Course Module

in
Reference Book: Gender and Society by Fe S. Tolibas│ Winston B. Gallenero │Salm Kairo

C. Dumanlag│Arnulfo B. Ramos │Quivido t. Oregines│Emyline D. Salinas

Book: Gender and Society: A human Ecological Approach by Atty. Eric Paul D. Peralta, et.al.
2019

PREPARED BY: MS. ROSA MARIE B. FUENTES, MAT

COURSE FACILITATOR
 CHAPTER 1 – SEX VS. GENDER
Introduction: At the end of the chapter, students
Sex and Gender are essential components of human life. These should be able to:
components affect how one views himself or herself as a person
as well as how a person sees and treats others. Human beings are  Know the difference
a diverse species. This diversity includes among others, race, between sex and gender
religion, culture, socio economic status, physical ability, mental based on their distinct definitions
ability, emotional state, sexuality, and- yes sex and gender.  Discuss the implication of these
differences; and
Unfortunately, traditional views on sex and gender have made  Contemplate about your own
this topics a sensitive and complicated discussion. Those who do sexuality and on the importance
not conform traditional views often face discrimination, of Gender Concepts
violence, and bullying as well as suffer a higher rate of mental
health problems.

It is important to discuss sex and gender so that everyone would have a better understanding
of these human aspects. It is also with hope that these discussions could help create acommon
ground to start with in addressing issues such as discrimination, violence, bullying, and
mental health related to sex and gender.

DEFINING SEX AND GENDER

LESSON 1:

LESSON OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the lesson, student should be able to:
1. Know the difference between sex and gender based on their distinct definitions
2. Use the terms properly in discussions

SEX
 Sex is the biological dimension of your gender and sexuality. Also referred to as
biological sex the term generally pertains to your identity depending on your sexual anatomy
and physiology – the parts of your body that are relevant to reproduction and the function of
these parts. Sex is typically determined by examining your genitals – these are external
organs that are associated with reproduction – the process or the ability to create offspring.
Among humans, sex is often assigned at birth. If at birth, a child is observed to have a
penis and testicles, then the child is categorized as male. If on the other hand, a child is
observed to have a vagina, then the child is categorized as female. However, there are cases
when the baby’s genitals appear to be a conglomerate of male and female organs such that it
may be difficult to classify the baby’s sex without further examination. In the past, this
condition is referred to as hermaphroditism (from Hermes, a male Greek god, and Aphrodite,
a female Greek god). In modern times, the term intersexuality is used to refer to this
phenomenon. Hermaphroditism or intersexuality is a naturally occurring variation in humans
and animals (1 in 1,500 births) according to the American Psychological Association (APA)
2006.
Since it may be difficult to distinguish biological sex by merely examining the
genitals, there are other biological markers used. For instance, your chromosomes – protein
structures which contain your genetic materials – are also used to determine sex. There are
specific chromosomes referred to as sex chromosomes, which marks a person’s biological
sex. An individual with a set of XY sex chromosomes is said to be a male, while an
individual with a set of XX sex chromosomes is said to be a female. The level of some
hormones – chemicals in our body that are responsible for sustaining bodily process – are
also used as markers. For example, human males tend to have higher levels of testosterone,
which is associated to sex drive and aggressions. On the other hand, human females tend to
have higher levels of estrogen and progesterone, which are associated to lactation,
menstruation, and other female reproductive functions.

GENDER
However, humans are meaning-making organism. Our ability for higher order
thinking and our tendency to create social norms, allow us to attach social and cultural
meanings to things, including our sex. For example, males are typically expected be
masculine and females to be feminine. Once parents are aware of their child sex (male or
female) during birth or through prenatal procedures such as ultrasound, they automatically
attach social and cultural meanings to their child’ sex and in doing so, they already set an
expectation in terms of how their child should behave and how they should treat their child.
This social dimension of one’s sexuality is referred to as gender.
There are many ways through which gender is manifested. As soon as a new baby
arrives in the family, adults surrounding the baby manifest their social interpretation of the
baby’s sex by the colors assigned to the baby. For example, it is common for families would
buy blue apparels and toys when the baby is a male, as the color blue is associated with
boyhood. Conversely, female babies are often assigned the color pink, such that families
would buy clothes and toys that are color pink because the color is associated with girlhood.
Remarkably, the moment a baby is born, the name, toys and apparels are picked by parents
and relatives based on their interpretation of the baby’s sex.
 Throughout childhood and adolescence, this assignment becomes more complex as
the expectations go beyond the kind of clothes worn, but also in terms of how the person
must or must not have. There are set of behaviors that all female individuals must follow and
so with the male individuals, and all are expected to stick to these behaviors that are aligned
with their biological sex. This phenomenon of determining the normality of a behavior based
on whether it conforms or not to the expectations relative to one’s biological sex is referred to
as heteronormativity. In the Filipino culture, girls are expected to have certain characteristics
of being gentle, caring and loving while boys are encouraged to be strong, rough and
assertive. These expectations also extend to how men and women are expected to behave, the
college courses they take, and the jobs they apply too.
However, there are people who do not follow culturally – accepted standards of
masculinity and femininity like girls not wanting to wear dresses and boys not wanting to
play rough sports. This is natural variation of the human gender expression. Social and
cultural practices change through time. Just 60 years ago, women could not wear pants
without social disapproval, and now pants is already an accepted fashion trend among people
of different genders.
Difference between Sex and Gender

Sex
Primarily refers to physical attributes body
characteristics notably sex organ which are
distinct in majority of individuals.
Is biologically determined – by genes and
hormones, media; thus it
is relatively fixed/ constant through time
and across cultures
Gender
Is the composite of attitude and behavior of
men and women ( masculinity and feminity)
Is learned and perpetuated primarily
through: the family, education, religion,
(where dominant) and is an acquired
identity
Because it is socialized, it may be variable
through time and across culture.

THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON GENDER

AND FAMILY

The family is an essential, natural, and fundamental unit of society. There is a widely
accepted and supported belief that the nuclear family, constituted of legally married parents
raising their biological offspring in an exclusive arrangement is the singular morally and
socially desirable choice of adults and children alike. The following are the multiplicity of
theoretical arguments as to why this belief is sustained (Gross, R.M. 2001).
1. Functionalist. It assumed that the traditional nuclear family is a natural unit and
exists to maintain social order and is mutually beneficial to all. Marriage controls
sexual behavior and ensures it is morally acceptable (i.e., heterosexual and
monogamous), and parents can control children.
 2. Marxist. It believed that the nuclear family is valued over the typical working-
class extended family to encourage material aspirations. This family unit is
organized to reinforce passive acceptance of authority, hierarchy, and inequality,
thereby keeping the working classes (proletariat) under the control of the
middle/upper classes (bourgouise).

3. Marxist Feminist. It explained that the nuclear family benefits the powerful at the
expense of the working class, and women's domestic labor enables the future
workforce to be raised at little cost to the patriarchal capitalist community. The
containment of women's sexual services and domestic labor within marriage
ensures the male workforce is emotionally and physically fit.

SEXUAL DIVISION OF
LABOR
Work task is an allocated sexual division of labor, either in the private household or in
the public economy. It is a specific expression of the division of labor where workers are
divided according to certain assumptions about "men's work" and "women's work." It is
based upon gender divisions which, although socially constructed, are frequently believed to
be the outcome of the "natural" attributes and aptitudes of the sexes. Some form of the sexual
division of labor is apparent in most known societies, but its particular manifestation and
degree of differentiation are socially and historically relative.

LESSON
V 2: GENDER CONCEPTS

LESSON OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the lesson, student should be able to;
1. Know the different gender concepts presented;
2. Properly discuss your understanding of these concepts; and
3. Apply your knowledge in real life when addressing gender related issues

Gender Roles
As a child growing up, how did you come to understand that you were a boy or a girl?
How did you know how to act as a boy or as a girl?
At birth, a child is assigned a sex category of either male or female. Growing up, the
child is taught the norms and behaviors expected of its assigned sex in accordance with the
community's culture and traditions. For example, in societies that follow Christian or Islamic
traditions, a male child is taught and expected as a man to pair up with alone. A female child
is likewise taught and expected as a woman to be attracted to the male sex alone. Patriarchal
societies expect men to take on physically demanding jobs as well as provide food, shelter,
and security for the family. Women, on the other hand, are expected to do household chores
as well as take care of the children and the husband.
 A verbatim quote from UNESCO's Accomplishments since the Fourth World
Conference on Women (Beijing 1995) summary review showed the working definition of
female gender role, to wit:
Gender roles are learned behaviors in a given society, community or other social
group. They condition activities, tasks and responsibilities are perceived as male or female.
Gender roles are affected by age, class, race, ethnicity and religion, and by the
geographical, economic and political environment (Pavlic & Sam-Vargas, 2000).
Gender roles are social expectations comprising a range of behaviors and attitudes
considered acceptable and appropriate based on the assigned sex (Levesque, 2011). The term
"gender role" was coined by psychologist and author John William Money in his research on
how intersex people expressed their being male or being female (Carey, 2006). Gender roles
are focused on the concepts of femininity and masculinity. Society expects people to adhere
to their gender roles.
All cultures have expectations on what adult men and adult women should and should
not do (Basow, 1992; Levesque, 2011). This division between sexes is historically based on
two factors:
1. acquiring the basic needs to stay alive
2. the biological reality that only women give birth
Even though only women give birth and have historically taken the responsibility of
caring for the offspring, there is little evidence that men and women differ when it comes to
various human traits and behavior (Hyde, 2005). However, most cultures focused only on the
most basic difference between sexes - child-bearing; and from this, cultivated simplistic
generalizations on men and women. These generalizations or stereotypes were passed on to
the children through socialization, and gender roles were established.

Gender Role in the Society

In many contemporary societies, women and men undertake typical tasks and
responsibilities. When people are faced with the issues of allocation, they generally divide
them into two important categories, the female work or the male work. These tasks are
allocated according to traditions and accepted norms in a particular culture and in effect
determined the masculine and feminine roles (Dionisio, 1994).
On the bases of the sexual division of labor, there are five basic categories of human
activities, namely:

1. Reproductive Role. This includes childbearing/rearing responsibilities and domestic

tasks done by women. This is divided into three, namely:
 Human or biological reproduction. It includes not only bearing children but also
reproducing the relationship of marriage, kinship, fertility, and sexuality.
  Reproduction of labor. It means the care and socialization of children and the
maintenance of adult individuals who will fit into the social structure of society.

 Social reproduction. These activities include caring of children, adults, and old
through activities of feeding the children, cooking food for adult and old, washing,
cleaning, nursing, and many other household activities.

2. Productive Role. This refers to social production or production of commodities in

which goods and services are for exchange rather than for immediate consumption.
Both women and men are engaged in these activities. These activities carry a reward
in the form of wages in cash or kind in return to their labor or the product they
produce. However, men generally dominate in these activities due to having more
time and better skills to get higher wages while women are concentrated in labor-
intensive, low paid jobs.

3. Community Management Role. This activity is related to the governance of

community life, the organization of cultural and social activities. Community
management work is voluntary and unpaid work. Both women and men are engaged
in these activities. However, men gain in this by earning social prestige, and social
leadership, whereas women's community management role is valued as doing some
work in their free time.

4. Community Politics Role. This activity is undertaken by men at the community

level, organizing at the formal political often within the framework of national
politics. This is usually paid work, either directly or indirectly, through status or
power.

5. Multiple Roles. Both men and women play multiple roles. The significant difference,
however, is that men are typically playing their roles sequentially, focusing on a
single productive role. However, women usually play their roles simultaneously,
balancing the demands of each within their limited time constraints.

Feminine Role Masculine Role

Cooking Fishing
Childcare Hunting
House care Repair work in the home

SEX ROLES
 Sex roles refer to the rules and standards of behavior and practices often related to a
person's reproductive capacity. It is a function or role that a male or a female for the simple
fact that it is the basic physiological difference between sexes. It is biologically determined
role and can only be performed by that specific sex. For example, child-bearing is a woman's
sex role while ovum fertilization is a man's sex role (Boudreau, 1986; Encyclopedia.com,
2016).
The term "sex role" is often used interchangeably with "gender role" (just like sex and
gender are often used interchangeably) but it should be noted that sex and gender are two
different terms. As such, gender roles are culturally produced behaviors while sex roles imply
that these are biologically determined.
Notions of sex roles rely heavily on biological factors, especially so on a person's
reproductive capacity, and these ideas are expressed differently between cultures and
historical periods. However, this binary view of the sexes is particularly emphasized in
patriarchal societies where men are considered bigger and stronger, thus they are regarded as
tough and dependable in every aspect of being a person. As such, leadership roles like "head
of the family" are always attributed to the men. A female, on the other hand is stereotyped as
smaller than a man, henceforth, she is beheld as frail and weak who needs the protection of
men, and delegated as a "housewife". (Encyclopedia.com, 2016)

EXAMPLE OF SEX ROLES:

FEMININE ROLE MASCULINE ROLE

Child bearing Ovum fertilization
Lactation Produces spermatozoa which determine
child’s sex
Gestation

Differences Between Sex Roles and Gender Roles

Gender Roles Sex Roles

May differ to society to society. Same in all societies; they are universal.
Can change history. Never change with history
Can be performed by both sexes Can be performed by only one of the sexes.
They are socially and culturally determined. They are biologically determined

GENDER EQUALITY AND EQUITY

 In 1995, a world conference was held in Beijing, China that discussed strategies
aimed at reducing inequalities between men and women. The conference was a call to all
governments as well as all kinds of organizations to promote and put active decision making
policies so that, quoting the UNESCO summary report:
...before decisions are taken, an analysis is made of the effects on women and men,
respectively... as manifested in their "male" and "female" roles, at the center of all
programming, action, and evaluation... as there can be no sustainable development as long
as discrimination of one of the two sexes/gender exists. The injustice created by inequalities
based on gender/sex discrimination threatens in the long run not only the discriminated
gender but the entire society (Pavlic & Sam Vargas, 2000 p. 5).
What is the difference between gender equality and gender equity? To quote The
ABC of Women Worker's Rights and Gender Equality (2000) and as included in the
UNESCO review:
Gender equality, equality between men and women, entails the concepts that all
human beings. Both men and women are free to develop their personal abilities and make
choices without the limitations set by stereotypes, rigid gender roles and prejudices. Gender
equality means that the different behavior, aspirations and need of women and men are
considered, valued and favoured equally. It does not mean that women and men have to
become the same, but that their rights, responsibilities, and opportunities will not depend on
whether they are born male or female.
Gender equity means fairness of treatment for women and men, according to their
respective needs. This may include equal treatment or treatment that is different but which is
considered equivalent in terms of rights, benefits, obligations, and opportunities.
The global commitment to gender equality and equity is founded on the principle that
sustainable development can only be ensured if the two sexes (male and female) are seen as
"complimentary biological entities" (Pavlic & Sam-Vargas, 2000) and that the equality and
equity of the social roles that male and female assume in life are fully respected. The
executive summary on the Role of Women in Development (1999) stated:
In order to ensure sustainable development, it has become imperative to recognize
the importance of the two sexes (male and female) as complementary biological entities and
moreover, to respect full equity and equality of each of the two genders, i.e., of the social
roles that men and women assume in their lives. These roles, it must be emphasized, are
socio-political and cultural constructs, which have evolved through history, and vary from
one society to another. The fact that the roles attributed to men and women are not static and
eternally valid but, on the contrary, that these roles change, have changed and are prone to
further changes, is essential in explaining why the term gender is now in the forefront on the
debate, and why it is not interchangeable with the term sex but is, in fact, complementary to it. While
the sex of a being is a given, the gender roles in each society are, in the ultimate analysis, a
consequence of political choice. How men and women are perceived and treated in a society is one of
the cornerstones of any political system, and of its most revealing facets.

GENDER MAINSTREAMING
 Mainstreaming a gender perspective is the process of assessing the implications for
women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programs, in all
areas and at all levels. It is a strategy for making women's as well as men's concerns and
experiences an integral dimension of the design implementation, monitoring and evaluation
of policies and programs in all political, economic and societal spheres so that women and
men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal is to achieve gender
equality.
The goals of the gender mainstreaming concept are:
1. To forge and strengthen political will to ensure gender equality at the regional, national,
and global level. local,
2. Incorporate a gender perspective into the planning processes, appraisal, implementation,
monitoring, and evaluation of policies, programs, and projects in all levels of government,
and all non-government sectors be it a non-profit or for-profit organization.
3. Use targeted and specific data to measure policy impact because policies do not affect
men and women the same way.
4. Provide the decision-makers necessary tools and training regarding awareness, gender
analysis, and gender planning.
5. Ensure the cooperation between the government and the private sector, civil society,
gender and other stakeholders to make the best use of gender mainstreaming resources.
The three key principles of gender mainstreaming as outlined in the Gender Management
System Handbook (1999) are empowerment, accountability, and integration of effort.
Empowerment means having control over issues and decisions that affect your life;
to be given a voice in decision-making bodies and control over the distribution of resources.
A deliberate corrective action must be taken in areas where people are underrepresented
Accountability could either be a positive means of motivation such as reward systems
for specific goals achieved or a less positive motivation such as boundary systems that define
acceptable/ unacceptable behavior with corresponding sanctions for those who cross the
boundaries.
Integration of effort is a high degree of coordination to ensure that gender
mainstreaming is a holistic approach to transforming structures that create or perpetuate
gender inequality, rather than just making a band aid solution. It is important to reflect the
diversity in society because “men and women” are not just biological categories, but also
includes elements like race/ethnicity, age, social class, etc. gender inequalities cannot be
adequately addressed unless in inequalities arising from these variables are also addressed
(Commonwealth Secretariat, 1999; Pavlic & Sam- Vargas, 2000).

The five areas of gender mainstreaming activities and implementation measures.

1. Gender sensitive language – the words used in addressing both men and women
must make both visible. Gender sensitive language applies to all kinds of written
material as well as in verbal communication.

2. Gender specific data collection and analysis – collecting, analysis, and presentation
of data should be gender specific and takes social dimensions such as age, ethnicity,
income, and education, among others in consideration whenever possible,

3. Equal access and equal use of services - the different effects of products and
services to men and women must be equally assessed.

4. Decisions must equally involve all people - measures and strategies must be geared
towards balance and equal representation of gender.

5. Equal treatment is integrated into management - paying attention to the different

needs of men and women in the workforce.

A person's roles in gender mainstreaming are to:

a. Be sensitive to the needs of the person without prejudice to gender.

b. Value the capabilities of the individual, irrespective of gender.
c. Make sure that equal opportunity policy is in place at home, at work, and in the
community.
d. Participate in activities that promote gender equality.

Assessment
On your own, reflect on the QUESTIONS below. Discuss your answer (5 points each).
WRITE YOUR ANSWER IN A CLEAN YELLOW PAD PAPER.
TAKE NOTE: THE SAME ANSWER WITH YOUR CLASSMATES OR WITH OTHER
SECTIONS AUTOMATICALLY ZERO IN YOUR ASSESMENT.

1. How can you describe your discovery of your sexuality, your sense of being male or
female?

2. How do you’re be a female or female influencer your family’s and peers’

expectations from you?

3. How can you define sex? How do you define gender?

4. How can you differentiate sex and gender?

5. How can you describe the differences between sex roles and gender roles?

6. Why does gender equality important?

7. What is gender mainstreaming?

8. What or who influenced your views on these topic?

9. Have you experienced discrimination because of your gender? Or have you witnessed
people discriminated for their gender? Describe what you felt. Why did you feel that
way?

10. If you were to give a message about how to treat people whose self-expression does
not conform to traditional views of being a man and being a woman, what would you
say?