Lecture Notes: Gender and Society by Raymond Espanola

Introduction

• Introduction by Raymond Espanola, Surigao Del Norte State University
• Course: GE Gender and Society
• Focus on basic questions about gender before tackling larger issues.

Key Questions Addressed

1. How is gender different from sex?
2. What do we mean by gender identity, gender expression, gender roles, and gender binary?
3. Understanding GNC (Gender Non-Conformity)
4. What does it mean to be transgender and intersex?
5. The relationship between gender and sexuality.
6. Introduction to SOJI: Sex, Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression.

Difference Between Gender and Sex

• Sex: Refers to physical characteristics (e.g., chromosomes, genitalia).
  • Assigned at birth (male/female).
  • Intersex individuals: Bodies don't fit typical definitions of male or female.
• Gender: Refers to social aspects of identity.
  • Assigned gender typically reflects assigned sex (e.g., males are raised as boys).
  • Gender roles: Expectations based on societal norms for males and females, which can vary by culture.

Gender Identity

• Definition: How individuals perceive themselves (man, woman, or something else).
  • Not necessarily congruent with assigned sex at birth.
  • Importance of personal understanding of gender.
  • Cisgender: Gender identity matches assigned sex. Transgender: Gender identity does not match assigned sex.

Brain Processing of Gender Identity

• How one perceives themselves is crucial, irrespective of physical attributes.

Gender Expression

• Definition: How individuals present their gender identity outwardly (clothing, behavior, interests).
  • Can be independent from one's gender identity and biological sex.
  • Examples of gender expression vary culturally (e.g., crying as feminine in some cultures, masculine in others).

Gender Roles

• Definition: Duties and expectations assigned based on sex/gender identity.
  • Gender roles are fluid and can change over time.
  • Historical examples show variations in gender roles (e.g., women as miners in 1870s USA).

Gender Binary

• Definition: The classification of gender into two distinct categories: male and female.
  • Maintained due to societal structures and power dynamics (patriarchy).
  • Non-binary identities challenge this traditional binary view.

Gender Non-Conformity (GNC)

• Definition: Behavior that doesn't conform to societal expectations of gender based on assigned sex.
  • Examples of GNC behaviors can be found in both cisgender and transgender individuals.

Transgender and Intersex

• Transgender: Identifying with a gender outside the sex assigned at birth.

  • Transgender individuals can be of various sexual orientations.

• Intersex: Individuals with sexual characteristics that do not fit typical definitions of male or female.

  • Not a disease, but a natural variation in human anatomy.

Gender and Sexuality

• Sexual Orientation: Enduring pattern of attraction towards other genders.
  • Categories include heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, queer, questioning, and asexual.

Summary of Key Concepts (SOJI)

• S: Sex
• O: Sexual Orientation
• GI: Gender Identity
• GE: Gender Expression

Conclusion

• The lecture emphasizes the complexity of gender beyond binary classifications.
• Each individual has unique configurations of SOJI, contributing to diverse gender identities and expressions.
• Encouragement to respect and acknowledge personal gender identities and expressions.