1. Introduction to Sociology
SOC101Y
Introduction to Sociology
Professor Robert Brym
Lecture #6
Gender and Sexuality
27 Oct 10

3. Sex refers to anatomical, chromosomal and hormonal features that typically make one male or female.
Gender consists of the feelings, attitudes and behaviours typically associated with being male or female.
Gender identity is one’s sense of belonging to a particular sex biologically, psychologically and socially.
Adopting a gender role involves behaving according to widely shared expectations about how males or females are supposed to act.

4. Essentialism stresses the biological roots of gender and sexuality, ignoring their historical and cultural variability
Gender differences change over time.
Gender inequality varies across societies.
Mate selection criteria vary across societies.

5. Gender Empowerment Measure*, Top 10 and Bottom 10 Countries, 2007
Canada = 10th of 93 countries for which
data are available.
GEM = women’s share of seats in Parliament; women’s share of administrative,
managerial, professional and technical jobs; women’s earnings relative to men’s

6. Indicators of Gender Inequality cjsonline.ca/articles/brymetal05.html
Ratio of males to females in primary, secondary, and tertiary education. The higher the ratio, the higher the level of gender inequality.
Men as a percent of parliamentarians in the lower house (or the single house in unicameral political systems). The higher the ratio, the higher the level of gender inequality.
Participation rate of women in the paid labour force. The lower the rate, the higher the level of gender inequality.
Prevalence of female genital mutilation. The higher the prevalence, the higher the level of gender inequality.

7. Main Determinants of Gender Inequality Worldwide (Ranked): Multiple Regression Analysis
1. GDP per capita (-)
Effect of variation in economic development for countries matched in percent Muslim and former communist regime
Effect of variation in percent
Muslim for countries matched in
economic development and former
communist regime
Variation in
gender inequality
2. Percent Muslim* (+)
Effect of variation in former communist
regime for countries matched in economic development and percent Muslim
3. Former communist
regime (-)
* Indicator of extent of cultural practice, not religious doctrine.

8. The “White Rock Girl”

9. Percent of Adults Who are Obese, Selected Countries, 2003-06
Sex
Note: Obese adults have a BMI of 30 or higher (BMI = weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in metres.)

10. Body Dissatisfaction, University Graduates, North America, 1972-97 (in percent, n=4,000)
Percent dissatisfied
Sex / Body Part

11. Percent of University Students Who Severely Assaulted a Dating Partner in the Past Year, by Country, (n = 6,700)
Greece (27.5%)
South Korea
China
Mexico
United Kingdom
United States (13.8%)
Russia
Hong Kong
New Zealand
Canada
Lithuania
Israel
Australia
Belgium
Germany
Percent of students who used knife or gun on partner, punched or hit partner with something that could hurt, choked partner, slammed partner against wall, beat up
partner, burned or scalded partner, or kicked partner in year preceding the survey.
Brazil
Switzerland
Singapore
Portugal
Netherlands
Sweden (1.7%)

12. People are transgendered when their gender identity does not exactly match the sex assigned to them at birth. They blur widely accepted gender roles by, for example, cross-dressing. About 1 in every 5,000 to 10,000 people in North America is transgendered.
Transsexuals identify with the opposite sex from that assigned to them at birth, causing them to change their appearance or resort to medical intervention. About 1 in every 30,000 people in North America is a transsexual.
Homosexuals are people who prefer sexual partners of the same sex, and bisexuals are people who prefer sexual partners of both sexes.

13. Homosexuality Indicators, USA 1992, North American University Students 2004, and SOC (in percent)
Percent M M M F F M M M F F F F
USA92
UN04
SOC10
USA92
UN04
SOC10
USA92
UN04
SOC10
USA92
UN04
SOC10
= USA92
= UN04
= SOC10
M = Male F = Female