Thread
:
Unique protest?
View Single Post
#
13
(
permalink
)
Mon Aug 09, 2004, 05:53pm
TexBlue
Official Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 548
Quote:
Originally posted by greymule
the word is gender
Interesting the way this word has evolved. Of course, in strict terms, a man is of the male sex and a woman the female. But, from the
American Heritage Dictionary:
Traditionally, gender has been used primarily to refer to the grammatical categories of “masculine,” “feminine,” and “neuter,” but in recent years the word has become well established in its use to refer to sex-based categories, as in phrases such as
gender gap
and
the politics of gender.
This usage is supported by the practice of many anthropologists, who reserve
sex
for reference to biological categories, while using
gender
to refer to social or cultural categories. According to this rule, one would say
The effectiveness of the medication appears to depend on the sex
(not
gender
)
of the patient,
but
In peasant societies, gender
(not
sex
)
roles are likely to be more clearly defined.
This distinction is useful in principle, but it is by no means widely observed, and considerable variation in usage occurs at all levels.
Huh???
__________________
Rick
TexBlue
View Public Profile
Find all posts by TexBlue