Identity and Disability, Gender and Sexuality

• Factors that shape an individual's sense of self and identity

  • Age
  • Disability
  • Ethnicity
  • Gender
  • Nationality
  • Sexuality
  • Social class
• Disability


  • A label that is often more of a problem for an individual than the actual "disability"
  • Disability is a social construct rather than a biological fact
  • Impairments make some tasks harder, but everyone has some impairments but only some of them are labelled as disabled
• Disability as a handicap

  When an impairment is socialised into being understood in terms of disadvantage
• Equality of access, regardless of impairment, is important
• There is often discrimination against people with disabilities (or impairments) and clear inequality
• Discredited and discreditable disabilities

  Discredited are those with a visible disability, discreditable are those with invisible disabilities
• Visible physical disabilities are arguably less stigmatised than invisible impairments
• Gender


  The social differences between males and females based on social factors like values, perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes
• Gender identity formation


  1. Canalisation (parents give gender-specific toys)

  2. Manipulation (parents encourage gender-appropriate behaviour)
• Feminist perspectives on gender

  • Liberal feminism
  • Radical feminism
  • Marxist feminism
  • Difference feminism
  • Postmodern feminism
• Masculinity crisis


  Men are unsure of their role due to economic change and undermining of old occupation-based identities
• Sexuality


  Sexual orientation: who people are sexually attracted to
• Main categories of sexuality

  • Heterosexual
  • Homosexual
  • Bisexual
• Sexual Offences Act made gay sex for men aged over 21 legal in England and Wales


  1967
• Sexual Offences Act removed all legal differences between homosexual and heterosexual sex

  2004
• Civil Partnerships Act allowed same-sex couples to declare a legally recognised civil partnership

  2005
• Same Sex Marriage legalised in England and Wales

  2013
• 77% of the British public supported same-sex marriage in 2017, up from 68% in 2009
• Gay people are much less likely to feel comfortable with public displays of affection than heterosexual people