Title: Chapter 12. Gender, Sex, and Sexuality – Introduction to Sociology – 1st Canadian Edition
Headings: Chapter 12. Gender, Sex, and Sexuality
Chapter 12. Gender, Sex, and Sexuality
Learning Objectives
12.1. The Difference between Sex and Gender
12.2. Gender
12.3. Sex and Sexuality
Introduction to Gender, Sex, and Sexuality
12.1. The Difference between Sex and Gender
Making Connections: Social Policy & Debate
The Legalese of Sex and Gender
Sexual Orientation
Gender Roles
Gender Identity
Making Connections: Sociology in the Real World
Real-Life Freaky Friday
12.2. Gender
Gender and Socialization
Socialization
Social Stratification and Inequality
Theoretical Perspectives on Gender
Structural Functionalism
Critical Sociology
Feminist Theory
Symbolic Interactionism
Making Connections: Sociological Research
Being Male, Being Female, and Being Healthy
12.3. Sex and Sexuality
Sexual Attitudes and Practices
Sexuality around the World
Sexuality in Canada
Sociological Perspectives on Sex and Sexuality
Structural Functionalism
Critical Sociology
Symbolic Interactionism
Queer Theory
Key Terms
Section Summary
Section Quiz
Short Answer
12.1. The Difference between Sex and Gender
12.2. Gender
12.3. Sex and Sexuality
Further Research
References
Solutions to Section Quiz
Image Attributions

Content: Caitlin’s sketch depicts a ceremonial dance among the Sac and Fox Indians to celebrate the two-spirit person. ( Photo couresy of Wikimedia Commons). The dichotomous view of gender (the notion that one is either male or female) is specific to certain cultures and is not universal. In some cultures, gender is viewed as fluid. In the past, some anthropologists used the term berdache to refer to individuals who occasionally or permanently dressed and lived as the opposite gender. The practice has been noted among certain Aboriginal groups (Jacobs, Thomas, and Lang 1997). Samoan culture accepts what they refer to as a “third gender.” Fa’afafine, which translates as “the way of the woman,” is a term used to describe individuals who are born biologically male but embody both masculine and feminine traits. Fa’afafines are considered an important part of Samoan culture. Individuals from other cultures may mislabel them as homosexuals because fa’afafines have a varied sexual life that may include men or women (Poasa 1992).