender identity is defined as an individual’s self conception of being either male or female, as distinguished from actual biological sex (Britannica, 2013). Gender differences exist in nearly every social phenomena and for most persons, gender identity and biological characteristics are the same however there are some circumstances...
Words: 1517 - Pages: 7
...The origins of gender, like the origins of human nature, are sometimes said to lie in biological determination, sometimes in social construction. Feminist theory began with criticising biological determinism and its portrayal of women, and inevitably emphasised the social construction of gender. However, seeing gender or human nature as wholly or mainly socially constructed seems to deny the biological processes which comprise our physical experiences of ourselves, and it is this omission which has recently led some writers (both feminist and antifeminist) to lay stress on the significance of biology in human behaviour and its development. These two opposing views of the origin of behaviour are still dominant, despite various attempts to emphasise how biology and social context might interact to produce, say, gender differences: this continued dominance of the nature/nurture duality has considerable political relevance to feminism, and has contributed to the rise of the New Right ideology concerning, for example, the natural role of women and the family. Gender-role development is one of the most important areas of human development. In fact, the sex of a newborn sets the agenda for a whole array of developmental experiences that will influence the person throughout his or her life. The often controversial study of the development of gender is a topic that is inherently interesting to parents, students, researchers, and scholars for several reasons. First and foremost, one's...
Words: 1248 - Pages: 5
...Running Head: Gender and Technology Gender and Technology Information Technology and Informatics 04:189:103 15 April 2012 Justin Ryan Page 132001199 Honor Statement Please indicate that you agree with the following statement: 1. I have done my own research for this paper, and the writing is my own. If there are any words that are taken from another writer, another student, a website or any other source, I’ve placed them in quotation marks and have given attribution to the source of the quote. Signature: Justin R Page Date: April 15, 2012 2. I have read the university’s statement on intellectual honesty/plagiarism and I understand it. Signature Justin R Page Date: April 15, 2012 Gender and Technology Overview and Introduction The research presented in this study is to show the various differences and influences genders are faced and impacted through the use of technology in today’s world. In this essay there will also be a brief look at how some races are also impacted differently in technological uses. This essay will take a look into an article called, “Caring About Connections: Gender and Computing” written by Jane Margolis, Allan Fisher and Faye Miller. In their article they take a look at differences in women and males with their uses and influence in technology, and women’s efforts to pursue an education in computer science and technology. This paper...
Words: 2145 - Pages: 9
...the confines of biological determinism and labelling, and to create it’s own gender identity, thus imposing the choice of the cognizant individual over social and biological constraints. Evelyn Reed raises an important question, the relationship between the family and capitalism. Wonen colludein the working class or capitalist family to perpetuate value systems, to keep...
Words: 990 - Pages: 4
...Gender and Symmetry For me, the most thought provoking and universal aspect of the course content has been the failure of induction-based theory generation in archaic science and the resultant recognition of the lack of certainty associated with hypotheses in modern science. The concept of symmetry proposed in the Strong Theory is related, in a sense, to this principle by its nature: the acknowledgement of the impermanence and uncharacterizable nature of proposed scientific theories. Examining gender in the light of symmetry is an exercise that could manifest itself differently depending on the definition of symmetry that is applied. For instance, determining gender’s symmetry in a mathematical sense is different from the task at hand (the symmetry associated with the Strong Theory), but is valuable nonetheless. Anatomically and biologically the sexes are seen to be asymmetric in nature – to the point of having an entirely different chromosomal structure (XX v. XY). This type of asymmetry, while not explicitly related to the concept presented by Bloor et al., is in fact at the heart of my reasoning for the conceptually asymmetric nature of gender. In Hallberg’s discussion of gender there is often mention of the boundaries in place for women as a result of the pre-existing social awareness of the centrality and success of men. In a symmetrical view of gender there would also be consideration of the possible positive effects of such a social construct. For...
Words: 827 - Pages: 4
...ad, Inquiries in Science, I have is from a magazine called “Science Teacher”. The magazine cover uses bright colors that stands out to a person. The magazine also uses many different Jib Fowles Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals. This magazine will be for teacher in the science department. The magazine is sponsored by the National Science Teachers Association. The magazine is based on going green and giving teacher’s newer concepts. The purpose of this ad is to help students and teachers become better informed about science. Advertising Description This ad is for the Carolina Biological Supply Company. It advertises a program that makes science concepts easy to understand. The background is white with teachers and students saying their comments or thoughts in bubbles. There are three African Americans, two Caucasian people, and one Asian person. There are more females than males in this ad. All together there are five females and two males. All of the people are in the ad are smiling, doing projects, or teaching. All of their comments are positive comments and positive reactions. A quote from one of the people says, “Now this is what science should be like.” The background of the ad is white with black bold letters. The pictures are in square boxes at the top middle of the page. The bold black words are towards the bottom of the page, right under the pictures. The title of the reading is “What students and teachers are saying about Inquiries in Science.” They also have...
Words: 927 - Pages: 4
...the company that produced “Teen talk Barbie” in 1992 to create a Barbie doll that had among its stored phrases, one phrase that said, “Math class is tough!”. This phrase was stored with 270 other girl talk phrases such as “I love shopping” and “Will we have enough clothes!”. The result was that Mattel was soundly criticized and quickly changed the doll’s offending phrase a few months later. In spite of Mattel’s effort to correct a message that verbalized an inherent cultural bias, one wonders if the is any accuracy to the stereotype that associate math being difficult with the female gender and whether math is less difficult for males. Bryner (2007) indicated that women are still outnumbered by men in math science and engineering fields. Tachibana (2010) posited that as much as 90 percent of the engineers in the United States are male. Mathematics is considered a gateway such to the hard sciences....
Words: 2415 - Pages: 10
...|Gender Identity | |Hormonal and Behavioral Interactions Affect Determination of Gender Identity | |To explain how hormones affect gender identity and sexual behavior or examine how the interaction between hormones and behavior can be | |somewhat complicated. It would be easier to explain if we could say that behavior is caused unequivocally by hormones in the body. What | |has been established though is that elevated levels of hormones increase the chance of certain behaviors, and certain behaviors increase | |the likelihood of change in hormones. What also has been established is that hormones carry messages and that they can affect facets of | |the body at different times (Kalat, 2001). When the body requires a certain process to be done or needs a certain protein made, the | |brain emits a signal to make a certain type of hormone. Those signals are sent through other kinds of hormones that are also in the body.| |Puberty is the time when hormones disperse and levels rise. The testosterone levels in males are usually higher than the estrogen levels | |and that’s when tissue and muscle growth give rise to masculinity. In females, the estrogen levels predominate resulting in femininity. | |At any rate, the lessened or heightened amount of either of these hormones in the...
Words: 1353 - Pages: 6
...Comparing and Contrasting Essentialist Approaches to Social Psychology with Social Constructionist Approaches to Social Psychology. A widely recognised definition of social psychology is “an effort to understand and explain how the thought, feeling, and behaviour of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others” (Allport, 1985). However, how to measure this, the research methods to be used and what constitutes useful evidence has caused much debate in the history of social psychology. This essay will compare and contrast the two epistemologies of essentialist and social constructionist approaches to social psychology and the research methods of quantitative and qualitative used in each approach. Essentialists’ view of the world is that the properties possessed by a group are universal in that group and do not depend on context. However, a member of a group may possess other characteristics that are not required to include it as a group member but, it must not have characteristics that preclude it from being a member of the group (Burr, 1995). For example, essentialists believe that personality consists of a number of traits and personality of an individual is established by the level of each of these traits. Essentialists also believe that these traits remain more or less stable over time and it is our personality that influences behaviour (Maltby, 2010). As essentialists are able to classify groups as such, they use quantitative research...
Words: 3936 - Pages: 16
...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? Gender can be defined as the behaviors, attributes and roles associated with being either a woman or a man (Flintoff & Squires, 2008, para. 1), whereas sex refers to the atypical combinations of features that usually distinguish male from female (American Psychological Association, 2011). Sometimes gender and sex can be used interchangeably to some, but to me, I do not think they have any significance between the two. Such as in the case of a transgendered person, they may have the same attributes to that of a woman, like behavior (gender), but yet they present physical features of a man (sex). • 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 in ways that feature strength and courage to name a few. As to femininity, gender and sex can come in forms of nurturing or emotional. These characteristics can be switched as I mentioned in my example of transgendered individuals. • Do our concepts of gender and sex contribute to the ways we embrace gender and sex in diversity? I believe so. Our concepts of gender and sex have been embedded into our culture for many years to...
Words: 511 - Pages: 3
...Gender Identity Paper Khadija Kemp Psy/340 November 26, 2012 Instructor: Diane Snyder It appears as if the human body has been created to perform at its fullest potential according to just the right combination of hormones. Hormones are chemicals that are secreted from particular cells that flow into the bloodstream and then transported into a variety of body parts responsible for acting on certain tissues. These hormones affect physical and mental aspects of the human being. (Priya Johnson, 2011) The monthly menstrual cycle is just one of many biological factors that determine how hormones work in women. It is a very common for women to behave in a certain manner during the time of their menstrual cycle. Women are more prone to crave sex and have their sexual desire increase during the time of their menstrual cycle. Mood swings are known to occur frequently and without warning. Studies reveal that as women near their ovulation cycle, they will eat less and have greater sexual desire. They will pay closer attention to the opposite sex, become more flirtatious and even dress in a sexier manner to attract men. All of this happens as a result of the hormonal fluctuations occurring during the menstrual period. (Priya Johnson, 2011) Pregnancy and childbirth are other biological factors associated with hormone and behavior. A woman experiencing pregnancy is vulnerable to a variety of behavioral changes during this time. Pregnant women are known to go from...
Words: 1463 - Pages: 6