Sex and Gender - A Short Essay PDF

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Sex and Gender - A Short Essay AP/HREQ 1920 Male-Female Relationships York University

Within modern society, the way one interpret’s sex and gender can vary based on the social standards in their lives. Societal standards and norms are the root of what influences someone to view sex and gender in a certain way versus what they truly believe it is. The impacts of society hinders one’s feelings and puts them in an isolated dilemma when they are

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in various institutions. The negative effects of society also push social standards including double standards and the different acceptable norms of a sex or gender, therefore leading to inequality. Society is shaped in a way where it is not big enough for everyone, the ones who don’t fit in are the outcasts, who tend to have more hardships living in the reality of society. The differences between sex and gender will be explored through different applications consisting of being in an institution, through social standards, and finally through the shape of society.

The main way one learns about sex is usually through a parent or through an educational insitution in their elementary years. Sex is biologically determined from birth and gender is something that is achieveable as stated in the line “Gender isn't a personality trait but rather something that can be achieved” (Kimmel, Aronson, & Kaler, 2017). The way life starts off is biologically which is based off of chromosomes and genitalia, this is made clear in the quote “Sex is a biological trait that is determined by the specific sex chromosomes inherited from one’s parents” (Conger & DuBois, 2017). It is hard to explore your own gender when you are given an idea that something you might not feel is right. The people in your family are the ones you spend the most time with and their influence and impact will drastically hinder your lifestyle. According to McCauley “identifying your gender can be more diverse than simply seeing yourself as male or female” (McCauley, 2019), he expresses gender in a more general format which is true. The norm of speaking from a religious standpoint is to only have sexual intercourse once married and to marry someone from the opposite sex. However, with the excellent support of society, many more are accepting of people who identify as gender out of the norm. Therefore sex is pre determined from birth, and gender is something to be determined or achieved as stated in the book.

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Social standards are a huge reason why we have standards today depending on whether you are biologically male or female. Beliefs vary between countries across the world however there is no doubt that females are usually the ones who are subordinate to the male. This inequality is a norm which was passed down from generations and is especially relevant in North American history. A great example of social standards in history was racism, Rosa Parks being a black woman was given a title of “The First Lady of Civil Rights” by the US congress. This is amazing coming from people having such a negative perception of black people and especially a black woman. Parks shows her determination in her words which eventually helped lead to more equal rights. “People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired … the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.” (Norwood, 2017). Though societal views highlight the tyranny men have over women, they fail to show how strong women really are. Having just male and female genders back then shows how far society has come with the acceptance of cultural differences, there is still a long way to go. Moreover, genders come with double standards and stereotypes. It’s evident that when you identify as a gender you must do your gender. “Our current arrangements for the domestic division of labour support two production processes: household goods and services and gender” (Berk, 1985). Berk talks about these expectations of a woman doing household tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and childcare. This makes an effective societal standard because it is still relevant in many families today. The way society is shaped is solely dependent on your surroundings, it’s hard to try to feel comfortable in your own skin when everyone else expects to see you in a different way. Suicide is one of the most common reasons for death today, it is no coincidence linking it to many outcasts of society. These outcasts are anybody different from the normal which is every gender expect for heterosexuality. Studies show that “lesbian and gay people are likelier than straight people to have reported a “depressed mood” or “intimate partner

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problems and arguments” before dying by suicide.”(Fitzsimons, 2019). The constant bullying and pressure from family, friends, and other scenarios where one may be harassed or uncomfortable is an open door to depression and isolation. This shows how society is exclusively shaped where we forget all about humanity and pick on the ones who we don’t understand. That’s also a key difference between sex and gender since biologically speaking, sex is straight forward, however gender can get complicated. If educational institutions would highlight information regarding genders and encourage the exploration of your true gender identity then the problem would be less severe. Unfortunately, society is not there yet and suicides will still continue to happen if there is more support for other gender identities. Studies also show that “straight youth, lesbian, gay and bisexual youth are five times more likely to attempt suicide” (Fitzsimons, 2019). Hopefully society can adapt in the future and stop repeating history discriminating against the ones we cannot try and understand.

In conclusion we can see how misleading institutions can be, how social standards and double standards lead to an inequality in people today , and how society is shaped so negatively towards outcasts. Sex and gender are more different then ever before and it is time for a change in society. It is certainly important for the majority of the public to be more sensitive to someones sex or gender in case of future regrets. Therefore sex is something that is specifically biological and gender is something that is not a trait but can be achieved. Thus, the growing gender identities in present time are arising, however, as a society we must be knowledgeable and respectful towards everyone.

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References Berk, S.F. 1985. The Gender Factory: The apportionment of Work in American Households. New York: Plenum Conger, K., & DuBois, G. (2017). How sex and gender - which are not the same thing influence our health. Retrieved January 19, 2020, from https://stanmed.stanford.edu/2017spring/how-sex-and-gender-which-are-not-thesame-thing-influence-our-health.html Fitzsimons, T. (2019, March 2). Study highlights differences between gay, straight

SEX AND GENDER suicides. Retrieved January 22, 2020, from https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbcout/study-highlights-differences-between-gay-straight-suicide-deaths-n978211 Kimmel, M. S., Aronson, A., & Kaler, A. (2017). The Gendered Society Reader (Third Canadian). New York: Oxford University Press. McCauley, T (2020), Gender Categories, lecture notes, Male-Female Relationships (Winter 2020) AP/HREQ1920 M, York University Norwood, A. (2017). Rosa Parks. Retrieved January 21, 2020, from https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/rosa-parks .

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