Chapter 6 Overview

In this chapter, you learn about the difference between sex and gender. Sex refers to an individual’s biology, whereas gender refers to the continuum of socially constructed ideas about what constitutes normal masculine and feminine behaviours. Intersex and transgendered individuals disrupt these constructions by challenging the idea there are only two sexes. Sex and gender are social constructions performed, as Judith Butler suggests, in our interactions with each other. Failure to conform to these social constructions carries consequences for those individuals who defy their gender roles.

Gender constructions influence the experiences of individuals with social institutions such as sports, work, and politics. The common theme across the three institutions is the unequal experience women have compared to men with these institutions because of gendered notions of what masculine and feminine mean in society. Women are paid less in sports and in many occupations in the labour market and they are not equally represented in electoral political parties. Women also take on what Hochschild called the second shift, which meant working outside the home and doing most of the work inside it for their families.

The unequal treatment of women in every sphere of life has led to the development of feminism and a body of theory shaping and guiding the movement known as feminist theory. This theory has recently been complemented by intersectionality theory to reflect the simultaneous influence of inequality based on racism and sexism.

Finally, in this chapter you will learn about sexuality, the difference between homophobia and heteronormativity, and the harmful influence of both on human societies.