Gender Identity & Roles Flashcards
Parents/adults with newborns/infants
- decorating the nursery in a certain colour
- choice of clothing, toys
- degree and type of touching
- language and tone
Children
- preferences for gender typed toys (2-3 years)
- aware of gender specific occupations
- prefer gender appropriate games
- girls more talkative in early childhood
- boys dominate classroom discussions
Teens
- Conform to gender stereotype roles of the day
- put down non-conformists - often as “fags” or “les” gender specific activities predominate
- eg. sports, dating - more prevalent for male to ask
Adult Relationships
- take stereotypes into courtship & relationships
- expectations of families of origin
- parenthood decisions - preference for male children
- child rearing - agreement/disagreement on roles
- financial/health stress may accentuate or alter roles
- aging may merge roles - mellowing/maturing
Biological, Cross Cultural, Psychological
no conclusive evidence that one theory can account for gender differences or similarities
androgynous individuals have…
- higher self-esteem and are better adjusted
- benefits (e.g. more popular with their peers) more strongly related to presence of “masculine” traits
Factors that impact Gender — a female perspective
- Age
- Education
- Economic Status
- Socialization
- Marriage Patterns/Family Configuration
- Ethnicity/Culture
- History/Political Factors
- Geography
Male Personality Traits
Control personality traits associated with the traditional male role.
- Aggressiveness: punished more often and more severely
- Emotional toughness: boys receive less nurturing
- Independence
- Feelings of superiority
- Decisiveness
- Power-oriented Dominance
- Competitiveness
Klinefelter Syndrome
A sex-chromosomal disorder caused by an extra X sex chromosome
Sex Assignment
The labelling of a newborn as a male or a female, also termed gender assignment.
Intersexual
A person who possesses the gonads of one gender but external genitalia that are ambiguous or typical of the other gender.
Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
A form of intersexualism in which a genetic female has internal female sexual structures but masculinized external genitals
Gender Typing
The process by which children acquire behaviour that is deemed appropriate to their gender.
Oedipus Complex
A conflict of the phallic stage in which the boy wishes to possess his mother sexually and perceives his father as a rival in love.
Psychological Androgyny
A state characterized by possession of both stereotypical masculine traits and stereotypical feminine traits.
