Gender: Introduction, Static Meaning, Definition and Core Concept | Sex

"Gender refers to the attitudes, and behaviours that a given culture and associates with the person's biological sex. Behaviour that is compatible with cultural expectations is referred to as gender normative; behaviours that are viewed as incompatible with these expectations constitutes gender non-conformity.

Introduction to Gender

The concept of gender came into existence during the early 1970's. It was used as an analytical category to draw a line of demarcation between biological sex differences and the way these are used to inform behaviours and complexes which are then assigned as masculine or feminine. The purpose of affirming a sex/gender distinction was to argue about the actual physical or mental effects of biological differences which was exaggerated to maintain a patriarchal system of power as well as to create a consciousness among the women that they were naturally better suited to domestic roles. The conception of gender varies according to different context and time period. A common core sediment of meaning that the gender concept carrier by ingaging with how different cultures work in, through an of gendered realities. Though gender has always been a part of societal realities everywhere, its emergency as a concept and a discursive tool is a recent and modern phenomenon.

Static Meaning

A static meaning of gender concept has aligned itself with the range of Idea cluster from time to time, making it impossible to explain it by tracking its etymological roots alone. By such alignments on the one hand extend originally or grammatically and on the other hand, they make for re- routing of meanings that stretch the very matrix on which the gender concept is based.

The concept of gender is addressed in various specialised disciplines for instance in literary studies, history, anthropology, etc. each of which retrieves and re-figures the concept differently. Centrally speaking the gender has been the issue of sexual difference and its manifestation and their consequences. The debate usually is found amongst man and woman and even women themselves, which implies the combination of biological and socio-historical factors in the definitions.

Definitions and Core Concepts

Gender is defined as a set of characteristics or traits that are associated with a certain biological sex (male/ female). These characteristics are generally referred to as "masculine" or "feminine".

Gender has been defined as: "The commonly shared Expectations and norms with the society about appropriate male and female behaviour,  characteristics and roles. Gender can be considered as social and cultural construct that differentiate females from male and thus defines the ways in which females and males interact with each other. These roles and expectations are learned and they can change over time as well as vary within and between cultures".

Clarification of Definition

* Gender is a culture- specific construct– there are significant differences in which women and men can or cannot do in one culture as compared to another. But what is fairly consistent across cultures is that there is always a distinct difference between women's and men's roles, access to productive resources, and decision-making authority. Typically, men are seen as being responsible for the productive activities outside the home while women.

* Sexuality is distinct from gender yet intimately linked to it. It is the social construction of a biological drive. An individuals Sexuality is defined by whom one has sex with, in what ways, why, under what circumstances and with what outcomes. It is more than sexual behaviour, it is multi dimensional and dynamic concept..."

Gender is used to describe the characteristics of women and men that are socially constructed, while sex refers to those that are biologically determined. People are born female or male, but learn to be girls and boys who grow into women and men. This learnt behaviour and makes a gender identity and determines gender roles.

Gender is also a social construct. As the World health organisation (WHO) explains:

"Gender refers to the socially constructed characteristics of women and men, such as norms rules and relationships of and between groups of women and men. It varies from society to society ".

The United Nations (1995,2000,2001) has defined gender as follows: "The term gender refers to culturally based expectations of the roles and behaviours of the males and females. The term distinguishes of the socially constructed from the biologically determined aspects of being male and female. Unlike the biology of sex, gender roles and behaviours can change historically, sometimes it relatively quickly, even if aspects of these roles originated in the biological differences between the sexes. Because the religious or cultural traditions that define and justify the distinct roles and expected behaviours of males and females are strongly cherished and socially enforced change in gender systems often in contested. In some countries, there are groups, which seeks can impose more stringent divisions between males and females than currently exist, while feminist movements seek to reduce or eradicate these divisions."

Gerda Learner, in her book The Creation of Patriarchy, says: "Gender is a costume, a mask, a strait jacket in which men and women dance their unequal dance."

Alan Wolfe found that in all types of groups, in which people have done wrong to the others, the most profoundly the men have subjugated women. Lerner says that man's subjugation is most primary among all types of slavery, and sexism is the most prominent among all types of 'isms' like casteism, classism etc., and which should be prohibited.

In explaining sex and gender, a factor must be known clearly,  and that is biological determinism.

• Gender refers to those characteristics and roles of women and men that are socially constructed.
• What is gender about?
• Social roles and relations between men and women in the society.
• It affects all parts of our lives (social economic and political).
• It changes over time.
• It is what we expect men and women to do behave.
• It is about how power is used and shared.

Sex

Sex in a very broad way," sex" refers to the biological and physiological differences between male and female sex. The term sex is a physical differentiation between the biological male and the biological female. Thus, when an infant is born, the infant comes to be labelled "boy" or "girl" depending on their sex. The genital difference between male and female is the basis of such characterization. There is a biological difference between the sexes and most people are born as one sex or another. However, it has been argued that having been born into one sex and another, individuals are then socialized according to specific gender expectations and roles. Biological males learn to take on masculine roles. They are socialize to think and act in masculine ways. Biological females learn to take on feminine roles.

We can also say that sex is the permanent and immutable biological characteristics common to individuals in all societies and cultures, while gender defines traits forced throughout the history of social relation. Gender, although is originates in objective biological divergences goes far beyond the physiological and biological specific of the two sexes in terms of the roles each is expected to play. Gender differences are social constructs, inculcate on the basis of a specific society's particular perceptions of the physical differences and the assume to tastes, tendencies, and capabilities of men and women. Gender differences, unlike the immutable characteristics of sex, are universally conceded in historical and comparative social analyses to be variants that are transformed over time and from one culture to the next, as societies change and evolve.

Definition

 "Sex refers to a person's biological status and is typically categorized as male, female, or intersex ( I.e., a typical combinations of features that uses distinguish male from female). There are a number of indicators of biological sex chromosomes, gonadotropin, internal reproductive organs,  and external genitalia. "

Gender vs Sex sex identify as biological differences between men and women. E.g. a woman can give birth and man provides sperm. Sex is universal (every nation, throughout history) gender identifies social relations between men and women Gender is socially constructed but gender roles are dynamic and changed over time.

The Difference Between Sex and Gender

S.No.	Sex	Gender
1.	Biologically determined	Socially constructed
2.	Determined by organs of birth based on gender	Determined by social roles
3.	Anatomy of reproductive system	Personal identification of one'se own gender
4.	Will have secondary sexual characters	Will be based on internal awareness
5.	Denotes physical differences between male and female	Denotes behavioral and cultural practices
6.	Difference in organs of birth	Difference in attitude and behaviour
7.	Concept of sex is same all the world	Results from socialization process
8.	It has expectations in appearance	It has social Expectations physical
9.	Differ from male to female	It relates to both the sex
10.	Can't we change by time	Changes over time
11.	No difference	Gender roles are different at different history
12.	Only two aspects	Has variety of aspects