Gender Development

Question 1

Know the key terminology – gender, gender role, gender identity, gender constancy, and gender typing.

Answer 1

Gender = characteristics of people as females or males

Gender role = a set of expectations that prescribe how females or males should think, act, or feel.

Gender identity = a sense of one’s own gender, including knowledge, understanding, and acceptance of being male or female
- masculine
- feminine
- androgyny

Gender constancy = child’s emerging sense of the permanence of being a boy or a girl
- gender identity
- gender stability
- gender consistency.

Gender typing = Acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role
- in which children acquire

Question 2

What does evolutionary psychology say about gender role development?

Answer 2

Adaptation during the evolution of humans produced psychological differences between males and females; difference of roles in reproduction males and females faced different pressures in primeval environment when evolving.

Males
- multiple sexual liaisons improved their likelihood on passing on their genes thus short-term mating favored them.
Competed with other males to acquire more resources in order to access females.
Evolved disposition that favor violence, competition, and risk taking.

Females
- securing resources for their offspring improved their contributions to the gene pool, which was promoted by obtaining long-term mates who could support their family.
Developed preferences for successful, ambitious men who could provide resources and protection.

Question 3

What are some of the main differences (behavioral and physiological) between the genders?

Answer 3

Physical differences
Females
Twice the body fat (breasts/hips)
Longer life expectancy
Less likely than males to develop physical or mental disorders
More resistant to infection & blood vessels are more elastic
More metabolic activity in areas of the brain involving emotional expression
Their brains are smaller; have more folds
Males
10% taller
Hypothalamus involves sexual behavior tend to be larger
Parietal lobe functions visuospatial skills tends to be larger

Cognitive differences
Females
Better literacy and writing skills
Earn better grades and complete a high school at a higher rate
More likely to engaged with academic material, be attentive in class, put effort more in academic, & participate more in class
Males
Better visuospatial and math skills
More likely to be assigned to special/remedied education classes

Socioemotional differences
Females
More verbal aggression
Harming someone by manipulating a relationship
Express emotion more openly & are better at decoding emotions > smile more, cry more, happier
Better at reading others emotions & show more empathy
“People oriented”
Males
More physical aggressive at a very early age
Experiencing and expressing more anger
Show less-regulation, able to regulate, & control one’s emotions/behavior
“Things oriented”

Question 4

Know how gender development changes in adolescence.

Answer 4

Adolescence is an important point in gender development because of the enormous changes encountered because of puberty, their expanding cognitive abilities, and the changes in their relations with others as dating begins and sexuality is experienced.

During early adolescence, girls and boys experience an intensification of gender-related expectations. The gender-intensification hypothesis states that psychological and behavioral differences between boys and girls become greater during early adolescence because of increased pressures of conform to traditional masculine and feminine gender roles.