Lesson 12: Gender, Sex, and Sexuality


Attention

This film is available in our library. It explores the potential harmful impact of advertising on girl's self-image, boys expectations of women, and on adult expectations of sexuality.


Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:

  • Distinguish between sex and gender.
  • Consider the influence of diverse agents of socialization and discuss the process of socializing gender identity.
  • Reflect on the potential influences of advertising on the self-image and sexuality of women and men.

Teaching

Sex and Gender

The term "sex" is used to describe the physical characteristics of a person as being physically "male" or "female" (or in some instances neither or both).

The term "gender" refers to the STATUS and ROLE of a person. Bring back the discussion we had on these two concepts and you can get a good understanding of what "gender" means.

Consider these questions:

If your "job title" or Status is MALE, what is your ROLE (job description)?

If your "job title" or Status is FEMALE, what is your ROLE (job description)?

Sexual orientation has to do with who someone is attracted or "oriented" to in regard to romantic and sexual feelings. This is part of the ROLE that we have just discussed and can lead to some confusion for individuals who may have feelings different from the societal norms for their STATUS.

Gender Role Development

Most Developmental Psychologists would support that Gender Roles develop very early in life. Most children can identify gender expectations by as early as age 3. This is far before we are able to make any conscious choices as to the "fairness" of these STEREOTYPES.

Consider the various socializing agents in our world and the lessons we learn about Gender Roles:

  • Family
  • Church
  • School
  • Media

Sex and Sexuality

As with most things, there are societal norms, values, and expectations regarding sexuality. These are important considerations both in the formulation of a relationships (dyad) and in larger contexts (such as sex education in schools).

Let's consider both of these issues from the perspectives in Sociology

  • Functionalist Perspective
    • Sexuality is often regulated by the family structure. As we will see, one of the functions of family is to regulate sexuality and provide support for offspring.
    • Questions arise as to the role schools have in providing sex education and what should be contained in that curriculum.
  • Conflict Perspective
    • Sex is sometimes an expression of power. Indeed, the act of rape is not really considered a "crime of passion" but a "crime of power" and is much more focused on the control of another person than on the act of sex.
    • As mentioned above, there are conflicts associated with sex education in the US in regard to what is being taught. Should we, for instance, include information about gay sex in public sex education?
  • Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
    • Read the section on the text on "Queer Theory"...what I find interesting about this perspective is how it pushes the questions related to individual identify and activity.
    • Depending on when sex education happens, it can play a formative role on a person's attitudes and behaviors related to sexual identity.
  • Post Modern Perspective
    • The portrayal of sexuality in the media makes it both EVERYTHING and NOTHING. This can become an issue in relationships.
    • Part of sex education may be to deflect the influence of post modern perspectives on sexuality and shed light on the beauty and wonder of sexuality.

Gender and Sexuality in the Media

Watch the video "Killing Us Softly"...this is a documentary on the impact of the portrayal of women in advertising.


Assessment

The Online Discussions are for students who are taking Online and Hybrid versions of this class. Your Instructor will inform you if you have to pay attention to these...otherwise you can ignore them.

Lesson 12 Discussion

Discuss the various lessons we receive about gender role from different socializing agents. Discuss your own family, church, and school influences on your definition of gender roles.

Lesson 12 Quiz

  1. Define and differentiate sex and gender.
  2. Reflect on the portrayal of women and sexuality in advertising. Consider a particular example you may have come across and describe the potential negative impact this kind of message could have on girls, boys, and gender roles.