Gender and Society – Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards summarizing essential terms from the Gender and Society lecture notes.

Sex

Biological characteristics (genes, anatomy, physiology) that classify humans as male or female; innate and generally constant across cultures.

Gender

Socially constructed roles, behaviors, and expectations for women/men or girls/boys that vary by culture and historical period.

Sexual Orientation

A person’s pattern of romantic or sexual attraction to others (e.g., heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, asexual).

Gender Identity

An individual’s internal sense of being male, female, both, or neither, independent of biological sex.

Gender Expression

The outward presentation of gender through appearance, behavior, and mannerisms perceived by others.

Cisgender

Someone whose gender identity aligns with the sex assigned at birth.

Transgender Female

A person assigned male at birth who identifies and lives as a woman.

Transgender Male

A person assigned female at birth who identifies and lives as a man.

Non-binary

A gender identity that does not fit exclusively into male or female categories.

Genderqueer

A fluid or nonconforming gender identity that may shift or reject the gender binary.

Transgender

Umbrella term for people who live permanently in a gender different from that assigned at birth, with or without medical transition.

Transsexual

A person who seeks or has undergone medical treatments (hormones, surgery) to align physical sex traits with their gender identity.

Heterosexual

Sexual orientation marked by attraction to people of the opposite sex.

Homosexual

Sexual orientation marked by attraction to people of the same sex.

Bisexual

Attraction to more than one gender.

Pansexual

Attraction to people regardless of their gender or sex identity; often described as gender-blind.

Asexual

Experiencing little or no sexual attraction to anyone.

Gender Equality

Equal rights, resources, opportunities, and protections for women and men in all spheres of society.

Gender Equity

Fair treatment that may involve different measures for women and men to achieve equal outcomes and opportunities.

Sociological Imagination

C. Wright Mills’ concept of linking personal experiences to broader social and historical contexts.

Gendered Institution

A social structure organized around gender norms that sustains and reproduces gender inequalities.

Stereotyping

Oversimplified, widely held ideas about a group’s characteristics, often reinforcing gender norms.