FND3002 Individual & Society: A Report on Sex, Gender & Theories

This report provides an overview of the concepts of sex and gender, defining them in terms of physical attributes, identities, expressions, and societal roles. It emphasizes the socially constructed nature of gender, highlighting its variability across communities and its components: hierarchical, relational, contextual, historical, and institutional. The report contrasts gender with sex, which is defined by anatomical and biological variations. It discusses the importance of understanding both sex and gender to address human rights and equality, referencing the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Key theoretical approaches in social sciences, such as structural functionalism and conflict theory, are evaluated, noting the impact of functionalism on gender studies and its arguments regarding gender roles in pre-industrial societies. The conclusion emphasizes that gender intersects with various aspects of identity and social positions and impacts political and social debates, as well as providing references to books, journals and online sources.

SEX
and
GENDER

Table of content
o INTRODUCTION
o Core theme
o Key theoretical approaches in social sciences
o Evaluation of the theories
o CONCLUSION
o REFERENCES

INTRODUCTION
• The concept of sex and gender generally defined as
an individual's physical features at birth, consisting
the specific identities, their expressions as well as
societal roles.
• The word “gender” generally used within public
figures and political aspects and with a negative
connotations such as referring to gender police or to
ideologies which specifically threaten the children.

Core theme
• The term “Gender” is generally a socially constructed features of both the men and women like norms, roles and
responsibilities among the group of men and women.
• It generally varies from community to community as well as can be altered. In this, the discussion about gender can involve
the five essential components such as hierarchical, relational, contextual, historical and institutional.
• In addition to this, many of the people are born either female or male, and have been taught appropriate norms and
behaviours as well consisting how the people can interact with the other people of the similar or dissimilar sex within a
society or within organizations.
• The term “Sex” is an anatomical as well as other biological variations among male and female which are identified at the
moment of conception as well as can develop within womb and throughout the childhood and adolescent period.

CONT.
• Sex is basically linked with both physical and physiological
characteristics consisting gene expression, chromosomes, the levels of
hormones and its functions.
• Most of the people are born either female or male, and have been
taught appropriate norms and behaviours as well consisting how the
people can interact with the other people of the similar or dissimilar
sex within a society or within organizations.
• And, when a person or a group of people do not within environment,
can establish the gender norms, they can face stigma, the
discriminatory practices or it can be social exclusion.

CONT.
• These all can make a great impact over their well-being as well. The gender is generally an essential consideration within
the development.
• It is specifically a pathway of looking at how the social norms as well as the power structures can influence the lives and the
opportunities which are available to the various groups of women and men.
• And, it is identified that the women as compared with men live in the poverty These both the terms can appear to be used
interchangeably.
• In this, the other characteristics are mainly outlined within an agenda linked with the human rights as well as the
international legislations and can involve sexual orientation and gender identity.
• It can depict that evaluating both the sex and gender is essential to ensure which no one can left behind.
• Therefore, the Equality and Human Rights Commission can express their concern when it comes to reporting, specifically
when information's are not gathered.

Key theoretical approaches in social
sciences
There are some of the theoretical perspectives on both
sex and gender that can help to describe complex
human behaviours, the social phenomena and the
social structures.
• Structural Functionalism
• Conflict theory

Evaluation of the theories
 It generally has given one of the most essential perspectives
of sociological research and has been a great impact on the
study within the social sciences, consisting the studies of
gender.
 In addition to this, the functionalist generally argues that the
roles of gender were specifically established well before an
early industrial era when the male typically look of their
responsibilities outside the house, for example hunting
whereas the female generally took care of the specific
domestic responsibilities within the home.

CONCLUSION
 From the above discussion, it is analysed that gender is an
area which generally cuts across thought about the laws,
culture, society and politics and it is more often discussed
in context with other aspects of the identity and social
positions for example, ethnicity, age, class as well as the
physical ability.
 The concept of gender is generally an essential between a
range of both political and social aspects as well as can
impact such debates more uniquely as per the cultural
context.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
 Kaye, K., 2019. 5. Gender, Sexuality, and the Drugs Lifestyle. In Enforcing Freedom (pp. 170-213). Columbia
University Press.
 Meunier, É. and Escoffier, J., 2021. Gay Collective Sex in New York City from the Late 1800s to Today. The
gayborhood: From sexual liberation to cosmopolitan spectacle, p.85.
 Barbee, H., 2022. Harnessing progress: Gender, sexuality, and positive self-perceptions of aging in
midlife. Journal of Aging Studies, 61, p.101008.
 Musskopf, A.S., Steffen, L., Senger, S., Lahass, R., Nájera, S.V., Hanke, E. and Julio, A.L., 2022. Producing
Theological Knowledge on Sexuality with Religious Groups and Social Organizations1. Theology and Sexuality,
Reproductive Health, and Rights: Latin American Experiences in Participatory Action Research, 20, p.29.
Online:
 Theories of Gender and Sex, 2021 [Online] Available through: <
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-introtosociology/chapter/theories-of-gender-and-sex/>
 What is the difference between sex and gender?, 2019 [Online] Available through: <
https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/environmentalaccounts/articles/whatisthedifferencebetweensexandgender/2019-
02-21
>
 Sex and gender, 2022 [Online] Available through: <https://www.coe.int/en/web/gender-matters/sex-and-gender>