A Critical Appraisal of the Feminist Perspective on Sex and Gender

ABSTRACT Humankind has for long created roles in which males and females must fit and play diligently. Traditionally, the male is the provider, holds the power and makes important decisions on issues affecting the lives of members of his household. Women, on the other hand, are submissive nurturers. Women are socialized right from youth to believe that their primary existence in life is to marry and give birth. Thus, this creates a mindset which paints the repression and subjection of women's role as acceptable. This then reveals the idea of sex and gender. Consequent upon that distinction, this study analysed the difference between sex and gender by adopting qualitative research design to present facts. Data were derived from secondary materials - books, journal articles, periodicals as well as the internet. Expository, analytical and evaluative methods were used for this study. The expository method explained the meanings of sex and gender, the analytical method subjected the two concepts to comparative assessment while the evaluative method established how and why society recognizes biological and social roles or constructs. Findings from this research revealed that one is not born a woman but becomes one and vice versa. This means that sex refers to a set of biological attributes in humans and animals. It is primarily associated with physical and physiological features including chromosomes, gene expression, hormone levels and function, and reproductive/sexual anatomy. Gender on the other hand, gender is not confined to a binary (girl/woman, boy/man) nor is it static; it exists along a continuum and can change over time. The study concluded that as a biologically determined factor, sex is not influenced by the culture. On the contrary, gender is something that is determined by one's learned behaviour, social factors, and even cultural affiliation. The study therefore, recommended that societal obstacles of religion, tradition and other obnoxious beliefs must be broken, women should not be domesticated, and they should also have the right to enjoy work and other associated benefits as men.