Gender Flashcards
Define Sex
Genetic makeup (XX/XY)
Define Gender
A social psychological construct about whether you see yourself as masculine, feminine or androgynous.
What are ‘sex-role stereotypes’?
The behaviours that society expects males and females to fulfil.
What is androgyny?
Andro= male, Gyny=female, so androgyny is having a combination of masculine and feminine traits.
How is androgyny measured?
Bem devised the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI), basing androgyny on the balance of typically gendered behaviours.
Give a strength for sex-role stereotypes.
Support for the idea that parents influence the stereotypes. Mothers treats genders differently even as babies, supporting the influence of adults on children learning sex-role stereotypes.
Give a strength for the BSRI.
Highly reliable measure of gender (high correlation from test re-test)
Give a couple of problems with the BSRI.
1) Most traits listed are socially desirable, so people with high self-esteems score higher overall than those with low self-esteem. This means the scale may reflect self-esteem rather than androgyny.
2) The adjectives were selected in 1970s, and they aren’t all considered ‘feminine’ or ‘masculine’ anymore. BSRI is no long valid (low temporal validity).
How do genes affect gender and sex?
They determine whether we’re female or male (sex), and they determine hormone production, effecting our sense or masculinity or femininity (gender).
How many pairs of chromosomes are there, and what do they contain?
There’s 23 pairs of chromosomes in every cell of the body. They contain our genetics.
There’s one pair of chromosomes called sex chromosomes, how are they different for males and females?
The female’s sex chromosomes are XX, and the male’s are XY.
How to embryos first start out? When do they develop further?
After a few weeks, all embryos have feminine genitalia. At 3 months, the foetus will develop male or female genitals.
Name two atypical chromosome patterns. How many people are affected?
Klinefelter’s Syndrome (XXY) (1 in 1000) and Turner’s Syndrome (XO) (1 in 2000 females)
How does Klinefelter’s Syndrome affect someone?
The extra X chromosome carries extra copies of genes, which interfere with the development of the testicles so they produce less testosterone that’s usual.
They are born with a penis and develop as a normal male would. They tend to be taller and have less muscles. They are often infertile.
How does Turner’s Syndrome affect someone?
The person is born with a vagina and womb, but they tend not to menstruate due to underdeveloped ovaries. They may have a small lower jaw, webbed jack and narrow hips.
It’s often discovered at puberty due to the (lack of) change in sexual development
