Sex and Gender

Most of you mentioned the role of Christianity in shaping our ideas about gender. Religion - in our society and in American Indian societies - plays a key role in a societies ideas about sex and gender. America was settled primarily by Europeans from a Christian tradition and that influence is still with us today.

The relationship between sex and gender is also an important point, particularly in regards to our society. In American society, sex and gender are viewed as the same thing. In fact, sex is a biological term and gender is a cultural term. Yet, we, as a society, do not make that distinction. Hence, we have difficulties dealing with people who don't fit into our traditional gender roles - homosexuals, transexuals, transvestites, hermaphrodites, etc. If you are biologically a male there is a pretty rigid gender role that you are expected to fill. It is the same with females. And, a large part of that gender role has to do with sexuality - heterosexuality.  Those that fall outside of those traditional roles are seen as deviants.

A third gender is a cultural category, not a biological one. And, third gender is not the same thing as homosexuality. It refers to a person's social role and behaviors, not necessarily sexuality. Third genders generally take on the role associated with the opposite sex, but not necessarily engage in homosexual behavior. In some African tribes, such as Nuer, women who are infertile may take on the traditional male role and "marry" a woman. However, this is not a sexual relationship. The "husband" gives gifts to obtain a wife and bring her into the residential compound just as a man would. The wife contributes her labor to the household. There is no sexual relationship between "husband" and "wife." The "wife" has sexual relations with a man to have children, yet those children belong to compound into which she married. In a society where a woman is defined by her child-bearing role, this provides a place in society for women who cannot have children.

Remember that culture is integrated. As one aspect changes, it will affect other aspects of culture. As we become a more culturally diverse society those aspects of culture that were strongly influenced by one culture are likely to undergo changes as well.

And we are seeing changes in our society's accepted gender roles. I have seen many changes in my life time. My mother was a stay-at-home mom. That is what was expected. If families could afford it, the woman stayed home and raised the children. Today, most families can't make it on one income. Both parents work. That has resulted in changes in how we define the roles of men and women. Gender is culturally defined, and changes as cultures change.

Could the acceptance of a third gender be more likely in societies where cooperation is more important? As societies become larger, it is not as important that we "include" all people. We can afford to ostracize. In smaller societies, it is more important to include all people as productive members of the community, and the acceptance of these differences may be a way of doing that - providing them with a clearly defined role.