9 Chapter 9: Gender and Sexuality – Cultural Expectations of Sex

Chapter Overview:

A culturally universal human experience that anyone can experience at any time is sexism. Sexism is a type of discrimination based on sex or gender. The personal traits and position in society connected with being a male or female is called gender (e.g., man or woman, boy or girl). Sex is the biological makeup of being a male or a female. Gender is defined as the social, cultural, and psychological traits and behaviors connected with being masculine or feminine. The meaning of sex and gender is a human-shaped construct. A patriarchal system often results in sexism, the belief that one sex is superior to the other. Gender roles are society’s expectations of how males and females should act and think. In most societies, a hierarchy exists between males and females. Gender inequality manifests in many ways, including in family, education, the workplace, and politics.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify how sex and gender are socially constructed.
• Explain how patriarchy and sexism are related to each other.
• Define gender roles and sexism.
• Explain how gender roles are reflected in the media.
• Explain gender and inequality using education, the workplace, and politics as examples.
• Explain the concepts of the glass ceiling and second shift.