Gender Issues
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Transcript of Gender Issues
Gender IssuesGender Issues
Gender VS sexGender VS sex
• Gender = psychosocial (cultural)
• Sex = biological
Genetic codeGenetic code
• Eggs = XX
• Sperm = XY
Prenatal sexual differentiationPrenatal sexual differentiation
• In the absence of male hormones, female external genitals will develop
Prenatal structurePrenatal structure
StructuresStructures
• Female = Mullerian ducts
• Male = Wolffian ducts
Undifferentiated stageUndifferentiated stage
Early genital developmentEarly genital development
Advanced genital developmentAdvanced genital development
Peno-scrotal raphe
Homologus structuresHomologus structures
• Clitoris = glands of the penis
• Scrotum = major lips
Abnormal prenatal Abnormal prenatal differentiationdifferentiation
• Hermaphrodites– True hermaphrodite
• One ovary & one testicle
– Pseudohermaphrodite• Often two ovaries & penis like clitoris• May result from
– Chromosomal disorder– Hormonal disorder
• More common than true hermaphrodites
Chromosome errorsChromosome errors• Turner’s syndrome• (sterile female with absent or underdeveloped
ovaries)– XO
• Normal external genitals• Lack of menstruation at puberty• Female gender identity
– http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000379.htm
• Klinefelters syndrome (sterile male with underdeveloped genitals)– XXY– http://www.nih.gov/health/chip/nichd/klinefelter/
Hormone errors (prenatal)Hormone errors (prenatal)
• Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS)– External genitals of male fetus fail to
differentiate– Newborn has normal-looking female external
genitals– Diagnosed when menstruation does not occur
Hormone errors (prenatal)Hormone errors (prenatal)
• Fetally androgenized females (FAF)– Masculinized external organs
John Money study of Joan/JohnJohn Money study of Joan/John
• Circumcision accident
• Follow-up 17 years later
• The effect of prenatal hormones on brain differentiation may be much more influential in gender-identity than was originally assumed.
Transvestite VS transsexualTransvestite VS transsexual
• Transvestite cross dresses for sexual arousal
• Transsexual cross dresses to feel comfortable and congruent
Sex reassignment surgery Sex reassignment surgery – Transsexuals or transgender
• Crossdresses to feel comfortable and congruent• More men than women• Ratio is narrowing
– Most preoperative transsexual persons feel they are heterosexual.
Trans gender surgery resultsTrans gender surgery results
• http://www.annelawrence.com/twr/
Gender assumptionsGender assumptions
• The assumptions that men “know about sex”, are responsible for doing a “good Job” with sex, and women are passive is a result of social learning, not biology.