Gender 1 | Sex and gender

Question 1

AO1: What is the difference between sex and gender?

Answer 1

Sex refers to biological differences between males and females such as chromosomes hormones and anatomy Gender refers to psychological and social differences influenced by culture and upbringing.

Question 2

AO1: What are sex-role stereotypes?

Answer 2

Sex-role stereotypes are shared expectations within a society about how males and females should behave often reinforced by socialisation processes.

Question 3

AO1: What is androgyny?

Answer 3

Androgyny refers to a personality type where an individual possesses both masculine and feminine characteristics allowing them to adapt to different situations flexibly.

Question 4

AO1: How did Bem (1974) measure androgyny?

Answer 4

Bem developed the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) a self-report questionnaire where participants rated themselves on 60 personality traits classified as masculine feminine or neutral The traits were selected based on how desirable they were for men and women in American society Participants rated themselves on a 7-point Likert scale and their scores determined their androgyny level with high scores in both masculine and feminine traits indicating androgyny.

Question 5

AO3: What is a strength of distinguishing between sex and gender?

Answer 5

It highlights the influence of both biological and social factors in shaping behaviour as seen in cases like David Reimer where biological sex overrode socialisation.

Question 6

AO3: What is a limitation of sex-role stereotypes?

Answer 6

They are often culturally biased and socially imposed rather than biologically determined as shown by research where adults reinforced gender stereotypes when interacting with babies.

Question 7

AO3: How is androgyny linked to psychological well-being?

Answer 7

Androgynous individuals tend to have greater psychological flexibility and well-being with research showing they experience lower stress and higher self-esteem.

Question 8

AO3: What is a limitation of the BSRI?

Answer 8

It relies on self-report measures which are subject to social desirability bias and its definitions of masculinity and femininity may be outdated and culturally biased.