What is the difference between sex and

gender?
Sex = male and female

Gender = masculine and feminine

So in essence:

Sex refers to biological differences; chromosomes, hormonal profiles, internal and

external sex organs.

Gender describes the characteristics that a society or culture delineates as masculine or

feminine.

So while your sex as male or female is a biological fact that is the same in any culture,
what that sex means in terms of your gender role as a 'man' or a 'woman' in society can be
quite different cross culturally. These 'gender roles' have an impact on the health of the
individual.

In sociological terms 'gender role' refers to the characteristics and behaviours that
different cultures attribute to the sexes. What it means to be a 'real man' in any culture
requires male sex plus what our various cultures define as masculine characteristics and
behaviours, likewise a 'real woman' needs female sex and feminine characteristics. To
summarise:

'man' = male sex+ masculine social role

(a 'real man', 'masculine' or 'manly')

'woman' = female sex + feminine social role

(a 'real woman', 'feminine' or 'womanly')

What is the Difference Between Sex and

Gender?
Sociology, Theory, Cultural Understanding, Physical Anatomy

Sep 8, 2009 Nicholas Morine

What is the Difference Between Sex and Gender? - personalfx, sxc

Understanding the difference between sex and gender is crucial to developing a greater
comprehension of social theory, feminist theory, and sexual norms and values.
A common question posed by laymen and students of social sciences raises the
distinction between the term “sex” and the term “gender”. Many people use the two
words incorrectly, as interchangeable, when they signify two very different things.

Sex – Determined by Physical Anatomy, Biological Description

Sex is determined biologically and refers to an individuals physical anatomy – genitalia,

facial hair, body structure and composition. Sex refers to the biological characteristics
that separate male from female.

Sex is not culturally influenced in a direct way (although certain cultures believe in
certain practices or influences impact the sex of a child during pregnancy) and is
normally considered to be completely biological in nature, uninfluenced by cultures,
norms, values, or mores.

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Gender – Determined by Social, Cultural Affiliation, Learned

Behaviours

Gender is determined by social interaction, exchange, and absorption of peer, familial,

and larger cultural values that determine gender identity and affiliation.

Gender can be considered fluid in the sense that one can challenge their own gender
identity, in some instances holding it completely opposed to their sex.

For example, a woman who considers herself to be a male, possessing the same sexual
desires as a male, and is contemplating undergoing surgery in order to become male is an
example of sex and gender being separate as well as disparate.

Gender roles and identities are also culturally proscribed; these roles are commonly a
crucial argument in the feminist theory aspect of sociology or philosophy. Boys play with
toy soldiers, while girls play with Barbie dolls – this commonly held viewpoint or
assumption is offensive to many feminist theorists who advocate a stripping of stereotype
and gender bias.

Read on

• Gender May Not Be Fixed

• Shakespeare and Gender Representation
• Definition of Radical Feminism
Why Is Acknowledging The Difference Between Sex and Gender
Important?

It is important to understand the difference between sex and gender (accompanied by the
realization that they are two separate entities) in order to better understand the impact that
sex and gender – particularly socially ascribed gender roles – can have on developing
children as well as adults.

Children who differ from commonly accepted gender roles – perhaps a young boy who
enjoys playing with dolls or an EZ bake oven rather than toy guns and dump trucks – are
also commonly punished by their peers, whether physically, verbally, or emotionally.

The same can be said of adults – women who wear plaid and like to talk about sports
might be described as “butch,” whereas these qualities may be seen as desirable in
individuals of the male sex.

Gender roles are social constructs and are subject to social change, whereas sex is a
biological trait and, while it can be altered through advanced surgery, is generally
considered to be static and dictated by forces of nature, rather than cultivated via nurture
– as gender is.

Understanding and contemplating the difference and sometimes disparate nature of sex
and gender can be enlightening as well as helpful in empathizing with individuals who
may, in one way or another, break the social mold.

Other Articles Related to Social Justice, Sociology, and Philosophy

Doing some deep reading on pressing social issues? An article on Same Sex Marriage or
perhaps Legalization of Cannabis / Marijuana might be just the ticket.

Also of interest is a recent article concerning the notion of self-image, as formed by

Cooley's "Looking Glass Self" theory.

Copyright Nicholas Morine. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
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Read more at Suite101: What is the Difference Between Sex and Gender?: Sociology,
Theory, Cultural Understanding, Physical Anatomy
http://www.suite101.com/content/what-is-the-difference-between-sex-and-gender-
a146502#ixzz13y4EkpCs

What do we mean by "sex" and

"gender"?
Sometimes it is hard to understand exactly what is meant by the term "gender", and how
it differs from the closely related term "sex".

"Sex" refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define men and
women.

"Gender" refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes
that a given society considers appropriate for men and women.

To put it another way:

"Male" and "female" are sex categories, while "masculine" and "feminine" are
gender categories.

Aspects of sex will not vary substantially between different human societies, while
aspects of gender may vary greatly.

Some examples of sex characteristics :

• Women menstruate while men do not

• Men have testicles while women do not
• Women have developed breasts that are usually capable of lactating, while men
have not
• Men generally have more massive bones than women

Some examples of gender characteristics :

• In the United States (and most other countries), women earn significantly less
money than men for similar work
• In Viet Nam, many more men than women smoke, as female smoking has not
traditionally been considered appropriate
• In Saudi Arabia men are allowed to drive cars while women are not
• In most of the world, women do more housework than men

You are here: Home » Social Sciences » What is The Difference Between Sex and
Gender?

What is The Difference Between Sex and

Gender?

by Sweet girl in Social Sciences, January 28, 2010

Sex and gender, are they really different? This article

can help you in knowing the literal and biological
difference between sex and gender.
Most of the people have misconception that the terms Gender and Sex both convey same
meaning. However, these two terms are quite separate from each other. Sex is a term that
is used to describe the difference between male and female in biological respect. All the
hormonal and chromosomal differences between male and female give rise to different
biological features in the body. For instance, females have less massive bones as
compared to males. Thus, the body structure of both differs from one another. Hormonal
issue such as menstrual cycles occurs in women and not in men. Such differences
determine the sex of a person. It is totally natural and cannot be changed unless someone
got a sex alteration surgery.

On the other hand, Gender is something, which is not at all depended on biological
aspects; rather it is the masculine or feminine characteristic that has been developed as an
impact of the social, cultural norms and affiliations. It is very important to remember that
a person develops this particular behavior due to the society he or she is living in and this
behavior is completely alterable by the will of the person. For example, it is usually seen
that young boys love to pay with cars and toy guns while in case of a baby girl, they
mostly prefer dolls. However, this characteristic may be inversed in some of the cases. In
such situation the kid is either physically or verbally told that what he or she is doing is
not the actual norm.

Read more in Social Sciences

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Thus, sex is a biological trait that is immutable by anyone with any artificial procedure
where as gender is the mind or expression entity unlike the sex, which is a physical
entity, related to body. It is very essential to understand the actual distinguish between
these two as this helps an individual to emphasize on his or her identity.

Read more: http://socyberty.com/social-sciences/what-is-the-difference-between-sex-

and-gender/#ixzz140Q2SQnC