Page 340 - Sociology and You
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Unit 3 Social Inequality
Section 1
Sex and Gender Identity
Key Terms
• sex • gender identity
• biological determinism
Defining Male and Female
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice
And everything nice
That’s what little girls are made of.
What are little boys made of?
Snips and snails
And puppy dog tails
That’s what little boys are made of.
As the above well-known nursery rhyme indicates, when it comes to males and females, most Americans believe that anatomy is destiny. If men and women behave differently, it is assumed to be because of their sex— the biological distinction between male and female. Males are assumed to be naturally more aggressive than women and to be built for providing and pro- tecting. Thought of as being naturally more passive, females are believed to be designed for domestic work. If this popular conception were true, men
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All societies expect peo- ple to behave in certain ways based on their sex. Through socialization, mem- bers of a society acquire an awareness of themselves as masculine or feminine. Behavioral differences be- tween men and women are culturally conditioned.
sex
classification of people as male or female based on biological characteristics
Many Americans believe that infant boys are just naturally more active than infant girls. Would you agree or not?
