Sex, Gender, and Sexuality

Aspects of biological sex

Genetics and hormones

Sex is assigned at birth

1. Sex chromosomes

2. Sex glands

3. Secondary sex characteristics

4. Primary sex characteristics

Binary

People who feel that their gender matches their aspects of sex

Non-binary/intersex

People with at least one aspect of biological sex is not binary

Sex Chromosomes

23rd pair of chromosomes in the new zygote.

XX chromosomes

Female

XY Sex Chromosomes

Male

Sex glands

Organs that release sex hormones and contain cells for sexual reproduction.

Estrogens for females, androgens for men

Secondary sex characteristics

Physical features not directly related to reproduction but that indicate differences between sexes

Primary sex characteristics

Physical features that are directly related to reproduction, such as organs and genitals

Differences in Sexual Development

When people do not clearly fall into the binary of biologically male or female or intersex

DSD occurs in about 1 in every 4500-5000 love births

Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia

XX chromosomes, genitals not clearly male or female, or more resemble a penis

Androgen insensitivity syndrome

XY Sex Chromosomes, may be born with what looks like a vagina

Gender

Refers to the social, cultural, and psychological aspects of masculinity and femininity

Gender Schemas

Knowledge structures that contain information about aspects of gender - social, traits, interests, thoughts, feelings

Gender Stereotypes

Beliefs about how people of certain genders think and behave based on experiences and learning

Gender roles

All the positions, characteristics, and interests considered normal and appropriate for males or for females in a particular culture

Gender Role Socialization

The idea that we develop culture specific expectations about gender roles passively, by being exposed to social information in the environment around is

Gender Identity

A person's understanding of their own gender. Can be binary or non-binary.

Heavily experienced by environmental experiences and social learning.

Gender schemas and gender Identity can be updated as we learn, comprehend, and organize schemas.

Cognitive Development Theory

As children develop mentally and experience information about gender, they begin to think about other people and themselves as associated with one gender or another.

Ages 2-3: create gender categories and use gender schemas

~ age 4: tend to think of themselves and others in a stable way. Often in accordance with a binary gender schema

Ages 5-7: children recognize that their gender identity does not change even if they dress or act in ways not associated with that gender

Gender expression

The way people communicate their gender through clothes, activities, and languages

More socially and culturally influenced, whereas gender identity is relatively stable and resulting more from individual cognitive processes.

Gender Identity

Cannot be determined by a person's brain, hormones, or cognitive processes

Gender can be better understood as a continuum with 2 dimensions

Variations in gender identity are normal

Cisgender

Gender identity is cisgender

Transgender/non-binary

Someone whose gender identity does not match the sex that person was assigned at birth

Gender dysphoria

Significant distress about the difference between gender assigned at birth and that person’s experience if his or her true gender identity

Sexual Orientation

A person's enduring sexual, emotional, and/or romantic attraction to other people

Like biological sex and gender identity, sexual orientation is complex and multifaceted

Heterosexual

A sexual orientation where a person is sexually, emotionally, and/or romantically attracted to people of another sex

Homosexual

Sexual orientation where a person is sexually, emotionally,band/or romantically attracted to people of the same sex

Bisexual

Sexual orientation where a person is sexually,unemotionally, and or romantically attracted to people of the same sex and people of another sex

Asexual

A sexual orientation where a person does not experience sexual attraction but may experience emotional/romantic attraction

Desire

A person's psychological experience of wanting to engage in sexual activity

Factors: biology, environment and culture, individual differences

Sexual response cycle

Biology influences the motivation for sexual activity

Masters and Johneone proposed 4 stage pattern of physiological and psychological responses during sex:

1. Excitement

2. Plateau

3. Orgasm

4. Resolution

Hormones affect sexual behavior

Testosterone may partially account for higher levels of sexual motivation in males

Cultural differences in Sexual behavior

Current acceptance of casual sex before marriage

Media promotes the idea that having more sex makes you happier, while the association between well-being and the frequency of sex is actually complicated

Pornography on romantic relationships

A correlation has been shown between pornographic consumption and verbal and physical sexual aggression

Affirmative consent

An explicit, informed, and voluntary agreement to participate in a sex act

Alcohol intoxication can make affirmative consent unreliable

Paraphilia

An unchanging sexual interest, arousal, and/or behavior associated with an object, type of person, and/or situation not usually associated with sex

Sadism/masochism are not considered disorders between condensing adults and paraphilia do not cause distress

Sexual dysfunction

Significant and enduring problem in sexual functioning or pleasure

More studies currently report on the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in men than women