The Origin of Gender
Summary
TLDRThis script delves into the concept of binary gender, distinguishing between sex and gender, and their historical and cultural evolution. It explores the fluidity of sex, the performative nature of gender, and how societies have assigned roles and behaviors based on these categories. The video also highlights alternative gender models from various cultures and the impact of Enlightenment thinking on gender norms. It discusses theεΊε of binary gender roles during colonization and the ongoing debates about gender in modern society, emphasizing the importance of these discussions in shaping social movements and individual identities.
Takeaways
- 𧬠The concept of 'binary gender' is deeply ingrained in many societies, suggesting there are only two genders, male and female, each with distinct roles and characteristics.
- π The terms 'sex' and 'gender' are often used interchangeably, but they have distinct meanings: 'sex' refers to biological and physical traits, while 'gender' relates to the performance of roles, identities, and ideas.
- π₯ Intersex individuals challenge the binary model by exhibiting a combination of traits that do not align neatly with male or female designations.
- π Many cultures worldwide recognize or have recognized more than two genders, such as the Maheu in Hawaii and the Burnesha in Albania, indicating that binary gender is not a universal concept.
- π Historically, Western thought, influenced by the Enlightenment, began to codify gender binaries more rigidly, contrasting with earlier beliefs that saw male and female reproductive organs as two sides of the same coin.
- ποΈ The rise of colonization and the standardization of farming practices led to a solidification of gender roles, with severe punishments for those who deviated from the accepted norms.
- π The academic and cultural discourse around 'gender' increased in the mid-20th century, coinciding with movements for LGBTQIA rights, civil rights, and feminist critique.
- π The concept of gender fluidity and the existence of more than two genders have been part of human societies for centuries, challenging the modern binary model.
- π± The assignment of labor roles in societies that practice plow agriculture has been linked to less gender equality and a stronger adherence to traditional gender norms.
- π The binary gender model is not only a social construct but also a historical and cultural one, with its roots and evolution shaped by various societal, political, and economic factors.
Q & A
What is the primary difference between sex and gender as discussed in the script?
-Sex is typically linked to biological and physical traits of the body, such as reproductive organs, hormones, chromosomes, and secondary sex characteristics. Gender, on the other hand, relates to the performance of roles, identities, and ideas, and is more about outward behaviors and internal perceptions of oneself, often influenced by societal norms.
How does the script explain the concept of intersex individuals in relation to sex?
-Intersex individuals are mentioned as those who share a variety of biological and physical traits across the sexual divide. They may have XX chromosomes typically associated with females but present in most other ways as male, and vice versa. It's also possible for individuals to have a mixture of these traits that don't align neatly with male or female designations.
What is the historical perspective on the binary gender model presented in the script?
-The script suggests that the concept of binary gender isn't universally true and that many cultures and societies have recognized gender fluidity or additional gender categories beyond the binary. It also discusses how Western societies, influenced by Enlightenment thinking, began to codify the binary gender model more rigidly from the 18th and 19th centuries onwards.
Can you provide an example from the script that illustrates how gender is performed in society?
-An example given is the societal assumption that 'all girls' favorite color is pink.' This is considered a performance of gender where cultural conditioning is confused with biological determinism, suggesting that girls are naturally predisposed to liking pink over other colors.
What role did colonization play in solidifying gender roles according to the script?
-Colonization often sought to regulate and standardize farming practices, which led to a solidification of gendered roles as the norm. People in colonized regions were often severely punished for expressing any gender, sex, or sexual expression outside of the accepted binary norm.
How does the script connect the concept of gender with broader social categories like race and class?
-The script connects gender with race and class by discussing how the concept of gender was given a hierarchy and attached to ideas about innate qualities, similar to how class and race were treated. This led to the creation of complex systems where white, masculine, high-class individuals placed themselves at the top of the social pyramid.
What is the significance of the 18th and 19th centuries in the history of gender roles as discussed in the script?
-The 18th and 19th centuries were significant as they saw a further codification of accepted gender binaries, influenced by Enlightenment thinking and revolutionary uprisings. This period also saw the rise of language about 'rights of man' that was specifically linked to race, gender, and sex, excluding many from these rights.
How does the script address the fluidity of biological sex and gender in historical and cultural contexts?
-The script addresses the fluidity by mentioning historical and cultural contexts where more than two genders were recognized, such as among the Incas, Sakalava of Madagascar, and Kanaka Malawi indigenous societies. It also discusses how some Indo-European languages use gender to conjugate verbs or attach to nouns and pronouns, indicating a broader understanding of gender beyond the binary.
What is the relationship between gender roles and agricultural practices as presented in the script?
-The script suggests that societies that traditionally practiced plow agriculture had less equal gender norms and leaned towards a belief that men and women occupy different spheres. This is supported by research indicating that descendants of societies with plow agriculture have less gender equality and more traditional gender role attitudes.
How does the script discuss the impact of the LGBTQIA rights and visibility movements on the understanding of gender?
-The script implies that the LGBTQIA rights and visibility movements, along with civil rights and feminist critique, have played crucial roles in challenging and expanding the cultural discussions around gender and gender norms, leading to a broader and more critical understanding of the concept.
Outlines
π₯ Understanding Binary Gender and Its Origins
The paragraph delves into the concept of binary gender, challenging the notion that there are only two genders, male and female. It discusses how gender is often mistakenly conflated with sex, with sex being the biological and physical traits of an individual, such as reproductive organs and chromosomes, while gender pertains to the social roles, identities, and behaviors associated with masculinity or femininity. The paragraph also touches on the fluidity of sex, mentioning intersex individuals who possess a mix of traits that do not fit neatly into the binary categories. It further explores the historical and cultural aspects of gender, including how gender roles and expectations have been influenced by societal norms and how they differ across cultures and time periods. The paragraph concludes by highlighting the existence of non-binary gender categories in various cultures, both historically and in contemporary societies.
π The Evolution of Gender Roles and Their Impact on Society
This paragraph examines the historical development of gender roles and their entrenchment in society. It discusses how the Enlightenment and subsequent revolutions led to a shift in thinking about gender, with a focus on the rights of 'man' that often excluded women and other marginalized groups. The paragraph also explores the impact of agriculture on gender norms, suggesting that societies with traditional plow agriculture tend to have less gender equality. The rise of colonization and its influence on standardizing gender roles is also mentioned, as well as the punishment of those who deviated from the accepted gender norms. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the ongoing relevance of gender in everyday life, from societal expectations to legal identification, and acknowledges the complexity and ongoing debates surrounding gender identity and roles.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Binary Gender
π‘Sex
π‘Gender
π‘Intersex
π‘Gender Fluidity
π‘Gender Roles
π‘Cultural Conditioning
π‘Enlightenment Thinking
π‘Colonization
π‘LGBTQIA Rights
π‘Feminist Critique
Highlights
The concept of binary gender is deeply ingrained in many societies, but it is not the only way gender has been understood historically or across cultures.
Sex is determined by biological and physical traits, such as reproductive organs, hormones, and chromosomes, and can include a degree of fluidity with intersex individuals.
Gender is a more abstract concept, related to the performance of roles, identities, and ideas, and is often linked to cultural expectations and societal norms.
The association of certain colors, like pink for girls and blue for boys, is an example of how gender is culturally conditioned rather than biologically determined.
Many cultures and societies recognize or have recognized gender fluidity or additional gender categories beyond the binary.
Before colonization, the Incas, Sakalava of Madagascar, and Kanaka Malawi indigenous societies had concepts of third gender or androgynous roles.
In Western Europe, prior to the Enlightenment, there was a theory that male and female reproductive organs were variations of a common sex.
The concept of one sex with two genders was present in ancient Greek medicine and persisted until the Renaissance.
The Enlightenment and subsequent revolutions led to a shift in thinking about rights and the hierarchy of gender, race, and class.
The 18th and 19th centuries saw a further codification of gender binaries, despite previous existence of alternative concepts.
Research suggests that societies with traditional plow agriculture have less equal gender norms and more defined gender roles.
Colonization and the standardization of farming practices often led to the solidification of gendered roles in colonized regions.
The mid-20th century saw the term 'gender' enter academic and cultural discussions, coinciding with movements for LGBTQIA rights and feminist critique.
The concept of binary gender is still pervasive in everyday life, from the colors we associate with newborns to the gender markers on official documents.
The episode provides a condensed overview of the history of binary gender, inviting viewers to explore further and engage in discussions.
Transcripts
our male and female the only two genders
and when do we start associating gender
with certain roles in society when I
hear the word binary my mind immediately
jumps to gender and 80s movies about
computers and that's because outside of
meeting something that has two sides or
two parts binary is often linked to the
concept that there are two genders in
the world and every person falls
squarely into one of these two
categories and since lots of you origin
of everything fans write in with
questions and comments about things
related to gender and gender norms I
wanted to spend this week getting down
into an abbreviated history of how we
got to the idea of binary gender what
the heck some of the differences between
gender and sex are how those two
categories became linked and why we
started associate in different tasks and
society along the gender divide with
certain behaviors being ascribed to
masculinity and others to femininity
okay so we have a lot to cover and very
little time but the natural place to
start here seems to be what is gender
and how does it differ from sex so to
start things off in something of an
order from concrete to abstract human
sex is usually linked to biological and
physical traits of the body
these can include reproductive organs
hormones chromosomes with the old wisdom
being that XX chromosomes signal females
while X Y chromosomes are indicative of
males outward appearance of the
genitalia and secondary sex
characteristics which kick in around
puberty for humans these traits include
things like growing breasts getting
hairy or producing all that lovely oil
and grease that makes our pit stink and
our t-zone shine bright like a diamond
although these are the ways that sex is
determined or identified it also
involves a fair bit of fluidity for
example there are people who are
intersex meaning that they share a
variety of these traits across the
sexual divide people can have XX
chromosomes associated with women but
present in most other ways as male and
vice versa it's also possible to have a
mixture of these traits that aren't
easily quantifiable and don't align
neatly with male or female designations
although in some of these cases there
are parents and health care providers
who choose an assigned sex for a child
born with a mixture of traits at birth
but while sex is mostly considered
biological gender is it's more loosely
defined cousin gender relates to the
performance of roles identities and
ideas
masculine feminine or neutral treats and
more often than not we like gender to
both outward behaviors and internal
ideas about ourselves a good example of
performing gender and society would be a
statement like all girls favorite color
is pink the first assumption is that
girl lines up with female sex and the
second is that given the choice most if
not all girls will not only choose pink
as their favorite color but will also be
naturally predisposed to liking pink
over other colors but this idea confuses
cultural conditioning with a presume
biological determinism and if you want
more on pink for girls and blue for boys
then this is the perfect time to hop on
over to our video on gendered clothing
for a deeper explanation gender also
blossoms outward into other areas of our
lives and is often used as a measure for
sexual desire behavior and societal
roles we also apply gender pretty widely
and often even to concepts and inanimate
objects more so than biological sex take
for example some indo-european languages
like Spanish German and Latin where
gender is used to conjugate certain
verbs or attach to nouns and pronouns so
while both sex and gender are not hard
and fast across the board both are more
often than not linked together and then
described to us using two choices male
sex aligning with masculine gender and
female sex aligning with feminine gender
but while the concept of two sexes and
two genders is ingrained in us as the
cultural norm this hasn't always been
universally true that leads us to our
next question
what are the alternatives to the binary
gender model well in fact outside of the
West many cultures and countries have a
history that recognizes either gender
fluidity or gender categories that exist
beyond the binary prior to colonization
the Incas worshiped a dual gender God
whose attendance the Cori warming were
androgynous clothing and represented a
third gender space among the sakalava of
Madagascar boys who were considered
feminine and appearance were raised as
girls and believed to have supernatural
protection that prevented them from
being harmed in Hawaii
Kanaka malawi indigenous societies had
the Maheu who could be aligned with any
biological sex but expressed a gender
role that was in between masculine and
feminine and the burn esha of albania
are women who have sworn a vow of
chastity and dresses men a tradition
that dates back as far as the 1400s
although their numbers have dwindled
dramatically in recent years
so the concept of more than two genders
has existed and still exists worldwide
but concepts of biological sex and
gender could be fluid also existed in
parts of Western Europe prior to the
18th century and the rise of
Enlightenment thinking in Europe there
was a theory that men and women's
reproductive organs could belong to a
common sex even though they were
assigned to different gendered roles so
there was one sex but two genders in the
second century AD Greek physician Galen
noted turned outward the woman's turn
inward so to speak and full double
demand and you will find the same in
both in every respect that's right he
was of the opinion that women were
essentially men with penises that had
been flipped up inside of their bodies
and not fully developed and vice versa
on the male side of things which isn't
so kooky when you consider that
physicians at that time also believed
that women's female hysteria was caused
by wandering wombs and while this wasn't
a universally held belief the idea that
male and female reproductive organs were
somehow two sides of the same coin
persisted until the Renaissance and just
like class gender was given a hierarchy
and attached ideas about innate
qualities so someone of high birth was
considered inherently better than
someone from a lower class and the same
went with gender which valued the
masculine traits and behaviors over all
else and the category of gender was also
linked with emerging categories such as
race and long held beliefs like class so
white male or masculine folks of high
birth placed themselves at the top of
the pyramid and created complex systems
that trickled outward from that center
point but that doesn't mean that there
weren't alternatives that existed across
complex societies prior to colonization
with the dawn of enlightenment thinking
and the resulting revolutionary
uprisings around the world think
American Revolution Haitian Revolution
and the French Revolution to name a few
we start to see language about the
rights of man that looked upset one key
part of the hierarchy class as it was
associated with free voting white men
class that had been entrenched in
societies that held up an aristocracy
based on rank and high birth had a major
upset but all of this language about men
having rights wasn't thinking of the
universal term of man meaning all human
beings as it was in the past but rather
specifically linked to race gender and
sex so it's in the 18th and 19th century
that we start to see a further
codification of these accepted binaries
even though concepts of them existed
prior to this point according to Alberto
siena Paulo Giuliano and Nathan none in
their article on the origins of gender
roles women in the plow some of this may
be broken down to the assignment of
labour rules they found that consistent
with existing hypotheses the descendants
of societies that traditionally practice
plow agriculture today have less equal
gender norms measured using reported
gender role attitudes and female
participation in the workplace politics
and entrepreneurial activities so
societies that spread more traditional
agricultural roles as a whole had less
gender equality and leaned towards a
belief that men and women occupy
different spheres than those that did
not it comes as no surprise then that
with the rise of colonization which
often looked to regulate and standardize
farming practices across different
regions that we also see a
solidification of gendered roles
becoming the norm this is also coupled
with the fact that often people in
colonized regions were severely punished
for expressing any gender sex or sexual
expression outside of the accepted norm
of two genders and two sexes but the
word gender started circulating in
academic discourse and broader cultural
discussions around the midpoint of the
20th century as everyday people began to
push back openly and critically about
the role that gender played in their
lives we see all of these conversations
about gender and gender norms playing
crucial roles in the movements for
LGBTQIA rights and visibility civil
rights and feminist critique so how does
it all add up while this episode was
kind of a tall order and gender is a
massive and complex topic I hope this
gave a rough sketch to start your search
process and enliven your debates there
are a lot of other trains I could have
covered like gender and religion or
gender in class or gender in class and
religion and race in even more labor but
condensed it here for time so it still
bears repeating that this is just one of
many threads in the story and gender is
still circulating in our everyday lives
from which color you paint your newborns
bedroom to which box we check off our
licenses at the DMV so what do you think
anything to add to my binary gender
timeline drop those comments down below
and I'll see you here soon for our next
episode
[Music]
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