6.3a Gender and Development

Question 1

Sex

Answer 1

one’s biological status as either male or female, and is associated primarily with physical
attributes

Question 2

Gender

Answer 2

socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for boys and men or girls and women

Question 3

Puberty

Answer 3

the time of sexual maturation (becoming physically able to reproduce)

• Primary Sex Characteristics: reproductive organs
• Secondary Sex Characteristics: body hair, changing voice

Question 4

Transgender

Answer 4

people have a sense of sexual identity that is different from their birth sex.

Question 5

Sexual orientation

Answer 5

an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic and/or sexual attractions to men, women, or both sexes

Question 6

Gender role

Answer 6

the behaviors expected of people related to their identity as men and women

Question 7

Gender identity

Answer 7

one’s sense of whether one is male and female, including a sense of what it means to be that gender

Question 8

Social learning theory

Answer 8

we learn gender role behavior by imitation, and by rewards and punishments that shape our behavior

Question 9

Gender schemas

Answer 9

the cognitive frameworks for developing concepts of “male” and “female”; these frameworks guide our observations

Question 10

Gender typing

Answer 10

the instinct which drives some children to fit into traditional gender roles