218X Principles of Gender

Artifact 1

According to the the powerpoint, sex is described as: anatomic and physiological characteristics that differ between human males and females.  This is usually assigned at birth and is based on external genitalia.  Sex is a combination of bodily characteristics including: chromosomes, hormones, internal and external reproductive organs, secondary sex characteristics (Hinks, 17).  Gender is described as: the role and social identification of an individual as male or female independent of (but influenced by) biological characteristics (Psychological, Social, Behavioral).  This can be how a individual would like to been see by people around them.

Gender roles are social constructs of mankind.  These roles have come about because we have observed that there are many similarities and commonalities that each gender shares within each other.  Most men that identify as a man behave in certain ways and patterns that we have inherently learned to be dominant in the sense of the head of their family.  They are seen as the provider and the women and in a majority of the cases the mother of the family is seen as the nurturing and care taking role.

These roles that society has set in place can implicate things about common people that many not be the actual case of where that person stands sexually, or socially.  A women who is attracted to other women may find that she embodies more of the “typical” male gender role.  There are many examples, and a growing number of examples in todays world where more and more people are opening up about how they identify themselves as, as well as how they would like to be identified and represented in the society today.

People are finding that with all of the new changes in modern society with gender and sexual identity that it makes a lot of other things associated with gender or sexuality have to change as well.  Many arguments and changes are being made to public restrooms and marriage.  These are examples of major more popular topics, but there are also changes in the world of children and educational institutions with the initiative to help pave the road of the present changes that are going on around the globe.