Cultural Studies Terms/Sex/Gender

SEX / GENDER

Definition

Sex
“Sex” is a biological term describing what human beings are categorized by their genetic code, mostly visible by their genitals. Generally there are two types of sexes:

- Male:
Human beings described male (males) have an X-chromosome and a Y-chromosome in their genetic code. Usually the male’s genital is the penis.

- Female:
Human beings described female (females) have two X-chromosomes in their genetic code. Usually the female’s genital is the vagina.

Gender
“Gender” is a sociological term. There are basically two constructed types of genders, masculine and feminine, containing the meaning of specific stereotypical features of human beings.

- Masculine:
Being masculine is associated with being “man-like”. Typical features of masculinity are for instance: being tough, rarely showing emotions, not listening to what women are saying, being good at Mathematics, etc.

- Feminine:
Being feminine, on the contrary, is connected to being “woman-like”. Typical features of femininity are for example: being social, liking to show emotions, being capable of doing multiple things at the same time, having better language skills, etc.

Sources / Links:

1. “Definition of Terms and Concepts Related to Sex, Gender, and Sexual Orientation”.[Online].http://www.co.boulder.co.us/health/commhlth/safeZone/LGBTIQ/definitions.htm.[2008, January].

2. “What do we mean by ‘sex’ and ‘gender’?”.[Online].http://www.who.int/gender/whatisgender/en/index.html.[2008, January].

3. “Sex & Gender and the Connection between Language and Gender”.[Online]. http://www.indiana.edu/~lggender/sex-vs-gender.html.[2008, January].

4. “Gender”.[Online]. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender.[2008, January].