Introduction
People and media often state that sex and gender are the same issues and that a person can be identified as either male or female. In fact, the sexual orientation is not necessarily depends on a person’s sex.
Considerations and Thoughts
There are five considerations that should be taken into account when discussing gender differences: expression, biological, identity, attraction, and formication. Gender should be perceived as a social construction that focuses primarily on expression and identity. People who were born with female sex and identify as women are cisgender, while those who have differences on the mentioned points are transgender. At the same time, some people identify as queer, which means that they do not follow only male or female guidelines and characteristics.
Sexual orientation is not always dependent on one’s sex or gender since attraction to someone is not necessarily means sex with this person. It is possible to be attracted to males, females, and queer people, but have sexual intercourse only with one of these categories.
It is most striking that the question of whether sexual orientation is a choice dictated by gender or not is still debated in society. On the one hand, one can suggest that a person has a gay or lesbian gene, which makes him or her to select a partner (Meyers-Levy & Loken, 2015). On the other hand, society dictates the behaviors for two types of gender: male and female: the former should be masculine, and the latter should act and behave in a feminine way. The traditional view on gender differences expects males to be aggressive and dominant, while females should be submissive. Such an approach limits a person’s opportunities and dictates the behaviors that should be practiced, without the attention to one’s personal identification.
Sexual discrimination from other people takes place in many cases, when a person begins acting or thinking against the widely accepted patterns and norms. The deeper differences between men and women probably lay in the historical perspective of the problem.
For the same job and qualifications, women are likely to receive less money compared to men (Jacobsen, 2007). It is widely considered that females have less intelligence and abilities to succeed at work and build a career, while males seem to be more effective, yet the practice shows that it is not correct. The roles played by women in society are underestimated and intentionally given less value than those of men. In particular, care for the family and housework are regarded as female responsibilities, but career success is attributed to male achievements. As a result, women have to work harder to provide for themselves and prove the society that they can also achieve great results.
From the biological point of view, gender differences are also evident. One of the key characteristics of women is longer life expectancy, which seems to be associated with the fact that men are expected to make more decisions and take more risks (Jacobsen, 2007). At the same time, females are more likely to develop psychological health problems, but males are more prone to cardiovascular issues. These differences are also caused by the perceived attitudes towards gender and identity. Men, who tend to held stressful positions, can be seen as weak if they would visit a psychologist, which complicates their health deterioration. These examples show that sexual orientation, be it inherent or adopted by a person, is a subject of social discrimination that goes against gender as a social construction.
References
Jacobsen, J. P. (2007). The economics of gender (3rd ed.). Malden, MA: Blackwell.
Meyers-Levy, J., & Loken, B. (2015). Revisiting gender differences: What we know and what lies ahead. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 25(1), 129-149.