Sex and Gender
Let's begin by setting the stage for today's lecture and the short film Playing Unfair, which you may or may not have already viewed. There are a few key terms you should know, including the difference between sex and gender. For our purposes, sex refers to one's anatomy and physiology. Sex generally includes secondary sex characteristics, hormones, and chromosomes. Gender refers to characteristics such as femininity and masculinity: how one acts, dresses, talks, and presents oneself. Sex and gender are linked in many complex ways, but the distinction between terms helps us remember that one's sex does not automatically determine one's gender. A female can be masculine, or have masculine traits; a man can be feminine or have feminine traits. Gender is socially constructed. Sex is biological.