gender

Question 1

Define androgynous

Answer 1

Androgyny describes a gender identity that is a balance of female and male characteristics

Question 2

Androgyny AO1

Answer 2

Bem suggested that a person who is androgynous is more happier and fulfilled as they can combine traits that are masculine and feminine to adapt to any situation (sex role adaptability).
Bem developed the Bem sex role inventory which included 60 masc, fem or neutral traits to rate yourself from 1 - 7. Scores are then worked out to classify someone into 4 categories.

Question 3

Androgyny AO3

Answer 3

• It is quantitative therefore useful in research as it is easier to identify a dependent variable. however Spence argues that there is more to gender than a set of characteristics and states that a qualitative approach is more reliable
• The scale was developed by 50 male and 50 female judges to rate 200 traits in terms of how male or female they are. They then chose the top 20 traits for each gender and piloted the study with 1000 students. The results highly corresponded with the student’s own gender identity description.
• Many people are unaware of their own personality therefore decreasing reliability.

Question 4

chromosomes and hormones

Answer 4

AO1
- Y chromosome carries SRY which causes testes to grow which produces androgens
- testosterone makes suprachiasmatic nucleus bigger in males
- women produce more oxytocin than males, particularly towards babies and it lowers cortisol
AO3
- Wong et al - gave T to 227 people with hypogonadism for 180 days and their muscle strength, libido and mood improved but O’Connor et al increased T in healthy young men and there were no improvements
- Biologically reductionist
- Hofstede argues gender roles are shaped by social norms and not biology

Question 5

atypical chromosome patterns

Answer 5

AO1
- Klinefelter’s syndrome XXY (1/600)
Small testes, no facial hair, broad hips, delayed puberty, poor academic skills, quiet with increased chance of anxiety and depression
Turner’s syndrome XO
delayed onset of puberty, short, appearance of a prepubescent girl, higher than average cognitive and verbal ability but socially immature
AO3
- Research allowed for early hormone treatment and support groups
- Sampling issue (only the most severe have been identified)
- supports nature of nature nurture due to psychological differences, but this may just be due to people treating them differently because of their appearance

Question 6

Kohlberg’s gender development

Answer 6

AO1
1. gender identity (18 months - 3)
recognise their gender but they don’t know they will stay that way forever
2. gender stability (3 - 5)
they know they’ll stay the same, but base gender on appearance instead of genitals
3. gender constancy (6-7)
children know gender stays the same across different situations, and look at same gender models
AO3
George found 4 year olds thought it was fine for boys to play with dolls, but 6 year olds did not. but Bussey and Bandura reported 4 year olds said they feel good when playing with gender specific toys
Bem - 40% 3-5
does not account for people who are transgender and non-binary

Question 7

Gender Schema

Answer 7

AO1
Proposes that children actively look for gender role stereotypes around the age of 2-3, after gender identity
They observe and imitate the behaviours of their ingroup (gender consistent behaviour), and their outgroup is ignored
AO3
- Martin and Halverson 6 year olds recalling pictures
- explains cultural differences

Question 8

psychodynamic theory

Answer 8

AO1
oedipus complex
- in the phallic stage, boys develop feelings for their mothers, and see their fathers as competition, they develop a fear that their father will castrate them and therefore identifies with the father in order to relieve that fear, in doing this, internalising their fathers behaviours and attitudes
electra complex
- in the phallic stage, girls develop a deep resentment towards their mother due to believing their mother castrated them and jealousy of their father. to overcome this, the girl replaces her desire to have a penis with the desire to have a baby.
little hans’s fear of castration was transferred onto fear of horses

AO3
- rekers and morey - 49 boys aged 3-11. 75% of those who were gender disturbed had no father figure but bos and sandfort found when comparing 63 lesbian families and 68 tradional families
- unscientific and lack stable evidence
- took an idiographic approach to researching however attempts to be nomothetic

Question 9

social learning theory

Answer 9

direct and vicarious reinforcement, identification and modelling, mediational processes
AO3
- smith and lloyd - adults gave gender app. toys to babies. but it may be innate as boys are more active (hormones)
- soft determinism
- cannot explain differences between siblings but it can explain cultural differences

Question 10

culture on gender

Answer 10

AO1
- Mead studied cultural groups in Papua New Guinea
Arapesh - gentle and responsive
Mundugumor - aggressive and hostile
Tchambuli - women dominant and men seen as decoration
Buss found across 37 countries that men want someone youthful and attractive, whereas women want someone wealthy and has resources
AO3
- Hofstede supports Mead in that women are increasingly going to work in industrialised countries, but in some societies, women still stay home
- Freeman critisised Mead for having possible observer bias and ethnocentrism