Sex/Gender: Biology in a Social World

The Routledge Series Integrating Science and Culture

by Anne Fausto-Sterling

Sex/Gender presents a relatively new way to think about how biological difference can be produced over time in response to different environmental and social experiences.

This book gives a clearly written explanation of the biological and cultural underpinnings of gender. Anne Fausto-Sterling provides an introduction to the biochemistry, neurobiology, and social construction of gender with expertise and humor in a style accessible to a wide variety of readers. In addition to the basics, Sex/Gender ponders the moral, ethical, social and political side to this inescapable subject.

Genres: Nonfiction, Gender, Feminism, Science, Gender and Sexuality, LGBT, Gender Studies

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

Anne Fausto-Sterling is the Nancy Duke Lewis Professor of Biology and Gender Studies at Brown University. She participates actively in the field of sexology and has written extensively on the biology of gender, sexual identity, gender identity, gender roles, and intersexuality.

Reviews

[Osore Misanthrope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Недавно је избио скандал цензурисањем садржаја уџбеника за биологију, више на линку (видљива је и мања расправа између двојице биолога). Струка је узалудно покушавала да се избори за задржавање спорних садржаја, апелујући на инструкције министарства о међупредметним компетенцијама које ученици треба да усвоје, као и на чињеницу да род има биолошку основу. Тачно је да се концепт рода као друштвени конструкт не може свести на биолошку основу, али намера школског програма није била политизација биологије или биологизација политике, већ повезивање садржаја различитих предмета. Током одобравања уџбеника утврђено је да садржај није неподобан за узраст, да би клерикалне и десничарске струје касније узвитопериле владајуће структуре и навеле их да, делујући мимо струке, изврше цензуру, тврдећи да је садржај подобан за средњошколски, а не основношколски узраст. На ком обавезном предмету у основној школи, ако не на биологији, може бити речи о полу и роду (ни на једном, каже инквизиција) и где ће особе које остану на основном образовању или не одаберу средњу школу у којој се изучава дати садржај научити, између осталог, разлику између рода и пола, шта је међупол, а шта трансродност?

Србијо, добро дошла у 21. век: “From the humanists’ perspective, scientists threatened to make the world a colder, more efficient place lacking in feelings and values. From the scientists’ viewpoint, humanists were interfering with progress by injecting bleeding hearts and unreasonable fears into an essentially rational process. But the reality is that now, in the 21st century it is getting harder and harder for humanists to comment on civic and social matters without knowing something about science, medicine, and technology. Suddenly there is the need to understand stem cells, brain scans, DNA technologies, organ transplants, ecological outcomes, and the like in order to be a knowledgeable citizen, legislator, or scholar. Likewise, scientists routinely include the ethical, social, cultural, and legal in their research protocols and scientific articles. The divide between the “two cultures” described by C. P. Snow in the 1950s is less and less possible in the 21st century. On the ground, humanists and scientists are again in need of each other.”

Пол код људи може бити мушки, женски или, ретко, међупол. Пол је детерминисан кариотипом (XX хромозоми – женско; XY хромозоми – мушко), гонадама (јајници – женско; тестиси – мушко), хормонима и гениталијама (унутрашњим и спољашњим; материца, јајоводи, вагина и клиторис – женско; семеновод, пасеменик, простата, пенис и мошнице – мушко). Све што се не уклапа у ову дихотомију назива се међуполом; екстремни примери, зависно од класификације, могу бити Клинефелтеров (XXY) и Тарнеров синдром (X0). Одступања од трејекторије на осталим нивоима пола, попут поремећаја синтезе и/или секреције хормона (in utero), такође може довести до појаве мешовитих полних карактеристика. Медицина у неким случајевима може помоћи да се хормонски и генитални пол/статус феминизују или маскулинизују и тако кристалише полни идентитет (мушко или женско).

Родни идентитет се може дефинисати помоћу три питања: 1) како доживљавам себе, 2) како ме други доживљавају и 3) како мислим да ме други доживљавају. Уколико је одговор на сва три питања само мушко или само женско, особа је или мушког или женског рода, што може бити у складу са његовим или њеним полом, али не мора. Уколико су одговори на питања мешовити, особа је флуидног/небинарног рода, а уколико су одговори једнозначни, али супротни у односу на пол, особа је трансродна/трансексуална. Небинарне и трансродне особе не морају имати осећај да су заробљене у погрешном телу или било какве психолошке поремећаје и не морају имати жељу да промене пол. Лични доживљај је пресудан и свако има право да се декларише како жели (питања нисам исклесао у камену).

Постоје индиције да пол може да утиче на род, али налази нису недвосмислени и дефинитивни. Дихотомијa урођено/стечено јесте лажна и погрешно је сводити род на пол, али и сматрати да је род искључиво социјални конструкт. Наслеђе (генотип) и средина (од молекулског миљеа у ћелијама [фетуса] до друштвених утицаја) дубоко се прожимају.

• Синдром неосетљивости на андроген: већина XY пацијената одгојених као жене (п)остају жене.
• Клоакална екстрофија: сви XY пацијенти који су оперисани и одгојени као мушкарци, нису мењали пол – (п)остали су цисродни.
• Конгенитална адренална хиперплазија (CAH): неки XX пацијенти (п)остају мушкарци (утицај хормона in utero vs in puberty).
• Трансродне особе: разлике у можданим структурама у односу на цисродне особе можда могу бити изазване хормонском терапијом и/или бити последица пластичног одговора мозга на срединске факторе (родна улога у друштву), што значи да не морају нужно бити урођене.

“But the hard truth is that there are probably so many contributing streams, and they probably interact in so many different ways, that we will never have a single story to tell about gender development. Even within the same culture, the future of gender will consist of individual case studies that illuminate our questions. But I predict no specific universal story.”

Камен спотицања: мала величина узорка, нерепрезентативни испитаници, мултифакторијелност, полигеност, корелације уместо каузација, немогућност спровођења покуса на људима…

Further readings:
• Longino, Helen E. Studying Human Behavior: How Scientists Investigate Aggression and Sexuality, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013.
• Prinz, Jesse J. Beyond human nature: How culture and experience shape the human mind. WW Norton & Company, 2014.

Колегиници додељујем пехар за занимљиво представљање и критичко разматрање теме, уместо фактографског и сувопарног трошења кисеоника у прегледним радовима-набрајалицама (опрезно са њима јер нису критички и наводе радове чији налази нису репродуцибилни). 🏆

[Jaynie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to read this for my Feminist Theory class. Though interesting at times, a good deal of the detailed science went right over my head. I often struggled to fully understand what Fausto-Sterling was explaining (even though she said this was a simplified text.)
It felt like she was just saying, "this is all the research that's been done... and none of it is right. However, we'll know in the future."

In all, it was an okay read. I would give it two and a half stars if I could.

[Tristan Bridges · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Anne Fausto-Sterling. Sexing the Body is really an amazing book and this book does a great job of breaking down some pretty sophisticated debates about the relative influence of biology and social life on the body for a non-expert. She also has a great explanation of what's so problematic about the nature-vs.-nurture debate, illustrating how that debate is actually flawed. Aside from the fact that either position you take presumes that differences exist (and maybe that they ought to), it's also an inaccurate understanding of the ways in which social life interacts with, is shaped by, and helps shape biological aspects of life. LOVE this. I don't think I'd give it to undergraduates to read in an intro course, but I'd definitely use it to structure some lecture material.

[Puppet · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was not what I was expecting, instead of some more clarity I got more confused. To give a flavour "Maybe newborns that spend a lot of time in a pink environment develop better pink detecting eye-to-brain wiring than children surrounded by blue?" (Pg114)

[James Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 3rd book by Ms Fausto-Sterling which I have read. Without question, for me this was the easiest one to read. Ms Fausto-Sterling is by no means a light weight. She is a biologist, feminist and historian of science and is Professor of Biology and Women's Studies at Brown University. Putting it as an understatement, she knows of what she speaks.
And of what she speaks, with great authority, are the multiple factors that go into the formation of what is commonly called, "gender." Most of us have an everyday sense of what gender is. In a sense, it is a throw-away concept, for example, baby boys wear blue, baby girls wear pink. Girls can't throw a baseball nor a football with any kind of authority. It's a "boy" thing. Boys who can't throw or have interests that lay in what is stereotypically the realm of the "female gender" are called sissies. The reverse are called "tom-boys".
As is her wont, Ms Fausto-Sterling brings a multitude of sciences and research to bear on this notion of "gender." She looks at studies done under the auspices of biology, neurology, psychology, anthropology and even history, to bring the reader to question just what s/he actually means when using the word, "gender."
This is a phenomenal and thought provoking book. AFS manages to bring into question everything we think we know about gender and so-called gender-based differences.
AFS is usually not all that easy to read. She does her homework and, as in her previous two books, "Myths of Gender," and "Sexing the Body - Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality," her notes, graphs, references and suggested further readings (I immediately bought three of them) tend to take up at least as much space as her text, if not more.
One thing is certain, when you read a book by Anne Fausto-Sterling, you know your are reading the work of a very serious scholar. She looks into details that may not even occur to the average reader. She also points out flaws in previous research which leads her to question some findings.
One aspect of this newest volume that is new to me is that she shows a sense of humor. Maybe I just missed it in her previous works, but it is a welcome addition here. This adds to the readability of the volume. It seems written for the broader, more general audience. My opinion is that she succeeds at that goal.
If you want to begin to explore the issue of gender/sexuality, you can do yourself a service by beginning with this volume. Since it is full of references and notes, you are furnished with many tools as to where to go next if you want to continue your exploration. I love this book and will likely read it again.

[Ömer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cinsellik ve cinsiyet çalışan bir biyologun elinden bu kitabı okumak iyi olur diye düşünmüştüm ama çok şey anlatmaya çalışıp hiçbir şey anlatamadığı bir noktaya düşmüş bence. Sadece cinsiyetin farklı katmanlarının ne zaman ve nasıl oluştuğunu açıkladığı ilk bölüm iyiydi, onun dışında ne anlatmayı amaçladığını bile anlayamadım çoğu zaman. Çeviri ve redaksiyon olarak da sıkıntıları vardı bence.

[InvincibleGail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely useful, interesting, and very applicable. Got quite bored in the middle section, but when it got to pink and blue I gained interest again. Lots of the strict science bits lost me and I'm not a huge fan of the tone. However, unraveling the complexity of gender is a hefty task that I can't help but admire.

[Sharad Pandian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember sitting in on a class on gender and sexuality as an undergraduate, when we smugly thought that labelling a certain practice a "social construct" was some sort of devastating critique. The instructor had to patiently repeat that this was at best the beginning of an argument, not an argument in itself (this fell on deaf ears).

This book by Anne Fausto-Sterling, whose background is in both biology and gender studies, can be thought of as a corrective for such intellectual sloth. Her aim is to convey that

biology holds one (not the only—by a long shot) approach to understanding critical world issues and that anyone interested enough to pay attention can learn to read and interpret biology with a suitably critical eye. (xi)

Accordingly she starts off with a pretty detailed description of the scientific story of "normal" development of sex and well as the history of this story. This involves summarizing different steps, but also missteps and corrections. With this basic story in place, she then points to various ways this gets complicated, emphasising problems in existing research and various promising approaches. (Spoilers: female sex development, and sexuality in general is pretty poorly understood!)

Her broad aim is to stop people from thinking about causes crudely in terms of nature vs. nurture, and instead see them as complex dynamic systems:

How do such preferences develop? Th e old way of looking at the question is to ask is it nature or is it nurture? Do girls love pink because of something inborn about their visual system? Indeed, is pink-loving an expression of brain sex (Alexander, 2003)? Or, maybe boys choose blue because these days we associate blue with masculinity; maybe adults and peers offer negative feedback to boys who go for pink? I think that this way of approaching the problem is flat out wrong. To use an analogy taken from a recent book on the topic written by historian and philosopher of science Evelyn Fox Keller, imagine the trait “I love pink” as a 100 gallon bucket of water. Suppose two people (oh call one Mr. Nature and the other Ms. Nurture) are filling up that bucket with separate hoses. If Mr. Nature added 70 gallons and Ms. Nurture 30, then we could say that the 100 gallons is due 70 percent to nature and 30 percent to nurture. But suppose instead that Mr. Nature supplies the hose, while Ms. Nurture brings the bucket. Then what percentage is due to nature and what to nurture? The truth is, the question doesn’t make any sense (Keller, 2010).

There are better ways to look at this problem. They have different names—dynamic systems, developmental dynamics, developmental systems. But they share a few important features. First, they are developmental; that is to say they examine how a trait comes into being over time. How does a trait develop? Second, they ground themselves in the body—not a fixed body—but one that changes over time. This means that to study a trait one always looks at a set of processes over time. Traits may be fairly stable. But if a trait changes—for example, little girls’ pink preferences often change into preferences for purple or red— it doesn’t start from scratch. Rather new traits build on what is already there. (113)

To understand why girls love pink requires noting first that in fact girls were expected to and liked blue even a few decades ago (Chapter 8). To account for why it is preferred today, she suggests that we need to think about how dopamine-generated pleasure can cement external validation according to gender expectations (Chapter 9).

She's quite open that quite a lot isn't known, particularly about how deviation from this story occurs, but points to why this isn't surprising:

Why doesn’t the system work for all children? What accounts for all of the individual variability—from some little boys who prefer pink and frilly (at one end of the spectrum) to little girls who prefer reds or blues, to children who really don’t have strong color preferences? Here again we look to developmental systems. To address the problem of individual variability we need more information— information about variations in physical environment, in gender development, in caregiver and peer interactions and attitudes, and in each individual’s physiology (Kegel, Bus, & van Ijzendoorn, 2011). To gather this missing information we have to do studies that follow individual children over extended periods of time, charting the several systems we hypothesize contribute to color preference and identifying stable preference outcomes. Everything from the color of the nursery wallpaper, the rods and cones in the retina, color processing in the brain, the behaviors of parents and others, the timing of gender knowledge and identity development, and individual differences in the molecules important in the dopamine systems contribute to a little girl’s delight in or a little boy’s aversion to the color pink. (117-8)

At 125 pages of text, and a mostly accessible style (the science, especially in the beginning, is a little dense), you can't ask for a better introductory text to understand how to think about the science of sex/gender/sexuality in a manner that's informed but critical.

[Elliot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Outdated and ciscentric, but way better than you'd expect an outdated ciscentric book about gender to be. Contains a lot of interesting science while remaining mostly accessible. Not bad just not very remarkable, there are better books on the same subject.

[Auclaire. A · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Sex/Gender Biology in a Social World”, by Anne Fausto-Sterling is a great book that utilizes scientific research and prominent social construct issues is a modern world to explain the differences between sex and gender, while further conveying the common misconceptions our society has about the two terms. The reason I gravitated towards this book was because I’m a psychology major and I figured this book would be a good combination of biology and psychology. From what I have learned about the author, Dr. Fausto- Sterling is a biologist and historian of science; impressively enough, she is also a professor of biology and women’s studies at Brown University. So, I truly believe she knows exactly what she’s talking about when she discusses the main points within her book.
Her main point of the book is to convey that “biology holds one (not the only—by a long shot) approach to understanding critical world issues and that anyone interested enough to pay attention can learn to read and interpret biology with a suitably critical eye.” (xi). She discusses the main issue with society which is the vast confusion between sex and gender. Majority of people confuse the two, when in reality the one we have a main grasp of is sex, we know there is male and female, however your sex and your gender are not mutually exclusive, nor are they the same thing. She sums up this societal confusion between sex and gender by stating, “Ever since the field of biology emerged in the United States and Europe at the start of the nineteenth century, it has been bound up in debates over sexual, racial, and national politics. And as our social viewpoints have shifted, so has the science of the body.” Gender is a little harder to define, but more or less, it refers to the role in society you choose to have. We have somewhat of an idea of what gender is, we can discuss common gender roles, or stereotypes that society chooses to give us we see this almost as soon as a couple knows the sex of their baby, we see the pink or blue rooms being painted. We see the dolls and cooking toys for girls, and we see the monsters and trucks for boys. Fausto-Sterling manages to utilize all these subjects to depict her definition of sex and gender, and begin to destroy the misinformation society gives out by confusing the two and using them as synonyms of one another. It’s a common mistake in our society to interchangeably utilize the terms sex and gender. There are two sexes; male and female, however, there are more than two genders. You can have masculine men and women, feminine men and women and some countries even have a third gender. As Fausto-Sterling states in her book, “Male and female babies may be born. But those complex, gender-loaded individuals we call men and women are produced. The complex assembly line includes all of our socialization processes, of which the acquisition of scientific knowledge is but one. Since our culture offers a privileged place to science, however, it is an especially important one.”. Fausto- Sterling depicts her scientific research however, by conveying the true meaning of gender and sex in our modern-day society. This is such a great book for anyone who is interested in biology, anthropology, psychology, or even history!

[Micah Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

While very dense and academic, this was a informative and quick read. The author takes pains to present information fairly and compassionately while also provoking new perspectives. This book was very helpful in helping me to grasp biological sex as a social construct, and gave me a lot of new ways to think about sex and gender development. This book does not answer WHY people are not cishet, and i think that’s a good thing. The author actually acknowledges that we will probably never know, and that’s ok.

[Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, thought provoking read covering a variety of issues related to gender, sex, and human anatomy. It identifies and explains a variety of opinions and research on these diverse topics in a way that is graspable by readers of any background. Though short of words, each page is filled with a diversity of knowledge. A great read to challenge societal preconceptions and learn about the history, psychology, and science of all of us.

[Megan Raulerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read, specifically for those who are trying to gain a greater understanding of the difference between sex and gender, and why these categories are considered socially constructed. I won't lie though, some of this book is genuinely boring but I'd consider it a foundational text and certainly worth the read.

[Hannah Crane · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good. I didn't quite get what I wanted or expected out of it, but it was valuable nonetheless.

[Tiffeni Russo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sex and Gender

This book provides a understanding of sex and gender from a feminist perspective that doesn’t feel so laborious to read.

[Christine Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read summaries of past and present research. I recommend this book to anyone that is interested in or confused by gender issues.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and interesting read!

[Coral · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars- A solid introductory text, but not all that unique. I appreciate that the author highlighted the places where there is more research to be done.

[Nathan Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very abbreviated, at times just slight, but hopefully incentivizes people to read her other stuff.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most fascinating and illuminating book on gender development I have read. Incredible!

[Sam Laverton · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the preface of this book the author states that she has "striven for a lively read." On that front this book certainly delivers. The short chapters and their chronological order gives the reader the feeling of seamless transitions between areas of study.
Some terminology and attitudes have, of course, changed in the years since this book was published in 2012, and it was delightful to read some of the author's accurate predictions of the future.
Overall, this was a good bite-sized read.

[Olga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Fausto Sterling explain why it doesn't make sense to separte body from culture. And as she writes: "To understand sex and gender we have to study how sensory, emotional, and motor experience becomes embodied."

[Dino Wong · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thin book for everyone who is interested in Gender & Science. It attempts to cover most of the controversial topics such as sexual orientation, masculinity & femininity, and biological differences between male & female with sound scientific supports. It is especially suitable for those who have no science background or who just have to have an introduction of sexuality in science. It's a great book in general. No sophisticated jargons were involved I promise. Fausto-Sterling also tried her best to write this fun as funny as she could. And indeed, she made it.

[César Galicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

ENORME libro. En 160 páginas, Fausto-Sterling (bióloga) explica, con evidencia muy dura, todos los sesgos metodológicos que existen detrás de los estudios que intentan establecer relaciones causales entre naturaleza y género. A través de varios debates populares sobre el tema (el origen de la orientación sexual, la preferencia de niños/niñas por determinados juguetes, el misterio de la intersexualidad), Fausto-Sterling hace una revisión crítica sobre la forma en que medios y academia han abordado el problema de la naturaleza-crianza en la construcción del género y sexualidad. Considero que debería ser lectura básica para cualquier persona interesada en estos debates. Lástima que esté tan caro y todavía no esté traducido al español :'(

Por otro lado, es sorprendente y triste que existan personas que lo han reseñado mal porque no responde preguntas (al contrario: plantea nuevas y cuestiona las respuestas que creemos tener) y porque por momentos es "muy científico".

Fui fanssss.

[Jess Grayson (bookspastbedtime) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book explored the complexities surrounding sex and gender within the medical/scientific sphere. And, while it was an interesting subject matter, it was a bit like reading a textbook due to all the scientific elements (which aren't really my cup of tea to begin with). Plus, the narrator was annoying at times - often switching between an informative and a conversational tone in a manner that came across as odd. Overall, this book basically concludes in saying that we know very little for sure about the way sex and gender manifest in scientific terms. A statement which I could have made with near certainty before picking up this book.

[David Lucander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good book, but all the X and Y stuff confuses me just as much now that I'm a Ph.D. as it did when I was on the verge of flunking high school. A compact read, would be a nice companion piece for Intro. to Gender Studies or an anthropology class. Fausto-Sterling hammers home the idea: it's not nature or nurture, it's both!

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very short but it covers all the basics of the "nature vs nurture"
debate when it comes to sex and gender and reveals it to be a false dicotomy. it amazes me how people seem incapable of understanding this stuff, especially when Fausto-Sterling puts it so well and so easily together.

[6655321 · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a more intro-y version of "Sexing the Body" so its a good introduction to arguments about the relationship between chromosomes/sex/gender/embodiment from a critical scientific point of view that also covers (somewhat more scantily) debates concerning sexuality.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The subject matter was fascinating and the biology wasn't too far over my head, at least it wasn't explained too in-depth that I couldn't follow it. I definitely recommend and I will read the author again.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and comprehensive summary of sex and gender science

I greatly appreciated the author's unbiased knowledge, explanations accessible to a layman like me, and how she throughly covered the subjects.