Topic 3 DQ 2

Topic 3 DQ 2 Distinguish between the terms sex and gender. Why is it significant to understand the difference? Explain how gender identity is formed and influenced by parents, teachers, community/society, and media. Provide examples to illustrate how these influence gender developments? The difference between gender and sex can sometimes be confusing. Gender is decided by a chromosome made up in your DNA for females they have an XY and a XX for males. For sex it is decide by the genital parts on the human body. For males it would be a Penis and tends to grow more body hair. For females they have a Vagina and breast with widening hips. In our reading it states that gender can be learned in three ways, observational learning, modeling and operant conditioning. The influence by parents and teachers can have a major affected on gender development. In countries in the middle east female must maintain feminine roles of staying home, having off spring, cooking, and cleaning. They are not allowed to go to school, work, drive, or even vote. In some case they are not even allowed to speak with other males for the fear of punishment. Males in the same area are the bread winners. They run the house hold, they are allowed to talk with other males or females, vote, and run businesses. Here today in the United Stated, gender is not really segregated. Males and females are allowed to work, socialize with anyone and vote. In some households, females are the traditional bread winners by having higher paying jobs, while the males stay home and takes care of the off spring. Magazine and media can have a larger part on the acceptance of genders. There have been famous people that have changed their sex from males to female and from female to male. TV to Magazines have exploited that transformation and turned it into a circus show. Just because someone is born with a penis or a vagina does not necessarily make them a male or female. Sometimes the body and the brain doesn’t quite speak with each other and gets things wrong. It is my belief that every person has a right to choose for themselves. If a young boy feels more comfortable as a female, then let them be a female and vise versa. Support from parents and teachers will take a huge affect on how the child responds to life and can also prevent suicide, and depression from not being accepted for who they are.