Chap 11 - Gender and Sexuality Flashcards
hijras
in India, this term is used to describe third-sex individuals, often individuals with biologically male genitalia who dress in ways that appear feminine but do not view themselves as either male or female
biological sex
The physical characteristics that define male and female - anatomical and physiological characteristics related to reproduction
Gender
incorporates all those features that a society associates with or considers appropriate for men and women
women as a group earn less money than men - is this a sex or gender difference?
This is not a sex difference but a gender difference because it arises from societal forces that have created different expectations and outcomes for males and females in the workforce
rare cases of sex chromosome abnormalities
a girl may have only one X chromosome or a boy may have three sex chromosomes (XYY or XXY)
intersex individuals: they have some combination of sex chromosomes, genitalia, hormones, and gonads that differ from the standard combination
Female brains tend to have more gray-matter volume in some parts of the…
prefrontal cortex, which is located behind the forehead and is involved in decision making
male brains have more gray-matter volume in…
subcortical temporal structures, which are located deep in the brain and contribute to auditory and visual processing, long-term memory, and emotions
why might males have an advantage, in general, in mapping their perceptual experiences with actions (such as perceiving a ball moving quickly toward them and swinging a bat to make contact with the ball)?
the typical male brain shows a pattern of connections that largely operate within a single hemisphere moving from front to back or vice versa in either the left or right hemisphere
why may be why females, in general, are able to combine analytical and intuitive thinking to reach solutions that are beneficial to a group?
the typical female brain shows a pattern of connections that go across the two hemispheres
when do brain differences between the sexes emerge in development?
The differences are not evident in children’s brains but emerge during adolescence, suggesting they are connected to hormonal processes during puberty
what alters the development of the brain and nervous system? For example, it signals the male brain to stop secreting hormones in a cyclical pattern so that males do not experience menstrual cycles at puberty
relative amount of testosterone
estrogen affects the anatomy and physiology of which part of the brain?
hippocampus, which plays an important role in long-term memory and spatial orientation
gender roles
A pattern of behaviors and traits that defines how to act the part of a female or a male in a particular society. (e.g., the roles of wife, mother, and woman for females and of husband, father, and man for males)
gender-role norms
society’s expectations or standards concerning what males and females should be like
gender stereotypes
Overgeneralized and largely inaccurate beliefs about what males and females are like. - generated by gender-role norms in each society
where do many gender stereotypes originate?
with a grain of truth, and in the case of gender stereotypes, the grain may be the physical makeup of males and females - e.g., women’s ability to bear and nurse children
- communality
communality
An orientation that emphasizes the well-being of others and includes traits of emotionality and sensitivity to others; considered feminine.
agency
an orientation toward individual action and achievement that emphasizes traits of dominance, independence, assertiveness, and competitiveness; considered masculine
what are viewed as the two fundamental psychological dimensions of human nature that are widespread across a variety of cultures?
Communion and agency
today’s adults are more likely than those from prior decades to believe in male–female equality when it comes to what aspect?
competence
men and women in the mid-1990s described themselves more similarly than men and women did 25 years earlier, largely because modern women saw themselves as having more…
agentic traits
Most millennials, male and female, have what type of views about the roles for men and women?
egalitarian
gender identity
Individuals’ basic awareness that they are either a male or a female.
cis is Latin for
“on this side of”