IDENTITY AND GENDER

 We need to examine the following two claims:

1. Gender identities are shaped by many different
factors – individual and collective: biological and
social
2. The ways we construct our identities is strongly
influenced by a set of rather stereotypically
feminine and masculine characteristics and traits
that we often associate with gender categories.

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GENDER/SEX
 The homeless were recorded by gender and whether
adult or child, but names were not taken. He declined
to identify the surgeon , even by sex.
 We unconditionally reject [birth control] as a means
of gender selection. In the new paradigm of sex
determination that is emerging, the fetus is roughly
female to begin with.
 She lifted one leg, saw the gender of the baby, threw
the leg down and said the baby was a boy
The 38-year-old Couric said the sex of the baby hasn't
been determined.

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DICTIONARY DEFINITIONS
 [gen-der]
    1. Grammar.
    1. a. A set of two or more
categories, as masculine,
feminine, and neuter, into
which words are divided
according to sex, animation,
psychological associations, or
some other characteristic, and
that determine agreement with
or the selection of modifiers,
referents, or grammatical
forms.
    1. b. One category of such a
set.
    1. c. The classification of a
word or grammatical form in
such a category.
    1. d. The distinguishing form
or forms used.
    2. Classification of sex.
 [sex]
    1. a. The property or quality
by which organisms are
classified according to their
reproductive functions.
    1. b. Either of two divisions,
designated male and female, of
this classification.
    2. Males or females
collectively.
    3. The condition or character
of being male or female; the
physiological, functional, and
psychological differences that
distinguish the male and the
female.
    4. The sexual urge or instinct
as it manifests itself in
behaviour.
    5. Sexual intercourse. 4
    6. The genitalia.
POSITIONS
 From a recent medical text
 Taken as a noun, sex is a biological determinant, while
gender carries psychological and sociological 
implications. Hence in biological sciences, sex
differences are innate, chromosomally determined
characteristics that distinguish between males and
females, while in psychological and sociological
sciences gender differences refer to male or female
traits that result from learning and social roles.

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DIFFERENTIATION SEX VS. GENDER
Sex:
Sex refers to the male and female duality of biology and
reproduction. An organism's sex reflects its biological
function in reproduction, not its sexuality or other
behavior.

Gender:
Although "gender" is commonly used interchangeably with
"sex," within the academic fields of cultural studies,
gender studies and the social sciences in general, the
term "gender" often refers to purely social rather than
biological differences.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex) g/wiki/Gender
TABLE 1
Table 1 contains 45 terms which might be used to categorize people.
Which, if any, of these words would you use to describe yourself?
tall tender arrogant
lucky active jealous
humane proud individualistic
tactful modest commanding
athletic intuitive unpretentious
weak kind passive
benevolent decisive conventional
assertive unfriendly strong
irresponsible tidy co-operative
perceptive playful robust
anxious unemotional responsive
gentle informal flexible
vulnerable calm acute
dignified vigorous cheerful
crude faithful timid 7
TABLE 2
Table 2: Typically feminine and typically masculine characteristics.
(Woodward, 2000)
Feminine characteristics Masculine characteristics Neutral characteristics
anxious active acute
co-operative arrogant benevolent
faithful assertive calm
gentle athletic cheerful
humane commanding conventional
intuitive crude dignified
kind decisive flexible
passive individualistic informal
perceptive irresponsible jealous
responsible proud lucky
tactful robust modest
tender strong playful
tidy tall unfriendly
timid unemotional unpretentious 8
vulnerable vigorous weak
SOCIAL STRUCTURES: MASCULINITY AND
FEMININITY
Masculinity:
Masculinity refers to qualities and behaviors judged by a
particular culture to be ideally associated with or
especially appropriate to men and boys. Distinct from
maleness, which is a biological and physiological
classification concerned with the reproductive system,
masculinity principally refers to socially acquired traits
and secondary sex characteristics.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masculinity)
SOCIAL STRUCTURES: MASCULINITY AND
FEMININITY
Femininity:
Femininity refers to qualities and behaviors judged by a
particular culture to be ideally associated with or especially
appropriate to women and girls. Distinct from femaleness,
which is a biological and physiological classification
concerned with the reproductive system, femininity
principally refers to socially acquired traits and secondary
sex characteristics.

In western culture: gentleness, patience, kindness

 Consideration of different societies and their definition of Femininity
and Masculinity

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femininity)
SOCIAL STRUCTURES: MASCULINITY AND
FEMININITY
 Masculinityand Femininity are relative terms:
- some women have more muscle than some men
- some women weigh more than some men
- some men have finer hand movement than some
women
- some men are more patience than some women
- some women are more courageous than some men
GENDER IDENTITY
BIOLOGICAL SOCIAL
FACTORS FACTORS

genetic anatomical categories and

make-up differences stereotypes

GENDERED
IDENTITIES

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SOCIAL STRUCTURES: MASCULINITY AND
FEMININITY
female language male and female language male language

females males
some females, some males
only only

 the majority of people use a combination of male and

female language
SOCIOLECT DIFFERENCES:
DIALOGUES AND STYLES OF SPEECH
Slyles of speech are influenced by many factors such as:
- geographical dimensions (place)
- temporal dimensions (age, time)
- context of situation (the how, when, where, the who
with, the what, under what circumstances)
Influence by gender:
one must consider:
 The gender of the speaker

 The gender of the hearer

 The gender of the audience

 The gender of the person referred to or spoken of

SOCIOLECT DIFFERENCES:
DIALOGUES AND STYLES OF SPEECH

Examples/exercise:
 A man talks to a man:
Lets get hammered! (short, vulgar, impolite)

I don‘t like this topic at all.

(formal behaviour,
audience, statement)

He was a hell of a man! (talking about so,

compliment)
SOCIOLECT DIFFERENCES:
DIALOGUES AND STYLES OF SPEECH
 A woman talks to a woman:
Let‘s meet for a make up party next saturday.
(informative, polite)

Do you mind if we change the topic.

(formal behavior,
audience, politeness)

The guy I met in the elevator had a very bad attitude.

(honest, polite, bad
experience)
SOCIOLECT DIFFERENCES:
DIALOGUES AND STYLES OF SPEECH
 A man talks to a woman
Would you like to have another drink?
(polite, playing a role,
thinking of own interest)
We will discuss the topic tomorrow if you don‘t
mind.
(politeness, formality,
audience)
He is a very strange person.
(covering own antipathy
with politeness)
SOCIOLECT DIFFERENCES:
DIALOGUES AND STYLES OF SPEECH

 A woman talks to a man

You should hurry up honey.
(indicating time pressure,
polite, hidden information)

I will announce my decision tomorrow at 2 pm.

(formal, audience, informative)

It was an interesting experience to meet him.

(polite description of a bad
experience, hiding emotions)
SOCIOLECT DIFFERENCES:
DIALOGUES AND STYLES OF SPEECH

 Each sex is bilingual

- not two languages but two different ways of
speaking
 formal
 vernacular

- the more you use fomal language the more it

becomes a part of your vernacular, not vice versa