Summary SO110 Essay Plans

Definition of sex and gender

Answer: - Sexual differences refer to biological differences between males and females - Presence of certain chromosomes and reproductive organs - Sex is what is ascribed by biology —> anatomy, hormones, physiology - E.g. biological males have penises, biological females have vaginas - Males on average tend to have deeper voices and are more prone to baldness in later life - Gender refers to notions of masculinity and femininity - Looks at the social, cultural distinctions between the sexes - Focused on social roles, positions, behaviours and identities - “an achieved status” (Zimmerman), constructed through psychological, cultural and social means

Biological essentialist views of sex and gender

Answer: Traditional understanding of the relationship between sex and gender is that gendered constructs, relationships and phenomena could be explained by biological, ‘sex’ reasons - “Things are the way they are by virtue of the fact that men are men and women are women - a division perceived to be natural and rooted in biology, producing in turn profound psychological, behavioural and social consequences” - The way society is structured along the lines of gender is therefore in accordance with biology (sex) - Those who advocate biological essentialism and determinism put forward the argument that human behaviour (aka gender, masculine and feminine behaviour) lies in our cells, our biology - Social and political arrangements naturally flow from biological differences - Geddes and Thompson - Argued that social, psychological and behavioural traits were caused by metabolic states. Women, being ‘anabolic’, meant that they conserved energy, making them passive and uninterested in politics. Men, being ‘katabolic’ meant that they were more active and thus more interested in socio-political issues, thereby explaining the reasons for women playing a minimised role in politics - “What was decided among the prehistoric Protozoa cannot be annulled by Act of Parliament” - Women’s efforts to enter the public sphere were therefore misguided and unfounded as it violated “laws of nature” - Biological, sex facts explaining differences in behaviour as well as socio-political arrangements, a key element of gender - Clarke - Women should be exempted from higher education because of the tremendous demands placed on them to reproduce - If they went to college, they would not be able to reproduce - More contemporary examples - 1970s —> as women will be hormonally unable on a monthly basis, they are not fit for jobs such as that of airline pilots as they would not be able to perform the job properly due to their sexed characteristics - “Societal arrangements between women and men (gender inequality) seem to stem directly and inevitably from the differences between us. Biological arguments reassure us that what is is what should be, that the social is natural. Finally, such reassurances tell us that these existing inequalities are not our fault, that no one is to blame.” (Kimmel)