How Culture and Ethics Influence Gender and Sex

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How Culture and Ethics Influence Gender and Sex
Introduction
Sex and gender are often used interchangeably. A person’s gender is a complex
interrelation between body, identity, and expression.Sex, on the other hand, refers to the
biological orientation of a person, in terms of their genitalia. Though gender and sex are two
distinct but related aspects of self, gender is personal while sex is interpersonal. Culture and
ethics bring a common misunderstanding of these terms. Some of the factors that influence sex
and gender include norms, religious beliefs, language, lack of appropriate education, initiation
into adulthood, technology, cultural symbols, sexual orientation, cultural activities, and parental
psychopathology.
Firstly, language influences sex and gender. Language refers to a systematic way of
communicating ideas using signs, gestures or words (Merriam-webster). Communication has
its barriers — language influences gender and sex mostly by misinformation. With wrong or
inaccurate information, messages are usually misinterpreted. For example, an international
community may find it hard setting a basis for the naming of children after birth. Thus a girl’s
name may end up being given to a boy. The relationship of this to language is that the meaning
of a word may be different among different language groups. Culture is coincidentally a common
language barrier.
Norms also influence gender and sex. Norms are standards accepted in a community or
by a group of people. For example, in most African households, the boy is supposed to play
football in their teenage, or it is a norm that when people meet after a long time apart, they say
hello to each other. There is a category of norms referred to as social norms. which is the
primary influencer of gender and sex, and in this regard, gender norms an example of social

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norms. (social norms, gender norms and adolescent girls: a brief guide) Gender norms
are standards and expectations to which women and men should act abide by. These norms
influence gender and sex by controlling and restricting specific actions to a particular sex or
gender. By having these norms define gender and sex, there exists a significant impact of culture
and ethics on sex and gender.
Another factor that influences sex and gender is technology. The advancement of
technology has led to increased ways in which the sex of a child can be determined. Ultrasound,
for example, is a standard procedure that pregnant women use to determine the sex of an unborn
child. In this regard, many parents, therefore, have a gendered expectation of their child. This
factor has the effect of misguiding gender and sex definitions as perceived by the society since
what the mother expects of the child might turn out to change due to other environmental factors.
Moreover, initiation to adulthood influences gender and sexuality. Initiation to adulthood
means transitioning from children to adults. Different communities have different approaches
when it comes to this transition. For example, some African countries initiate boys to men by
circumcision and girls by Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Other non-western cultures may
have shortened the period of emerging adulthood; therefore they emphasize practices that lead to
early transitions (Larry, Sarah and Bo). Therefore, these practices have a significant impact on
gender and sex perception by society.
Problem statement
, cultural symbols influence gender and sex. Symbols in this context refer to physical
things that signify the ideology of a particular culture. These symbols include carvings, artifacts
and geographical phenomena. Cultural symbols influence gender and sex by controlling the
beliefs of people. For example, some sculptures are associated with females and others with