Gender Notes Gender is the cultural construction of whether one is female, male, or something else. Gender roles are the tasks and activities a culture assigns by gender. They vary with environment, economy, adaptive strategy, and type of political system. Gender stereotypes are oversimplified, strongly held views about the characteristics of males and females. Gender stratification is the unequal distribution of social value by gender. Matrilocality is residence after marriage with the wife’s relatives. In such societies, female status tends to be high. The patrilineal-patrilocal complex is male supremacy based on patrilineality, patrilocality, and warfare. Patriarchy political system ruled by men. Gender inequality is spawned by patriarchy. The feminization of poverty is increasing representation of women (and their children) among the poorest people. Transgender is a gender identity that is socially constructed and individually performed by individuals. Their gender identity contradicts their biological sex at birth and the gender identity assigned to them in infancy. Intersex is pertaining to a group of biological conditions reflecting a discrepancy between external and internal genitals. (hermaphroditism) Cisgender is someone who still identifies with the gender assigned to them at birth. To some extent, gender, sexual preferences, and even sexual orientation are culturally constructed. Gender identity is a person’s identification by self and others as male, female, or something else. Sexual orientation is sexual attraction to persons of the opposite sex (heterosexuality), same sex (homosexuality), or both sexes (bisexuality). Asexuality, indifference toward or lack of attraction to either sex. Culture always plays a role in molding individual sexual urges toward a collective norm. Think like an anthropologist  1. If sex refers to biological and physiological characteristics, then gender refers to socially constructed roles. In turn, sexuality is sexual attraction to persons (the same or opposite sex). These concepts are closely related to each other since, based on sex, society assigns a particular gender, and specific sexuality is expected. Anthropologists are uniquely positioned to study the relationship between these three concepts as they explore the origins and evolution of the physical organization of humans, who have had the most varied characteristics of these three concepts.  2. An example of a gender role: a woman is gentle, compassionate, caring, and is only engaged in maintaining the home and raising children. An example of a gender stereotype is toys and games for children – dolls for girls, cars and robots for boys. An example of gender stratification: the number of male politicians significantly exceeds the number of female politicians.  3. The feminization of poverty – increasing representation of women (and their children) among poorest people. This trend is typical not only for a North American, but also for Japan, certain South Asian and southeast Asian countries, certain African countries, and the Caribbean. It is because the income of families of single women is half that of families of married couples. It follows that