Gender

1
Gender

• Are Two Enough?

2
Two Sexes Are Not Enough

• Reaction to this article
• Intersex Spectrum Physical assignment of gender
• Should gender assignment surgeries be used on
  newborns?

3
Emotional Gender Differences

• Transgender
• Born clearly male or female but feel the opposite
• More in the forefront of society
• Boys Dont Cry
• Discovery Channel programs
• Talk Shows

4
Third Gender

• Many societies (especially in Southeast Asia)
  have created third gender groups to fulfill some
  societal need.
• Gender lines are not clear cut to fit into two
  biological sexes

5
Third Gender

• Hijras (India and Pakistan)
• Physically male or intersexual
• Dress and refer to themselves as female
• 50,000 to 5,000,000 in India
• Live in Hijra communities and have an initiation
  into the lifestyle
• Sometimes involves an emasculation ritual
• Low social status
• Have been used to collect taxes
• Perform religious ceremonies at weddings and the
  birth of males
• Thought to have power to curse a family

6
Third Gender

• Faafafine (Polynesia)
• Male that takes on the identity of a female
• Attracted to non-Faafafine men
• Many families are not only accepting but
  encourage the lifestyle
• Cultural need girls for domestic work
• Usually found as prostitutes

7
Third Gender

• Sworn Virgins (Balkans)
• Men who were born as women, only take the social
  role of a man not a sexual role
• Usually remain unmarried
• Celibate
• Shortage of adult males due to violence
• Allowed male privileges (high status)