9-1 Discuss the cultural influences on gender and the effects of gender inequalities.

9-2 Describe the ways in which social forces and factors constrain sexuality.

9-3 Describe the effects of globalization on gender and sexualities.

9-4 Discuss global flows related to gender.

Sex is principally a biological concept and is typically reflected in a person’s chromosomes, gonads, genitalia, and hormones. Gender is a cultural term, connected to societal definitions of expected behaviors, attitudes, and personalities. It is the physical, behavioral, and personality characteristics that are defined as appropriate for someone’s sex. While sex is based mainly on biology, gender is based on social distinctions and is subject to change.

Femininities and masculinities are socially constructed and also subject to change and variation. Transgender and intersexed individuals confront the difficulties of living in a society that is still based on binary gender and sex.

Gendered inequalities persist in numerous domains, including in education, at home and in families, and at work. Such inequalities affect people differently depending on race and class.

Humans enact a wide variation of expressions of both biological sex and sexuality—people are not simply female or male, homosexual or heterosexual. Learned, culturally specific sexual scripts account more for gender differences in sexuality than do biological differences. Global sexualities reveal similarities and differences in things like identities and homophobia.

Globalization reinforces but also destabilizes preexisting gender structures on a global scale. The greater flow of people also creates more opportunity for traffickers to transport women and children for sexual exploitation. Globalization is linked to the increasing number of women working in the Global South, although many are drawn into low-status, poorly paid, and sometimes dangerous manual work. Rape as a weapon of war and domination persists around the globe. The international women’s movement has gained strength and has some goals in common with local and regional women’s movements around the world.