The Five Sexes Why Male and Female Are Not Enough by Anne...

In the article â€Å"The Five Sexes: Why Male and Female Are Not Enough†, Anne Fausto-Sterling makes some very compelling points. One of her main points is that the western worlds binary system of sex is to constraining and proposes that instead our system should be increase to five, or possible more, sexes. This paper will explain the premises of her argument and important terms. This will be followed by a counterargument as to why three sexes are the max needed and that Fausto-Sterling view could lead towards an anti-essentialism approach and thus the tertiary system would be a far better fit. Then finally it will conclude with what Anne Fausto-Sterling’s response might be and a reflection comparing the two, that being her argument and the counter argument. Anne Fausto-Sterling first goal is to present a case of a 23 year old person living in 1843. This individual’s issue at the time involved wanting to vote. The issue that arises from this case is that first it took place before women’s suffrage and thus only men were allowed to vote. The issue with Levi Suydam was that this individual had both male and female biological sex organs. Thus it was decided to call a doctor to decide which sex this individual was more aligned with and make a decision as if Suydam could vote. At first the doctor decided that because the individual has a phallus he was a male, but this was later overturned when the doctor finds out that the individual menstruated and had a vaginal opening. The mainShow MoreRelatedThe traditional biological understandings of sex and gender create a binary concept mainly in the800 Words   |  4 Pagesgender create a binary concept mainly in the Western culture by having two strictly fixed options of male or fema le. This binary notion of gender and sex was put to the test by both Anne Fausto-Sterling and Oyeronke Oyewumi. Sterling argues that rather than just two separate ends, biological gender occurs across a continuum of possibilities. This spectrum of anatomical deviation by itself should be enough to disregard the simplistic notion of only two genders. Oyewumi acknowledges that there is a binaryRead MoreEssay on Anne Fausto-Sterlings The Five Sexes1151 Words   |  5 Pagessources, as well as others, have evolved into an expectation that has become institutionalized within society. This expectation, is placement and belonging into the binary system of person: the man or the woman. In Anne Fausot-Sterlings acrticles â€Å"The Five Sexes† and the â€Å"The Five Sexes, Revisited†, the binary system is exposed as being faulted. The author explores the harsh physical and psychological costs that come with the conforming to social standards. In order to understand this phenomenaRead MoreGender Is Not So Much Determined By God Nor By Biology Essay1618 Words   |  7 Pagesas the Western society, there are only two sexes that are recognized (Lorber, 1993, p. 569). Males are said to have XY chromosome (testes and a penis) whereas women are said to have XX chromosome (vagina and ovaries) (Fausto-Sterling, 1993, pp. 40-41). However the concept of labelling genitalia as ‘male’ or ‘female’ is problematic. This is because it completely disregards the individuals who are intersex. Anne Fausto- Sterling went on to suggest the five sex system in order to have the individualsRead MoreGender Inequality Between Men And Women908 Words   |  4 Pagescultures, such as inequalities in power and access to resources. However, both of these understandings of sex and gender perpetuate the idea that individuals are categorized into binary categories. 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The goal and purpose of sociologists doing this is to open the eyes of the public to become conscious of what is happening around them and to accept the differences that exist around the