Gender Flashcards
Sex
Whether you are male or female is determined by your biology
Gender Identity
Is whether you are masculine or feminine, and is determined by both biological and environmental factors
Sex role stereotypes
Expectations by society, change over time and between cultures, guide our behaviour- e.g masculine characteristics- main income, colour blue. Feminine characteristics- housewife, colour pink. Learnt by: social learning theory, direct tuition, direct reinforcement
AO3- Sex role stereotypes
POSITIVE:
- Make society easy- everybody knows what their roles are- both in family and at work
NEGATIVE:
- Support/ lead to inequality- disadvantage females- in recent times- females take on work of housewife, mum and job
- Females: don’t have an expectation of dressing. Able to get a job- able to support yourself- get an education- less unusual to not have children
- Males: expected to contribute to family home- cooking, cleaning, childcare. Show emotion
- Cultural differences: In some Middle Eastern countries- women should be at home- traditional roles
Elaboration:
- Sex role stereotypes are shaped by society in all cultures
- Deterministic argument- accept sex role stereotypes- ignores we have free will to reject the culture
- Change sex role stereotypes: role modelling (not just from parent, TV + social media), children see both parents in both roles- more likely to be flexible
Chromosomes and hormones in sex and gender
- Female has XX, Male has XY
- Y chromosome determines the sex of a male
- First 6 weeks after conception (fertilisation) there are no structural differences between genetically male and genetically female embryos
- 6 weeks after conception the crucial window for sexual differentiation opens
- Y chromosome triggers production of hormones
- When the foetus is about 3 months old, the testes produce testosterone which causes external male genitalia to develop
Gender related behaviours linked to hormones
Testosterone:
- Aggression
- Sexual behaviours
- Playing with cars etc
Male brain is more primed towards systems
Lack of Testosterone:
- Empathising
- Maternal behaviours
Female brain is better at sympathising to link hormones to gender roles.
(Gender role behaviours caused by hormones which link to chromosome suggests gender roles aren’t always learnt)
Sex differences in brain development
- Right hemisphere more developed in males- spatial awareness skills. Testosterone slows down the development of certain parts of the brain and speeds growth of other parts.
- Left hemisphere more developed in females- conservative, less likely to take risks
Oestrogen
- All embryos start off as female, therefore without the presence of testosterone, embryos will follow a female pathway
- This is why certain athletes might of been labelled as female in the womb
Oxytocin
- Females produce more oxytocin
- Promotes bonding
- Females are more likely to produce oxytocin in times of stress- helps produce milk
AO3- Supporting research + Contradictory evidence
COME BACK TO
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Young showed that female monkeys exposed to male hormones during pre- natal development tended to engage in more rough and tumble play in their early years- exposed to testosterone in the womb. Support that it’s our genes and hormones that decide our gender
Support the biological approach because animals aren’t being socialised highlighting gender difference in hormones as nothing is being learnt, e.g no role model, unlike humans who will be socialised since birth
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- However, similar results have been found in humans
- Researchers found that mothers who took male sex hormones during pregnancy to stop bleeding had girls who acted in a more masculine way and boys whose mothers had female hormones during pregnancy were less athletic
AO3 Supporting Evidence
COME BACK TO
- Batista family- Some male family members were born appearing female and raised but became physically male at puberty and began living as males.
- Supports biological approach- despite being socialised as girls, they felt male - wanted to cut their hair + player with boys
- Gender is determined by chromosomes
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- David Reimer study- raised as a girl- supports biological approach as brain is male because despite his socialisation as female he did not accept the female gender role, as soon as it was revealed that he was born a boy, he went back to a boy.
- This supports the argument that gender role is biological.
Contradictory evidence- O’ Connor Study
- Double- blind study and placebo controlled- increase testosterone in young men- no difference in the frequency of sexual intercourse or sex drive + no difference in aggression or anger levels
- Contradictory as it is not due to testosterone or hormones but socialised
Klinefelter’s syndrome
- Occurs in men as a result of an extra X chromosome (XXY).
- Might have female characteristics- not producing enough testosterone
How is Klinefelter’s syndrome diagnosed?
- Not diagnosed until puberty because the boy’s testicles fail to grow normally
Physical characteristics of Klinefelter’s syndrome (5)
- Reduced body hair
- Breast development at puberty
- Long gangly limbs
- Underdeveloped genitals
- Problems with co-ordination or clumsiness
Psychological characteristics of Klinefelter’s syndrome (5)
- Poorly developed language skills
- Poor reading ability
- Lack of sexual activity- low testosterone
- Passive and shy
- Doesn’t cope well with stressful situations
How is Klinefelter’s syndrome treated?
- Can be given testosterone through an injection
Turner’s syndrome
- Genetic condition that only affects females and randomly happens in the womb
- When a girl has only one normal X chromosome (XO)
Physical characteristics of Turner’s syndrome (4)
- Shorter than average
- Underdeveloped ovaries- no menstruation
- Lower hairline
- Smaller breasts
Psychological characteristics of Turner’s syndrome (4)
- Socially immature
- Higher than average reading ability
- Trouble relating to their peers
- May experience difficulty “fitting in”- difficulty making friendships
Treating Turner’s syndrome
- Can be treated with Oestrogen and Progesterone
Evaluation Points of research- Klinefelter and Turner’s Syndrome
- A strength of research is that it helps us to depict nature- nurture debate as gender behaviours are to due nature and nature. E.g XXY boys have low sex drive showing its due to genetics not socialisation
- However, difference in behaviour could be due to social reasons. E.g girls with Turner’s Syndrome are shorter and could be treated as younger therefore they’re socially immature.
- A strength of research is that there are practical applications. E.g girls with Turner’s, if diagnosed early can extract eggs before puberty and then can implant fertilised egg. Showing better quality of life.
- A weakness is that there is socially sensitive research. E.g when society label people with a disorder, they need to be careful that when carrying out an experiment they are giving people a better quality of life instead of taking advantage of vulnerable people.
Androgyny
- Displaying a balance of both masculine and feminine characteristics in one’s personality
- Can adapt to requirements of different situations
- Not limited by sex- role stereotypes - Is seen as a beneficial characteristic
Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI)- How she developed the scale? (5)
- Done in 1974
- 50 male and 50 female judges rated 200 traits in terms of how much they represented maleness and femaleness
- The 20 that scored highest in each category were added to the scale
- She also included 20 neutral traits (as a filler- reduce demand characteristics)
- Participants rated themselves on a 7 point rating scale and are classified as masculine, feminine androgynous (score high in both) or undifferentiated (score low in both)
Masculine items:
- Aggressive
- Ambitious
Feminine items:
- Affectionate
- Cheerful
Neutral items:
- Happy
- Helpful
Evaluation of Androgyny
Strength:
- Good construct validity.
- E.g gave scale to 1000 students and asked them if they were masculine or feminine.
- Found people’s scores correlated with their own ideas of gender identity
Weakness:
- Scale has temporal validity
- E.g what was masculine and feminine has changed over time and is dated
- The distinction between males and females is blurred.
WEAKNESS:
- Judges were American leading to cultural bias
- Different cultures would put different traits on the scale
- People rate themselves so if they agree to everything = androgynous
- Leading to Acquiescence bias
DON’T NEED TO KNOW
Piaget’s idea of conservation
- Conservation is one of the key cognitive abilities that develops as the brain matures at around the age of 6 or 7
- The ability to understand that, despite changes in appearance, the basic properties of an object remain unchanged