Gender and Sex

Essay # 57253

Gender and Sexuality > Gender Studies
Gender and Sexuality > Theories of Gender
Sociology > Theory

A discussion of the concepts of gender and sex and how they are not the same thing.

1,529 words () | 8 sources | MLA | 2004

Published on: Mar 22, 2005

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the observation that the sex of the physical body is not the same thing as gender and, in particular, explores the statement, "The body does not have a gender; it is gendered," by using sociological and feminist theories to describe precisely what this phrase may mean in terms of differences between one's biological sex and one?s gender.

From the Paper:

"When studying "gender," the first task is to clearly define what it is not. Gender simply can not be defined by one's anatomy. In other words, gender is not categorized as male or female. Stating this fact is quite important, because most people would define gender in such a way. In fact, some dictionaries actually define gender as "See sex." So now that I have withdrawn that determinant, I must conclude that gender is something which is determined socially."