Gender Flashcards
Distinguish sex and gender
Sex is the classification of being male or female. It is biologically determined and caused by sex chromosomes. Unlike sex, gender is not fixed, as a social construct it is flexible and open to change. Gender refers to the psychological sense of feeling either masculine or feminine, this can be influenced by both social and psychological factors.
Gender identity disorders occur when someone’s gender identity is not in accordance with their biological sex.
Outline sex role stereotypes
The fact that most people view their gender as being in accordance with their sex can lead to sex-role stereotypes, where certain traits are characteristics are seen as either typically male or female.
Some stereotypes may have a biological explanation such as men being more aggressive, whereas stereotyping women as wearing skirts and men wearing trousers can have a cultural explanation.
Discuss sex-role stereotypes
Research support to provide evidence for sex-role stereotypes. Lloyd et al recorded 32 new mothers play with a stranger’s baby. The babies were either dressed in clothes stereotyped to their sex or cross-sex clothed. When a range of toys was provide it was found the mothers only offered the squeaky hammer to the babies dressed more masculine and the doll to those dressed more feminine. This suggests adults hold sex-role stereotypes about appropriate gender related behaviour and socialise this same behaviour into children from infancy.
Lacks temporal validity: it could be argued that as modern day society has progressed and less emphasis is beginning to be placed on sex gendered behaviour, theories on sex-role stereotypes may no longer be as relevant.
However, despite this progress, we still exist in a patriarchal society where sex-role stereotypes about women can be used to provide a justification for discriminatory practices, such as the denial of certain job opportunities based on an opinion of what their sex is capable of. Therefore, understanding such consequences of sex-role stereotypes is still an important area of discussion, in order to prevent these issues.
Define androgyny
When someone shows an equal balance of male and female characteristics. From an appearance perspective, androgynous individuals look neither explicitly masculine nor feminine.
Bem argues that androgynous personalities are advantageous as the individual will be equipped with both positive feminine and masculine characteristics making them well adapted to a range of different situations.
Outline the BSRI
Developed by Bem, the Bem Sex Role Inventory is a self-reported survey used to characterise someone’s personality as more stereotypically masculine, feminine or androgynous.
Containing 60 items each third representing stereotypically male, feminine and neutral characteristics.
male: ambitious, independent
female: affectionate, sympathetic
neutral: sincere, helpful
Evaluate the BSRI
In a pilot study, the BSRI results were consistent with the answers of participants. This suggests that the BSRI is a reliable method for measuring gender identity. Moreover, the pilot sample consisted of over 1000 students. This is advantageous as a large sample size reduces the margin of error and prevents data being skewed from anomalous results. Therefore increasing the validity of the BRSI.
Methodological issues: the sample Bem used consisted of American students, therefore this sampling bias can be seen as ungeneralisable and so the BRSI may not be an accurate measurement of gender for older people or individuals from other cultures.
Temporal validity: Bem’s survey was created over 40 years ago, therefore current gender norms may no longer match her criteria.
Contradictory theories: Bem argues that androgyny may be advantageous as having a mix of masculine and feminine traits enables a person to adapt and excel in more situations. However, Adams and Sheer argue in a male dominated society where competitiveness is valued, masculine personalities may be more advantageous. Bem’s suggestion may only be relevant in a more gender neutral and equal society.
The BSRI can be seen to oversimplify a complex social construct such as gender by reducing it down into something that can be objectively measured. The way we behave is often context dependent, for example, we may portray more masculine traits at work but more feminine when working with young children. The BSRI cannot account for this fluidity and therefore may not be the most accurate way of measuring gender identity.
Benefits: Bem’s work provides a greater understanding of distinguishing biological sex from gender. Moreover, the positive portrayal of androgyny can lead to a positive social change and potentially reduce discrimination towards non gender conforming behaviour.
Outline the role of chromosomes in gender
Most people have 23 pairs of chromosomes, with the final pair being responsible for determining your sex. Whether someone, has either an XX or XY chromosome will also determine the development of secondary sexual characteristics. For example, one region on the Y chromosome is responsible for the development of testes which later produce male androgens, leading to additional sex differences.
Differences between male and female chromosomes has also been thought to influence observable behavioural differences, as their different coding for neural structures and hormone levels can influence the expression of gender.
Outline the role of hormones in gender
Testosterone - androgen typically 9x higher in males.
Role in sex: responsible for secondary sexual characteristics
Role in gender: linked to higher levels of aggression.
AIS - androgen insensitivity syndrome is when during prenatal development a genetic male does not receive any dihydrotestosterone, a hormone responsible for stimulating the growth of the penis. As a result, when born the baby is thought to be biologically female.
Oestrogen - female sex hormone responsible for the menstrual cycle and the development of secondary sexual characteristics.
Role in gender: linked with behavioural characteristics such as irritability during menstruation.
Oxytocin - hormone provoking closeness and intimacy. After child birth, skin-to-skin contact is strongly encouraged between the mother and child to promote bonding as well as decrease cortisol levels which will have been heightened due to the stressful and strenuous act of childbirth.
Role in gender: oxytocin is typically found in higher levels in females then males; this could contribute towards stereotypes such as women being more affectionate and men valuing sex over intimacy.
Outline atypical chromosome variations
XXY - Klinefelter’s syndrome
Typically occurs in 1/660 boys.
Physical characteristics: taller, longer limbs, less facial hair and smaller testes.
Psychological: cognitive difficulties such as dyslexia, can be passive but prone to getting easily upset and having emotional outbursts.
XO - Turner’s syndrome
Rare
Physical characteristics: shorter, wider chest, short webbed neck, limited breast development and immature appearance.
Turner’s syndrome prevents the individual’s menstrual cycle beginning thus meaning they are sterile.
Psychological: high reading ability but poor in visuo-spatial tasks and with social interactions tend to behave more immaturely.
Discuss atypical chromosome variations
Research into rare chromosome variations has led to the production of drug therapies to help with some of the developmental and behavioural problems which can occur from these syndromes.
Reductionist: conclusions made about behaviours ascociated with the syndromes being due to chromosomes may be oversimplified. For example, girls with Turner’s syndrome behaving more immtaurely may be due to their physical younger appearence leading to differential treatment from others.
