{"id":205,"date":"2016-04-30T19:37:39","date_gmt":"2016-04-30T19:37:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontosociology-waymaker\/?post_type=chapter&p=205"},"modified":"2024-04-25T15:37:09","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T15:37:09","slug":"reading-introduction-to-gender-sex-and-sexuality","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-introductiontosociology\/chapter\/reading-introduction-to-gender-sex-and-sexuality\/","title":{"raw":"Why It Matters: Gender, Sex, and Sexuality","rendered":"Why It Matters: Gender, Sex, and Sexuality"},"content":{"raw":"

Why understand gender, sex, and sexuality?<\/h2>\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"377\"]\"This Figure 1.<\/strong> Some children may learn at an early age that their gender does not correspond with their sex. (Photo courtesy of Rajesh Kumar\/flickr)[\/caption]\r\n

In 2009, the eighteen-year old South African athlete, Caster Semenya, won the women\u2019s 800-meter world championship in track and field. Her time of 1:55:45, a surprising improvement from her 2008 time of 2:08:00, caused officials from the International Association of Athletics Foundation (IAAF) to question whether her win was legitimate. If this questioning were based on suspicion of steroid use, the case would be no different from that of Roger Clemens or Mark McGuire, or even track and field Olympic gold medal winner Marion Jones,\u00a0but the questioning and eventual testing were based on allegations that Caster Semenya was biologically a male.<\/p>\r\n

You may be thinking that\u00a0determining\u00a0sex\u00a0is surely a simple matter\u2014just conduct some DNA or hormonal testing, throw in a physical examination, and you\u2019ll have the answer; however,\u00a0it is not that simple. Men and women\u00a0produce a certain amount of testosterone (a hormone attributed to increased strength, speed, and aggression in men), and different laboratories have different testing methods, which makes it difficult to set a specific threshold for the amount of male hormones produced by a female that would render her sex male.<\/p>\r\nTo provide further context, during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, eight female athletes with XY chromosomes underwent testing and were ultimately confirmed as eligible to compete as women (Maugh 2009). To date, no males have undergone this sort of testing. Doesn\u2019t that imply that when women perform better than expected, they are\u00a0assumed to possess an inordinate or excessive amount of testosterone, but when men perform well they are simply superior athletes and not men with more testosterone than other men? Can you imagine Usain Bolt, the world\u2019s fastest man, being examined by doctors to prove he was biologically male?\u00a0Conversely, if a male underperforms, can you imagine broad inferences that could be attributed to his sex?\r\n\r\nSince November 1, 2018, there are new \"Eligibility Classifications for Female Classification\" determined by\u00a0the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF), which require females who have elevated testosterone levels (this is naturally occurring in 7.10 out of 1000 elite female athletes) to reduce the testosterone to the level specified using hormone balance similar to female contraception or \"the Pill.\"\u00a0 [footnote]\"IAFF introduces new eligibility regulations for female classification.\" https:\/\/www.iaaf.org\/news\/press-release\/eligibility-regulations-for-female-classifica<\/a>. [\/footnote]\r\n

In this module, we will discuss the differences between sex and gender, along with issues like gender identity and sexuality. We will also explore various theoretical perspectives on the subjects of gender and sexuality, including the social construction of sexuality and queer theory.\u00a0Can you explain how sex, sexuality, and gender are different from each other?<\/p>","rendered":"

Why understand gender, sex, and sexuality?<\/h2>\n
\"This<\/p>\n

Figure 1.<\/strong> Some children may learn at an early age that their gender does not correspond with their sex. (Photo courtesy of Rajesh Kumar\/flickr)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In 2009, the eighteen-year old South African athlete, Caster Semenya, won the women\u2019s 800-meter world championship in track and field. Her time of 1:55:45, a surprising improvement from her 2008 time of 2:08:00, caused officials from the International Association of Athletics Foundation (IAAF) to question whether her win was legitimate. If this questioning were based on suspicion of steroid use, the case would be no different from that of Roger Clemens or Mark McGuire, or even track and field Olympic gold medal winner Marion Jones,\u00a0but the questioning and eventual testing were based on allegations that Caster Semenya was biologically a male.<\/p>\n

You may be thinking that\u00a0determining\u00a0sex\u00a0is surely a simple matter\u2014just conduct some DNA or hormonal testing, throw in a physical examination, and you\u2019ll have the answer; however,\u00a0it is not that simple. Men and women\u00a0produce a certain amount of testosterone (a hormone attributed to increased strength, speed, and aggression in men), and different laboratories have different testing methods, which makes it difficult to set a specific threshold for the amount of male hormones produced by a female that would render her sex male.<\/p>\n

To provide further context, during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, eight female athletes with XY chromosomes underwent testing and were ultimately confirmed as eligible to compete as women (Maugh 2009). To date, no males have undergone this sort of testing. Doesn\u2019t that imply that when women perform better than expected, they are\u00a0assumed to possess an inordinate or excessive amount of testosterone, but when men perform well they are simply superior athletes and not men with more testosterone than other men? Can you imagine Usain Bolt, the world\u2019s fastest man, being examined by doctors to prove he was biologically male?\u00a0Conversely, if a male underperforms, can you imagine broad inferences that could be attributed to his sex?<\/p>\n

Since November 1, 2018, there are new “Eligibility Classifications for Female Classification” determined by\u00a0the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF), which require females who have elevated testosterone levels (this is naturally occurring in 7.10 out of 1000 elite female athletes) to reduce the testosterone to the level specified using hormone balance similar to female contraception or “the Pill.”\u00a0 [1]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

In this module, we will discuss the differences between sex and gender, along with issues like gender identity and sexuality. We will also explore various theoretical perspectives on the subjects of gender and sexuality, including the social construction of sexuality and queer theory.\u00a0Can you explain how sex, sexuality, and gender are different from each other?<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t

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Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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CC licensed content, Original<\/div>