The Origin of Gender

Summary

This 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 the固化 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

• 🧬 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.
• 🌐 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.
• 👥 Intersex individuals challenge the binary model by exhibiting a combination of traits that do not align neatly with male or female designations.
• 🌈 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.
• 📚 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.
• 🏛️ 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.
• 🌟 The academic and cultural discourse around 'gender' increased in the mid-20th century, coinciding with movements for LGBTQIA rights, civil rights, and feminist critique.
• 🔄 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.
• 🌱 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.
• 🌟 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

00:00

👥 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.

05:01

🌟 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.

Keywords

💡Binary Gender

Binary gender refers to the classification of gender into two distinct and opposite forms: male and female. The video script discusses how this concept is deeply ingrained in many societies, often linking these two categories to specific roles and behaviors. The script challenges this notion by exploring historical and cultural variations that recognize more than two genders, suggesting that binary gender is not a universal truth but a socially constructed norm.

💡Sex

Sex, in the context of the video, is linked to the biological and physical traits of an individual, including reproductive organs, hormones, and chromosomes. The script explains that sex is typically categorized as male or female based on these traits, but it also acknowledges the existence of intersex individuals who may not fit neatly into these categories. Sex is presented as a more concrete and biologically determined aspect of identity, in contrast to the more fluid concept of gender.

💡Gender

Gender is described as a more abstract concept than sex, relating to the performance of roles, identities, and ideas that are traditionally associated with masculinity, femininity, or neutrality. The video script illustrates how gender is often tied to societal expectations and behaviors, such as the example of girls being expected to prefer the color pink. Gender is portrayed as a social construct that can be influenced by cultural conditioning and is not strictly determined by biological sex.

💡Intersex

Intersex individuals are those who possess a combination of traits that do not fit neatly into the categories of male or female. The script mentions intersex people as an example of the fluidity and complexity of biological sex. It challenges the binary gender model by highlighting that intersex individuals can have a mix of sex characteristics that do not align with the typical male or female designations.

💡Gender Fluidity

Gender fluidity is the concept that an individual's gender identity may change over time or may not be limited to the traditional binary categories of male or female. The video script discusses how many cultures and societies recognize or have recognized gender fluidity, suggesting that the binary model is not the only way to understand gender.

💡Gender Roles

Gender roles are the expectations and norms associated with certain behaviors, tasks, and societal functions based on one's gender. The script explores how these roles have been historically assigned and how they can perpetuate stereotypes and inequalities. It also touches on how gender roles have been influenced by factors such as agricultural practices and colonization.

💡Cultural Conditioning

Cultural conditioning refers to the process by which individuals are influenced by their culture to adopt certain beliefs, values, and behaviors. The video script uses the example of the preference for the color pink among girls to illustrate how cultural conditioning can lead to the assumption that this preference is natural and biologically determined, rather than a result of societal influences.

💡Enlightenment Thinking

Enlightenment thinking, as mentioned in the script, is a philosophical movement that emerged in the 18th century, emphasizing reason, individualism, and skepticism of traditional authority. The script suggests that the rise of Enlightenment thinking contributed to the further codification of gender binaries and the establishment of gender roles as we know them today.

💡Colonization

Colonization is the process by which one nation or culture extends its authority over another, often with the aim of economic or political control. The video script discusses how colonization played a role in solidifying binary gender roles by regulating and standardizing practices across different regions, including punishing those who did not conform to the accepted norms of gender and sex.

💡LGBTQIA Rights

LGBTQIA rights refer to the rights and advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and other sexual orientations and gender identities. The script connects the concept of binary gender to broader discussions about LGBTQIA rights, suggesting that challenging traditional gender norms is crucial for achieving equality and visibility for these communities.

💡Feminist Critique

Feminist critique involves the analysis and critique of social, political, and cultural structures from a feminist perspective. The video script implies that feminist critique has been instrumental in questioning and challenging the binary gender model and the associated gender roles, contributing to the broader conversation about gender equality and social change.

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]