Understanding Sex Documentary Paper

By John Hidalgo A52

When I first saw the documentary about genders, I noticed it looked old
and I was wondering possibly outdated the documentary would be. What
surprised me is that the documentary is still very relevant today despite its age. It
talked about sex in other organisms so we can compare how sex is for people.
Sex is the biological orientation of an organism which is either a female or male.
It also means a method in which an organism reproduces. In the animal world,
some species have only one sex, which is the female. One such species is the
tail-whipped lizard. Female sexes are technically older than the male sexes.
Asexual organisms are always female. It is still a paradox why the male sex
evolved in the first place. There are three theory why sex evolved in the first
place hence the need for a male and female. The first theory is that sex started in
cells as a form of cannibalism. The second theory is sex started as a form to
transfer genes from one generation to another. The third theory is that sex
started because cells wanted their flaws to be repaired by mating with other
cells. This is the theory most biologists focus on because it is the one that makes
most sense. How is a newly created organism, which is bisexual at first, exactly
determined to be a male or female? It is very complicated. For geckos, the sex of
the organism is based the temperatures at the time of incubation.
Gender is a social construct, a human idea in which people are expected
to fulfill a specific social role or stereotype based on their sex. For example, men
are expected to be rational, strong and cannot cry. Women meanwhile are
expected to be damsels in distress and be faithful to their husbands. These ideas
were reinforced by society. It is implied that gender roles were formed because
humans unlike other organisms can mate anytime. These roles allowed sex to be
regulated and if it not regulated, society might collapse due to rampant sex.
People who deviate from these social roles, usually members of the third sex like
transsexuals, bisexuals, gays and lesbians are criticism or even ridiculed
especially in very conservative society.
There is difference between sexes due to biology and society. Male
organisms usually have more testosterone hormones while female organisms
have more estrogen than females. Imbalances with these two hormones can
cause confusions with ones own sex. Males are way more into sex than females.
Males have behaviors or look beautiful to appeal to the females they want to
have sex with. These measures include courting rituals and aggressive behavior
to protect their mate. Women are the one who usually decide the mate in a
matriarchal society. For me, the differences between sexes due to biology matter
more in all nonhuman organisms. In humans meanwhile, differences between
the sexes are more on to societal influences. However, these differences due to
society have historically resulted in women being the more oppressed sex.