SEX, GENDER and SEXUALITY

Lesson Objectives:
1. Differentiate sex, gender, and sexuality
Definition of Terms:

1. Sex = the biological aspect of sex; maleness or femaleness

2. Gender = the social interpretation of sex; masculinity, feminity, etc
3. Sexuality = the totality of our own experience of or sex and gender
4. Sex chromosomes = chromosomal markers that distuinguish
females ( XX ) from male ( XY ) species
5. Intersex = individuals with composite genitals ( possessing some
characteristics of both male and female genitals )
SEX
• is the biological dimension of your gender and sexuality
• also referred to as biological sex or physical 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.
• 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 = male
 a child is observed to have a vagina = female ( * )
 since it may be difficult to distuingish biological sex by merely
examining the genitals , there are other biological markers used
 there are specific chromosomes referred to as sex chromosomes
 XY sex chromosomes = male
 XX sex chromosomes = female (#)
* However,

• there are cases when the baby's genitals appear to be conglomerate

of male and female organs
• in the past, this condition is referred to as hermaphroditism ( from
Hermes, a male Greek God, and Aphrodite, a female Greek Goddess )
• in modern times, the term intersexuality is used to refer this
phenomenon
(# )
>The level of some hormones- chemicals in our body that are
responsible for sustaining bodily processes-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