Title: Sociology of Gender – The Other Sociologist
Headings: Sociology of Gender
Sociology of Gender
Gender
Social Construction of Gender
Masculinity
Femininity
Transgender and Intersex Australians
Gender Across Time and Place
“What stays constant is that women and men have to be distinguishable ” (my emphasis).
16th Century Europe
Wodaabe (Niger)
“Two Spirit” (Navajo Native American)
Female Husbands (Various African Cultures)
Kathoey (Thailand)
Studying Gender Sociologically
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Content: Sociology of Gender – The Other Sociologist
Sociology of Gender
This page is a resource explaining general sociological concepts of sex and gender. The examples I cover are focused on experiences of otherness. Sociology of Gender
In sociology, we make a distinction between sex and gender. Sex are the biological traits that societies use to assign people into the category of either male or female, whether it be through a focus on chromosomes, genitalia or some other physical ascription. When people talk about the differences between men and women they are often drawing on sex – on rigid ideas of biology – rather than gender, which is an understanding of how society shapes our understanding of those biological categories. Gender is more fluid – it may or may not depend upon biological traits. More specifically, it is a concept that describes how societies determine and manage sex categories; the cultural meanings attached to men and women’s roles; and how individuals understand their identities including, but not limited to, being a man, woman, transgender, intersex, gender queer and other gender positions. Gender involves social norms, attitudes and activities that society deems more appropriate for one sex over another.