Chapter 10: Sexuality and Gender
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.
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
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
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
There are different studies done on both men and women showing cognitive and social/personality differences
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
There are many different reasons for sexual behavior, not all of them really figured out yet
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
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
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.
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
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
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
There are different studies done on both men and women showing cognitive and social/personality differences
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
There are many different reasons for sexual behavior, not all of them really figured out yet
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
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
