Gender Flashcards
Paper 3
what is the difference between sex and gender
Sex - Biological and determined by chromosomes
Gender - social and is determined by behaviours, attitudes etc
What biological pattern of chromosomes do each sex have
Male - XY
Female - XX
What three types of ways may a person refer to someones sex
- Chromosomal sex
- Gonadal sex (The posession of ovaries or testes)
- Genital sex (the posession of a vagina or penis)
Definition of gender identity disorder
When a person does not feel like their gender suits their sex
What does gender androgyny mean
When an individual has an equal balance of both male and female characteristics
How does Olds believe gender androgyny occurs
Developmental stage - only select people reach
How does Bem think gender adrogyny occurs
Differing cognitives styles - variety of behaviours can be adopted
How does Orlofsky think gender androgony occurs
Behavioural style - learned by reinforcement
Bem Sex Role Inventory - Procedure
Stage 1:
- 100 Americans students (50/50) asked to rate 200 traits as masculine or feminine
- 60 traits selected for the final inventory - 20 masc, 20 fem, 20 neutral
- The BSRI was then created - each participant would be asked to rate themselves on a 7 point likert scale for each of the 60 traits
- Results led to 1 of 4 categories :
- Masculine
- Feminine
- Androgynous
- Undifferentiated
How did Bem ensure the test was reliable
- BSRI piloted on 1000 students to see if their result matched their own description - it did
- Some of the 1000 were tested again a month later
What approach can we link with sex - role stereotypes and why
Social learning theory - imitating models
What result on the BSRI would make an individual undifferentiated
Low masculine , Low feminine
Two (+) positives of the Bem study
- High degree of validity - the gender/ gender neutral traits included on the inventory identified by 100 people (no experimenter bias)
- Test - retest vaidity high - they redid the test 1 month later and similar scores were revealed
- Bem concluded that androgyny was a very positive attitude/ choice
What may a counterpoint be to Bem saying that androgyny is a positive choice
Some argue that it is dependent on what society you live in (e.g masculine people fit in easier in a patriarchal society - Batista boys) - Cultural bias
1 negative of Bems study
Gender identity is too complex to be reduced to a single score - BSRI has been developed - e.g PAQ (Personal Attribute Questionnaire) - this still suggests that it is still quantifiable though
What is the chromosomic pattern in Turners Syndrome
XO - only one X chromosome on 23rd pair
What is the chromosomic pattern in Klinefelters Syndrome
XXY - additional X chromome on 23rd pair
Approximately how many females are affected by Turners Syndrome
1 in 5000
Females with Turners Syndrome have how many chromosomes
45
What are some physical characteristics of Turners Syndrome
- Do not have a menstrual cycle
- Sterile (as ovaries do not develop)
- Breasts do not develop
- Webbed neck
What are some psychological characteristics of Turners Syndrome
- Higher than average reading ability
- Poor visual memory
- Poor spatial awareness
- Lower than average mathematical skills
What are some physical characteristics of Klinefelters Syndrome
- Reduced body hair
- May be some breast development
- Long gangly limbs
What are some psychological characteristics of Klinefelters Syndrome
- Poorly developed language skills & reading ability
- Passive, shy and lack interest in sexual activity
- Have problems with memory and / or problem solving
What are two positives of Atypical sex chromosomic patterns
- Studies of people with atypical sex chromosome patterns are useful as they contribute to our understanding of the nature - nurture debate in gender development
- continued research into atypical chromosomes is likely to lead to earlier and more accurate diagnosis of Turners and Klinefelters Syndromes as well as more positive outcomes in the future - practical application
Three negatives of atypical chromosomes patterns
- Issues with leaping to conclusions - environmental and social influences are more responsible for the behavioural differences - nature vs nurture
- Generalisability as conclusions are drawn from unrepresentative sample (atypical to wider population)
- Those with the syndromes may look different leading to them being treated differently - can be difficult to assess the relative contribution of nature and nurture
What are the six main hormones
- Oestregen
- Testoterone
- Progesterone
- Oxytocin
- Melatonin
- Cortisol