User:Pakaur/sandbox

Standard and Contemporary Sex and Gender Model
Hello Everybody, I will be editing, revising, and developing articles/sections of articles on the Standard and Contemporary Sex and Gender Model/System.

First Wiki Interaction
Made a revision to the Sex and Gender Distinction Page under the section of 'Feminism' shown below:

The sex/gender distinction also known as the Standard Model of Sex/Gender is disapproved and criticized by many feminists. This is due to its emphasis on sex being seen as a biological aspect, that is fixed, natural, unchanging, and consisting of a male/female dichotomy. It clearly fails to recognize anything outside the strictly and specifically enforced male/female dichotomy and creates a barrier between those that fit and those that are 'abnormal'. In order to prove that sex is not only limited to two categories Anne Fausto-Sterling's Sexing the Body uncovers the truth behind the birth of inter-sexual children. Hence the standard model (sex/gender distinction) is incorrect in its notion of there being only two sexes male and female because, “complete maleness and complete femaleness represent the extreme ends of a spectrum of possible body types” In other words, there are multitudes of sexes in between the two extremes of male and female.

Therefore, rather than viewing sex as a biological construct, Feminists accept both sex and gender as a social construct. According to the Intersex Society of North America, “nature doesn’t decide where the category of ‘male’ ends and the category of ‘intersex’ begins, or where the category of ‘intersex’ ends and the category of ‘female’ begins. Humans decide. Humans (today, typically doctors) decide how small a penis has to be, or how unusual a combination of parts has to be, before it counts as intersex.” Overall, sex is socially constructed because nature doesn't decide on who is seen as a male or female physically. Rather, doctors decide what seems to be a "natural" sex for the inhabitants of society. In addition gender, the behavior, actions, and appearance of females/males is also socially constructed because codes of femininity and masculinity are chosen and deemed fit by society for societal usage.

OFFICIAL LINK TO CONTRIBUTION: Sex and Gender Distinction Section Feminism

My Words on the Standard and Contemporary Sex and Gender Model/System
The standard sex and gender model has been and still is today, unknowingly accepted and used to organize the society we live within. Since these notions of sex and gender have been widely used to structure society, they have become what we call the ‘norm’ or normalized. A ‘norm’ is a set of ideologies or notions that become the principle way life is lived or in other words the way everything has always been. This not only creates a definition for what is considered normal, but also excludes those that don’t fit, as abnormal and unnatural.

The standard sex and gender model defines sex as biological, nature/natural, fixed, unchanging, and as consisting of a male/female dichotomy. In other words sex is the body you are born with, especially the genitals in addition to the sex chromosomes which inhabit your body making you either male or female. The standard model defines gender as a social construct, cultural, nurture, and the ideologies governing what femininity/masculinity (females/males) look like, act like, and behave like. An example of this would be that males were supposed to be the educated breadwinners of the family, and occupiers of the public sphere whereas, the female’s duty was to be a homemaker, take care of her husband and children, and occupy the private sphere. This standard sex gender model not only creates a barrier between those that fit and those that don’t but also incorrectly explains sex and gender and how they apply to society.

The model clearly fails to recognize anything outside of the strictly and specifically enforced male, female dichotomy. In order to prove that sex is not only limited to two categories, Anne Fausto-Sterling’s Sexing the Body uncovers the truth behind the birth of intersexual children. Hence the standard model is incorrect in its notion of there being only two sexes male and female because, “complete maleness and complete femaleness represent the extreme ends of a spectrum of possible body types” (Fausto-Sterling 17). In other words there are multitudes of sexes in between the two extremes of male and female.

Another reason why the standard sex and gender model is rejected is because sex is a social construct on the contrary to what the model explains. According to the Intersex Society of North America, “nature doesn’t decide where the category of ‘male’ ends and the category of ‘intersex’ begins, or where the category of ‘intersex’ ends and the category of ‘female’ begins. Humans decide. Humans (today, typically doctors) decide how small a penis has to be, or how unusual a combination of parts has to be, before it counts as intersex” (ISNA). Therefore, sex is not a biological/natural construct but a social one instead since, society and doctors decide on what it means to be male, female, or intersex in terms of sex chromosomes and genitals, in addition to their personal judgment on who or how one passes as a specific sex. In addition “doctors’ opinions about what should count as ‘intersex’ vary substantially. Some think you have to have “ambiguous genitalia” to count as intersex, even if your inside is mostly of one sex and your outside is mostly of another… [or that] your brain has to be exposed to an unusual mix of hormones prenatally to count as intersex” (ISNA). This portrays the variety of sex differentiations just within the category of intersexual individuals hence, sex is not only socially constructed but it’s also ever-changing rather than fixed, and consists of a wide spectrum rather than being limited to two categories.

Although the model correctly identifies gender as a social construct it makes it very specific on what is seen as acceptable behavior for male and females and almost makes it seem that gender is fixed. However, gender as in what is seen as acceptable behavior for males and females, has been and still is constantly changing. One example of where the standard definition of gender alters with time happens to be depicted in Shuttleworth’s Female Circulation in which, “abasement of the woman, reducing her from an active participant in the labor market to the passive bodily existence to be controlled by male expertise is indicative of the ways in which the ideological deployment of gender roles operated to facilitate and sustain the changing structure of familial and market relations in Victorian England” (Shuttleworth 52). In other words this quote shows what it meant growing up into the roles of a female (gender/roles) changed from being a homemaker to being a working woman and then back to being passive and inferior to males. In conclusion, the contemporary sex gender model is accurate because both sex and gender are rightly seen as social constructs inclusive of the wide spectrum of sexes and genders and in which nature and nurture are interconnected.

Second Wiki Interaction Peer Review One
Revised, Edited, and formatted the subtitle of "Exclusion from Standard Model of Sex and Gender" on the wiki article of Intersex: It was missing links and most importantly wasn't cited properly.

Third Wiki Interaction
Edited the title of a subcategory in the article "Gender Role" from just "Feminism" to "Feminism: Women from the 'Private Sphere' to the 'Public Sphere'" and adding a new subcategory named "Feminism: Gender Roles in the Contemporary Sex/Gender System" within the same article/page, working on it below:

The standard sex and gender model defines gender as a social construct that contains cultural aspects,the concept of nurture, and the ideologies governing feminine/masculine (female/male) appearances, actions, and behaviors. An example of these gender roles would be that males were supposed to be the educated breadwinners of the family, and occupiers of the public sphere whereas, the female’s duty was to be a homemaker, take care of her husband and children, and occupy the private sphere.

In comparison to the contemporary sex and gender model, the standard sex and gender model correctly identifies gender as a social construct yet, it makes it very specific on what is seen as acceptable behavior/gender roles for males and females and almost makes it seem that gender is fixed.Therefore according to contemporary gender role ideology, gender roles have been and still are constantly changing. This can be seen in Londa Schiebinger's Has Feminism Changed Science in which she states that, "Gendered characteristics-typically masculine or feminine behaviors, interests, or values-are not innate, nor are they arbitrary. They are formed by historical circumstances. They can also change with historical circumstances."

One example of the contemporary definition of gender happens to be depicted in Sally Shuttleworth’s Female Circulation in which the, “abasement of the woman, reducing her from an active participant in the labor market to the passive bodily existence to be controlled by male expertise is indicative of the ways in which the ideological deployment of gender roles operated to facilitate and sustain the changing structure of familial and market relations in Victorian England.” In other words, this shows what it meant to grow up into the roles (gender roles) of a female in Victorian England, which transitioned from being a homemaker to being a working woman and then back to being passive and inferior to males. In conclusion, gender roles in the contemporary sex gender model are socially constructed, always changing, and do not really exist since, they are ideologies that society constructs in order for various benefits at various times in history.

OFFICIAL LINK TO CONTRIBUTION: Gender Role Section Feminism: Gender Roles in the Contemporary Sex/Gender System

Wiki Addition Four
Adding a section: 'standard and contemporary sex and gender system' to the wiki article called 'Feminist Theory' under 'Disciplines' editing below:

"The Standard and Contemporary Sex and Gender System"

The standard sex and gender model consists of ideologies based on the sex and gender of every individual and serve as "norms" for societal life. The model claims that the sex of a person is the physical body that the individual is born with, strictly existing within a male/female dichotomy giving importance to the genitals and the chromosomes which make the organism male or female. The standard model defines gender as a social understanding/ideology that defines what behaviors, actions, and appearances are proper for males and females living in society.

The contemporary sex and gender model corrects and broadens the horizons of the sex and gender ideologies. It revises the ideology of sex in that an individual's sex is actually a social construct which is not limited to either male or female. This can be seen by the Intersex Society of North America which explains that, “nature doesn't decide where the category of ‘male’ ends and the category of ‘intersex’ begins, or where the category of ‘intersex’ ends and the category of ‘female’ begins. Humans decide. Humans (today, typically doctors) decide how small a penis has to be, or how unusual a combination of parts has to be, before it counts as intersex” (adding a reference). Therefore, sex is not a biological/natural construct but a social one instead since, society and doctors decide on what it means to be male, female, or intersex in terms of sex chromosomes and genitals, in addition to their personal judgment on who or how one passes as a specific sex. The ideology of gender remains a social construct but is not as strict and fixed. Instead, gender is easily malleable, and is forever changing. One example of where the standard definition of gender alters with time happens to be depicted in Sally Shuttleworth’s Female Circulation in which the, “abasement of the woman, reducing her from an active participant in the labor market to the passive bodily existence to be controlled by male expertise is indicative of the ways in which the ideological deployment of gender roles operated to facilitate and sustain the changing structure of familial and market relations in Victorian England” (Shuttleworth 52). In other words this quote shows what it meant growing up into the roles of a female (gender/roles) changed from being a homemaker to being a working woman and then back to being passive and inferior to males. In conclusion, the contemporary sex gender model is accurate because both sex and gender are rightly seen as social constructs inclusive of the wide spectrum of sexes and genders and in which nature and nurture are interconnected.

OFFICIAL LINK TO CONTRIBUTION: Feminist Theory Section Disciplines Subsection The Standard and Contemporary Sex and Gender System

Peer Review Two
Edited a section titled "Themes" in the wiki article by Tavi's group called Woman in Science. See below for before and after.

BEFORE:

The overall theme is of the biological capacity of woman; the book asserts that it is the lack of education and opportunity, not brain size or structure, that leads to women being less prominent than men in science. It includes various developments of science. The purpose was for women to become more involved and respected in science, and to allow for more education and opportunities. It was one of the first collaborations of women's contributions to the scientific community, and "explored the barriers to women's participation in science."

AFTER:

The comprehensive theme that is depicted throughout Woman in Science is that of women's biological capacity. It is asserted that women being less prominent than men in science is due to the lack of educational and career opportunities available rather than, the biological aspects of brain size or structure. In addition, the book encompasses the many developments of science throughout history. The main objective of the author/book was for women to become more involved and gain a respected position in the scientific field, in addition to increasing educational and career opportunities for women interested in science. It was one of the first collaborations of women's contributions to the scientific community, and it "explored the barriers to women's participation in science."