Chapter 10 Flashcards
sex definition
biological division of males and females based on chromosomes, genitals, and secondary sexual characteristics (male, female, intersex)
sex differences definition
focuses on average differences between males and females
gender definition
roles and behaviors attributed to a particular sex, man can be labeled as adult male or identify with stereotypical masculine traits - politics can steer scientific inquiries and bias results
transgender example
Bruce Jenner to Caitlyn Jenner in 2015, Olympic gold metal in decathlon
origins of sex
difficult to separate hormonal influences from purely genetic ones, primary differences is XX vs XY, TDF
testis-determining factor
determines sex, produces chain reaction that results in sex differences, in the womb TDF produces testis which turns into testosterone
gender roles
the interests, activities, responsibilities, and other norms of sexes, some are cultural like clothes, others are universal like aggression in males and caregiving in females - Roosevelt wore a dress as a child because it was normal
sex difference in chimpanzees with agression
shows that it’s not just due to societal norms made by humans
roles of evolution and culture
evolutionary psychologists say that sex differences in personality and sexuality are partly rooted in reproduction - innate tendencies, evolution is scaffolding which everything is built upon
cross culture variation in sex differences
often changes as cultures change, like women edu and career -> more men caretakers, lower sex difference in countries with more gender equality, larger sex difference in personality traits in individualistic/industrialized nations
generally caused by interaction of genetics, biology, social roles, and culture
stereotypes
commonly held beliefs about how different groups differ, some have basis in truth and others don’t - must look broadly at sex differences like interests, cognitive ability, sexuality
male scientists belief in 1800s and before
that women were incapable of abstract thought
sex differences and reproductive success
some suggest differences reflect evolutionary driven making variations between males and females (like aggression and reproductive success)
gender differences between facets of big 5
small to moderate in size, height is more different, overlap makes sense
neuroticism is largest difference with 34% men higher than women
46% men higher on extraversion
44% men higher on agreeableness
45% men higher on conscientiousness
52% men higher on openness
effect of small average differences on the extreme values
large difference, like physical aggression, men 4x more likely to be arrested for violent crimes and 9x more for murder
2-3x more women high neuroticism, so shows two fold risk of depression
women and leadership
have more positive view of women except when they’re leaders, judged more harshly, choose between respected or liked, women perform better and others rate them better but men rate themselves as better
women hold fewer higher status positions than men
observational learning
children learn that males and females do certain things, gender roles, from parents and peers
Terman and Miles (1936)
developed early test of masculinity and femininity - 2 constructs on 1 dimension and assumed on 1 scale
Spence and Helmreich
developed Personal Attributes Questionnaire (1978), set on separate dimensions, focuses primarily on stereotypical gender traits, not measure of sexual orientation, women’s masculinity has gradually increased since 1970’s
PAQ low femininity and masculinity, high of both
undifferentiated, androgynous
Jobs and hobbies between men and women
large difference, women interested in people over things, depend on context and feelings welcome in environment, men focus on thing rather than people (agency), largest % men occupations are fishing, logging, and waste management
early age sex differences
girls can do what boys do but not vise versa, gender neutral toys are similar to those marketed to boys, but pink its girls only
Nonverbal behaviors and emotions
women more likely to show emotions through facial expressions, women smile more (starts in late elementary school), experience same emotions and physical heart rate but express different
body expansiveness
manspreading,, could be male entitlement or physiological
gender and appearances
women focus more on how others perceive them (self-objectification), so could lead to neuroticism/depression
men focus on body’s performance
girls/women only report slightly lower self-esteem than boys/men
self-esteem differences
females score higher on behavioral conduct, moral-ethical
males score higher in appearance, athletics
(60% more men narcissistic, higher extraversion and lower agreeableness)
acceptance by opposite-sex parent has most impact on adult self-esteem
sociosecuality
men want sex more and more sex, approve of casual sex, more sexual partners (18 vs 6), want more sexual partners in lifetime than women but want to settle down with one partner
Clark and Hatfield study (1989)
attractive confederate asks if would go on a date (50:50), back to apartment (69:9), have sex (75:0)
cognitive abilities stereotype
women bad at math, checking box before taking math test can decrease women’s math performance (called stereotype threat, also tested with Black community), math performance difference is about zero - any difference is probably due to culture
spatial ability and verbal abilities
men better with spatial ability (d = .57) differs by culture and shrunk over time
women better at verbal and vocab and reading comprehension, and decoding nonverbal behaviors
takeaway with gender
some differences exist and are typically small to moderate in size and perhaps culturally driven
