What is the
difference between gender and sex?
Sex is a
biological category that distinguishes between male and female. Sex is
determined by DNA. Females have two X chromosomes and males have an one X and
one Y. In addition there are a small number of people (1 in between 1500 and 2000 people) who are intersex. This means they are neither male or female, having a different number of chromosomes or sexual organs that do not match their chromosomes.
Gender is the set
of social and psychological characteristics that a society considers proper for
its males and females.
Gender Socialization
The
characteristics considered proper for males are called masculine and those for
females are called feminine. Generally deviating from gender norms, that is, displaying characteristics that don’t
align with your sex, is considered strange or unusual by society. This is why
people often tell young boys “boys don’t cry” and so on. Gender affects both
how people are expected to look and act. For example, it is much more common
for women and girls to have long hair than men. Wearing make-up even more that
having long hair would be considered strange for most men.
However, it is
clear that gender is socially constructed when we look at different cultures' ideas of masculinity and femininity. One easy example to look at is the kilt.
In most societies skirts are definitely clothes for women, but in Scotland,
there is nothing unusual in men wearing a kilt. Although they don’t call it a
skirt, it doesn’t look much different.
Social norms can change over time. This is a picture of US president Franklin D. Roosevelt as a boy. In 1884, it was perfectly normal for young boys and girls to wear dresses. The idea that pink is for girls and blue for boys only started in the US in the 1940s. Before people believed the opposite. Another example is women wearing trousers. In the west, trousers were thought of as men's clothes until the mid 20th century. Now in England, most schools allow girls to choose between skirts and trousers. Last year some boys wore skirts to school because they were not allowed to wear shorts in summer.
Gender and Career Choice
Although there are
definite differences between men and women on average, there are many
exceptions to these generalizations. For example, men are on average taller
than women, but there are many women who are taller than many men. These
generalizations also affect psychological characteristics. Men are thought to
be more aggressive than women, and women more caring. However, these
characteristics may be influenced by what society considers proper for each
gender, causing people who do not fit these generalizations to alter their behavior
to fit typical gender roles. The same happens with certain jobs. Because one
job is more popular with men, for example, it becomes thought of as a man’s
job, which can put women off from wanting to work in that field.
These work gender norms can affect children from a young age. A recent study found that the most popular jobs with young boys in Japan were professor, baseball player and soccer player. For girls it was working in a food shop such as a baker, nurse and pre-school teacher.
Listen to American historian Ada Palmer talk about how the socialization of gender affects progress towards gender equality.
Lesson 3 article
Gender equality and the mass media
These work gender norms can affect children from a young age. A recent study found that the most popular jobs with young boys in Japan were professor, baseball player and soccer player. For girls it was working in a food shop such as a baker, nurse and pre-school teacher.
Listen to American historian Ada Palmer talk about how the socialization of gender affects progress towards gender equality.
Lesson 3 article
Gender equality and the mass media
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