Chapter 10: Sexuality and Gender

The Physical Side of Human Sexuality

10.1 The Primary and Secondary Sex Characteristics

• Primary Sex Characteristics: sexual organs present at birth and directly involved in human reproduction
• Secondary Sex Characteristics: sexual organs and traits that develop at puberty and are indirectly involved in human reproduction
• Vagina: the tube that leads from the outside of a female’s body to the opening of the womb
• Uterus: the womb in which the baby grows during pregnancy
• Penis: the organ through which males urinate and which delivers the male sex cells or sperm
• Scrotum: external sac that holds the testes
• Prostate Gland: a gland that secretes most of the fluid holding the male sex cells or sperm
• Merarche: the first menstrual cycle, the monthly shedding of the blood and tissue that line the uterus in preparation for pregnancy when conception does not occur.

10.2 The Development of Sex Characteristics

• Mammary Glands: glands within the breast tissue that produce milk when a woman gives birth to an infant
• Androgens: male hormones
• Estrogens: female hormones
• Intersex: modern term for a hermaphrodite, a person who posses ambiguous sexual organs, making it difficult to determine actual sex from a visual inspection at birth

The Psychological Side of Human Sexuality: Gender

10.3 Gender Identity

• Gender: the psychological aspects of being male or female
• Gender Roles: the culture’s expectations for male or female behavior, including attitudes, actions, and personality traits associated with being male or female in that culture
• Gender Typing: the process of acquiring gender-role characteristics
• Gender Identity: the individual’s sense of being male or female

10.4 Gender-Role Development

• Gender Schema Theory: theory of gender identity acquisition in which a child develops a mental pattern, or schema, for being male or female and then organizes observed and learned behavior around that schema
• Stereotype: a set of characteristics that people believe is shared by all members of a particular social category; a concept held about a person or group of people that is based on superficial, irrelevant characteristics
• Gender Stereotype: a concept held about a person or group of people that is based on being male or female
• Sexism: prejudice about males and/or females leading to unequal treatment
• Benevolent Sexism: acceptance of positive stereotypes of males and females that leads to unequal treatment
• Androgyny: characteristic of possessing the most positive personality characteristics of males and females regardless of actual sex

10.5 Gender Differences

• There are different studies done on both men and women showing cognitive and social/personality differences

Human Sexual Behavior

10.6 Sexual Response

• Orgasm: a series of rhythmic contractions of the muscles of the vaginal walls or the penis, also the third and shortest phase of sexual response
• Semen: fluid released from the penis at orgasm that contains the sperm
• Resolution: the final phase of the sexual response in which the body is returned to a normal state
• Refractory Period: time period in males just after orgasm in which the male cannot become aroused to another orgasm

10.7 Different Types of Sexual Behavior

• There are many different reasons for sexual behavior, not all of them really figured out yet

10.8 Sexual Orientation

• Sexual Orientation: a person’s sexual attraction to and affection for members of either the opposite or the same sex
• Heterosexual: person attracted to the opposite sex
• Homosexual: person attracted to the same sex
• Bisexual: person attracted to both men and women

Sexual Health

10.9 Sexually Transmitted Infections

• STI: an infection spread primarily through sexual contact
• Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS): sexually transmitted viral disorder that causes deterioration of the immune system and eventually results in death due to complicating infections that the body can no longer fight