Sexuality

The feelings, thoughts and behaviours that are responses to learned erotic or sexual cues

I.e. Invovles love intimacy, power, vulnrability

Sociological Interest

How does society shape sexuality?

• its meaning, is expression

Importance of sexuality

• sexuality shapes how we think about ourselves/others
• Ideas about sexuality ever-present in mass media
• links the personal with the social

Sex

A biological distinction between females & males

• Usually assigned by doctors on the basis of visual insecion of the genitalia of newborns

A social status based on genital appearance

• Differeces in primary or secondary sex characteristics
• (persons may be female, male, intersexed or hermaphodite)

Gender

A social distinction between females and males

• Ascribed on convincing perfrmance of femininityor masculainity

A scoail status based pm gender roles

• Persons may be women/girls, boys/men, or transgendered

Primary Sex Characteristics

• The genitals and sex organs

(Those parts of the body which are involved in sexual reproduction

Secondary Sex Characteristics

• Other bodily/physiological diffrences that distinguish mature males and females

(Not directly related to preproduction)

Intersexed

Born with:

Genitalia and/or secondary sex characteristics

• Neither exclusively male nor female
• A combination of features of both sexes

Transgendered

Gender Identity does not match assigned gender

Transsexed

Persons designated one sex and gender at birth, but prefer to identify and live as another gender & sex

Establishes permanent identity with the gender opposite assigned sex