Som Oeurn MAO Sharing knowledge to peers, friends and others is one of my habits and passion, and I hope that this little preparation will help others to gain more knowledge for their own benefits, family and society as a whole.

1. សាកលវិទ្យាល័យបញ្ញា សាស្រ្តកម្ពុជា
Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia (PUC)
Gender Studies
ジェンダー学
Homework 2: Gender
Prof. Kasumi Nakagawa
Som Oeurn Mao
ID: 135908 / GROUP 9
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Gender and Power by Kasumi May 11, 2018
1. What is difference between sex and gender, according to the dominant
Anglo-American usage?
o Gender, in the dominant Anglo-American usage, is usually seen as a
socially determined difference based upon the biological differences
between sexes (Marchbank & Letherby, 2014).
o Sex, the state of being either female or male, is determined by biological
characteristics, such as anatomical, reproductive and chromosomal
attributes. Sex is deemed to be natural, whereas gender is seem as the
social expression of natural, biological differences, primarily based upon
the appearance of genitals (Marchbank & Letherby, 2014).
2. The author presents some reasons why separating Gender from Sex impose
some problems. Such division between Gender and Sex is called Binary
system and it is not correct in many ways. Read the text and find out some
answers (at least one reason of why it is not correct).
o Gender is usually described as socially constructed, and sex as biological.
The categorizing of all human beings as “male” or “female” is left
unquestioned. However, this does not always fit with local realities. For
example, cultures of eunuchs in India, or transgender in the USA all
suggest that there is more to sex than just male and female. Perhaps ideas
of sex are socially constructed too (Bridge, 2002).
o Traditional gender or sexual binaries were unstable, variable and
historically contingent (supeditato) (indeed, that everyone was
potentially gay) pointed the way towards queer theory (Rich, Smith,
Sedwick & Butler, 2011).
3. How are boys educated to be an “appropriate boy” in the Cambodian society?
All Cambodian boys are educated to be appropriate boys through the rules
of how to be a good boy or man (Chbab Pros). Bellows are some ideas of
those rules:
o Listen to parent(s) for always
o Know what is right and what is wrong (common sense and logic)
o Learn more skills to help themselves, family and others
o Make parents’ lives easier
Instruction
 Read the textbook Chapter 1: Gendered perspective, Type your answer to
the questions below and submit your homework on 11 May.
 Avoid plagiarism.

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o Don’t disobey parent(s) in public
o Be kind, nice, polite, respectful and honest to others
o Be kind to girls or woman, especially old women
o Obey the rules and regulations
o Don’t lie others
o Apologize when making a mistake
o Help out in community
o Spread positive energy
Being a good boy is not always easy, and the most important thing is that we
need to learn how to treat our family members and the people around us with
friendliness, fair, kindness and respect. Being a good boy in Cambodia
doesn’t mean, we have to be perfect, but it does mean that we should show
compassion and understanding toward others.
4. How are girls educated to be an “appropriate girl” in the Cambodian society?
All Cambodian girls are educated to be appropriate girls through the rules of
how to be a good girl or woman (Chbab Srey). Bellows are some ideas of those
rules:
o Respect and listen to parent(s)
o Don’t disobey parent(s) in public.
o Learn helpful skills such as how to cook, do laundry, do housework,
Keep house clean and other basic tasks
o Offer help as much as they can at home
o Be polite, nice and kind to your sibling(s) and others
o Be honest and don’t lie others
o Treat everyone with respect, including those who are
different from them
o Be patient and If they get angry, defuse the situation or leave
o Be mindful and honest about their romantic relationships
o Show people how much they appreciate others
o Look for the best in everyone
5. How do you identify yourself as feminine or masculine? List of some of your
characters which are more feminine, and also list up some of your characters
which are more masculine.
After learning this chapter, basically, I can identify myself as feminine or
masculine depending on four broad camps:
1. Biological
2. Social learning theory
3. Materialist, in particular, feminist materialists
4. Discourse/language

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Here are some of my characters which are more masculine:
o Physical strength
o A bit aggressiveness
o Competitiveness & Challenging
o Confidence
o Firmness
o Deference to truth over feelings
o Passion
And here are some of my characters which are more feminine:
o Friendliness
o Assertiveness
o Protectiveness
o Emotional Sometimes
o Fairness
6. List up some characters/traits of having a hegemonic masculinity in
Cambodian society.
o Practically, men still dominate women in Cambodia society;
however, the law says that both men and women have equal rights.
o Men are the ones who make decision in the family
o Men can go out at night while women cannot
o Some men have more secret relationships while women cannot
7. If a Cambodian boy may/cannot comply with ideas of hegemonic
masculinity, what sanctions/punishments are waiting for him?
If a Cambodian boy or man may comply with ideas of hegemonic
masculinity, for example, secret relationships while they are having wife,
they will face the law called “Adultery Law of Cambodia”. Moreover, those
men will be criticized by their own family, other people, especially the
society as a whole. And another consequence is that they will block real
intimacy with their partner. That man and their secret holder feels guilty,
or at least uncomfortable, during intimate moments with the deceived
person. They will lose honesty which is valued as a moral norm, although
the context and specifics may differ among cultures. In contrast, for
domination, going out at night or making decision in family, it hasn’t had
any clear sanctions or punishments yet in Cambodian society.

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References
Bridge. (2002, September). bridge. Retrieved from
http://www.bridge.ids.ac.uk: http://www.bridge.ids.ac.uk/dgbg10.html
Marchbank & Letherby. (2014). introduction to gender social science
perspectives. New York, NY 10017: Routledge.
Rich, Smith, Sedwick & Butler. (2011, May 16). slideshare. Retrieved from
https://www.slideshare.net: https://www.slideshare.net/pvillacanas/iv-
gender-studies?qid=f95dcd3d-716e-4cef-8dd6-
5327c18e069a&v=&b=&from_search=33