This chapter will tackle the definition of gender, sex,

sexuality, and other related concepts. We will also

walk through an overview of the gender stereotypes,
SOGIE or sexual orientation and gender identity and
expression, as well as the LGBT community, now the
called LGBTQIA+.

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Differentiate gender from sex, and sex from

sexuality;
2. Explain gender socialization;
3. Identify gender stereotypes and the problems
stereotyping brings; and
4. Discuss sexual orientation and gender identity
and expression or SOGIE.
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This module defines sex by its biological, and not cultural definition.
Sex, in biological sense, is a category for living being specially
related to their reproductive function.

For most living creatures, there are two sexes, the male and the
female. The female sex is determined by the following
characteristics: produces egg cells which are fertilized by another
sex, and bears the offspring. The male sex, on the other hand,
produces sperm cells to fertilize the egg cells.

Chromosomes determine one’s sex. Chromosome XX equates to

female, and XY is for male. These pairs of chromosomes are distinct
because of the differences in their characteristics.

Genitalia are the organs used for reproduction. This is another sex
characteristic that determines whether an individual is “female” or
“male.

Hormones also play part in the definition of sex. Both males and
females have estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone but in
varying amounts. Usually, males have higher amounts of testosterone
while females have higher amounts of estrogen.

Gender is a socially learned behavior usually associated with one’s

sex. It determines one’s role, expected values, behavior and
interaction in relationship involving men and women. Gender is also
based on how people see themselves, and on their tendency to act
along either the masculine or the feminine line.
Femininity is a behavior that one associates with females.
It is not necessarily tied to a woman’s sex. Similarly,
masculinity is not tied to one’s gonads.

To easily discriminate sex from gender, Department of Health (DOH)

listed the distinct differences of the two concepts. See the table
below.
Sex Gender

Primarily refers to physical Attitudes and behavior of

attributes, body men and women (masculinity
characteristics notably sex and femininity)
organ

Is biologically determined – Learned and perpetuated

by genes and hormones primarily through: the family,
education, religion, etc. Thus,
an acquired identity

Is relatively fixed/constant Because it is socialized, it

through time and across may be variable through time
cultures and across cultures.

Why is it important to differentiate gender from sex?

Majority link gender attributes (femininity and masculinity)

to the biological differences (sex) between women and
men. Therefore, gender is believed to be constant and
unchangeable.
This part of the module should make you realize that gender
and the socially-constructed meanings that come with it can
indeed be changed or ended. They are not biologically
predetermined nor fixed eternally.

.
THE PROCESS OF SOCIALIZATION

Manipulation
Handling of boys and girls differently
Canalization
Directing children’s attention to gender-appropriate objects
Verbal Appellation
Children are told what they are
Activity Exposure
Children are familiarized with gender appropriate tasks

To further illustrate, let us look at this scenario presented by Balvin

(2017):

“Gender socialization begins to

take place as soon as children are
born and sometimes even in
utero. In most contexts, parents
and family members treat boys
and girls differently. They may
dress them in different colors or
buy them different toys and as
they get older, they may punish
and reward differently, give them
different household duties,
provide different opportunities to
go to school, socialize with friends
and so on. As children get older, the list of people who communicate what
constitutes appropriate gender behavior to them expands beyond the family and
includes, peers, teachers, community leaders, public figures and many more”.

Socialization affects all parts of one’s identity by dictating what is

acceptable and what is not. If someone finds himself or herself
deviating from what society finds normal, he or she may feel
excluded and may become deviant.
Hence, it is essential to learn gender role socialization for families to
create interventions that could lead to positive outcomes for girls and
boys, and later in life of women and men. This is to avoid negative
trajectories from childhood.

Gender stereotype is a generalized view or preconception about

attributes or characteristics, or the roles that are or ought to be
possessed by, or performed by women and men (OHCHR, n.d).

Stereotype is a by-product of gender socialization and biased

perception of major institutions such as family, church, school, state,
and media. These beliefs can be limiting if seen as prescriptive of a
gender’s role rather than descriptive of the many possible roles one
can have.

Gender stereotype has four types:

1 Sex stereotype is a generalized view of traits that should be

possessed by men and women, specifically physical and
emotional roles. This stereotype is unrelated to the roles
performed by women and men.
Women are extremely emotional.

Men are aggressive and competitive.

2 Sexual stereotype involves assumption regarding a person’s

sexuality that reinforce dominant views. For example, a prevalent
view is that all men are sexually dominant.
Men are promiscuous and sexually active, while women are
passive and submissive.

3 Sex-role stereotype encompasses the roles that men and

women are assigned to based on their sex, and what behavior
the must possess to fulfill these roles.

Women are great caregivers, homemakers, and nurturers

of children.
Men are skilled laborers which make them good providers for their
families.

4 Compounded stereotype is an assumption about a specific

group belonging to a gender. Examples of groups subject to
compounded stereotypes are young women, old men, single
men or women, women factory workers, and the like.

Older women with disabilities are cranky and irritable.

Older, single women do not want children.

Why is gender stereotyping harmful?

According to the United Nations Human Rights, wrongful

stereotyping is a frequent cause of discrimination. It is a
contributing factor in violations of a vast array of rights such as
the right to health, adequate standard of living, education,
marriage and family relations, work, freedom of expression,
freedom of movement, political participation and representation,
and a lot more.

How does your society or

culture teach you to think, feel,
and act based on your
gender?
How is it limiting? How is it
liberating?

We are almost at the end of this module. Hurray!

The concepts presented are just introductory but

are very much useful in understanding complicated
societal and gender issues that will be tackled on
our succeeding modules. For now, you may take a
quick break. Grab something to drink or snack on
before proceeding to the next topic.
. +

Before discussing SOGIE, let us first define sexuality.

Sexuality is a word we use to talk about how we understand our

bodies and how we understand our relationships. This understanding
includes all aspects of who we are – our values and beliefs, bodies,
desires, relationships, gender and our thoughts and feelings about
all of these (SERC, n.d)

As you can see in the sexuality wheel above, gender and sex (body)
are just two of the many aspects that influence one’s sexuality. The
most important thing to understand about sexuality is that it is self-
defined; that is, that every person is allowed to talk about and
understand their own sexuality in their own way that makes sense to
them.

Now, let us talk about SOGIE.

The abbreviation SOGIE stands for sexual orientation and gender
identity and expression. The different term standing for SOGIE are
further define below.

1. Sexual Orientation covers three dimensions of sexuality,

namely

➢ Sexual attraction, sexual behavior, sexual

fantasies
➢ Emotional preference, social preference, self-
identification; and
➢
➢ Heterosexual or homosexual lifestyle.

Sexual orientation involves the person to whom one is

attracted and how one identifies himself or herself in
relation to this attraction which includes both romantic and
sexual feelings.

2. Gender identity refers to one’s personal experience of

gender or social relations. It determines how one sees
himself or herself in relation to gender and sexuality. A
person could identify himself or herself as masculine or
feminine.
3. Gender expression determine how one expresses his or
her sexuality through the action or manner of presenting
oneself.

Of course, the discussion on this topic will not be complete without

putting into the limelight the LGBTQIA+ community. Formerly called
LGBT community, this group, who are defined by their SOGIE,
expanded and acquired few extra letters to represent a disparate
group outside of heteronormativity.

Let us familiarize ourselves with the terms or names related to or

belonging to the said community:

1. Heteronormativity is defined as the notion that being

heterosexual, or the attraction to opposite sex, is the standard
correctness.

2. Heterosexual, or straight, refers to people who have sexual

and romantic feelings mostly for the opposite gender – men are
attracted to women, and women are attracted to men.

3. Homosexual describes people who have sexual and romantic

feelings for the same gender – men are attracted to men, and
women are attracted to women.

4. Cisgender is someone whose gender identity corresponds

with his or her biological sex. A person can be homosexual and
at the same time a cisgender (identify with gender they were
assigned to at birth because of their sex)

5. Lesbian pertains to women who are attracted to other women.

6. Gay refers to men who are attracted to other men can also be
used as an umbrella term for homosexuality.
7. Bisexual or “bi” denotes people who are attracted to both
genders.

8. Transgender is an umbrella term that refers to someone

assigned sex at birth does not represent his or her gender
identity.

9. Intersex is a term for someone born with biological sex

characteristics that aren’t traditionally associated with male or
female bodies.

10. Queer or Questioning is anything that exists outside of the

dominant narrative. It could mean someone who belongs to
one of the acronyms (LGBT), someone who could be all those
letters, or someone who does not know.

11. Pansexual refers to people who are attracted to people of all

gender identities.

12. Asexual is someone who experience little to no sexual

attraction.

While these are the usual terms or words encountered when

discussing LGBTQIA+ issues they are in no way stable, fixed, or
exclusive. As what SERC explained, sexuality is dynamic and always
changing.

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