Biology, Sex, and Gender

Lesson 2

Sex is a term that refers to an individual's membership in one of two biologically distinct categories, male and female. In this picture one of the multiple sexes, the female, is shown as a typical women.

Gender is a term that is used to describe the physical, behavioral, and personality traits that a group considers normal for its male and female members. The two different genders are masculinity or femininity. In the picture above, the masculinity of a male is shown through him playing video games. This is considered a common trait of masculinity.

In this picture the role of gender is also shown. However, this one depicts a woman who is doing laundry, which is known to be a feminine thing to do.

The construct approach to gender identity is when one acknowledges the possibility that the male and female categories are not the only way of classifying individuals. They believe that gender is created, or constructed, through our interactions with other members of society. In this picture, the gender roles are switched. It shows a woman working on a car instead of having a man do it for her. This shows that the women is showing traits of masculinity.

Throughout history, males have been known to be superior over women. They were the protectors and providers, while the women were the caregivers. It has been like this since the very beginning of humanity. In this photo, a women is shown serving her man dinner food, while he sits back and relaxes. This shows that the women is inferior to the man.