Gender (lecture notes) Flashcards
Gender
range of physical, mental, and behavioural characteristics pertaining to and differentiating between masculinity and femininity
Gender vs. Sex
traditionally, gender referred to cognitive/social differences and sex to biological/physiological differences
Gender typing
process by which children acquire the values, motives, ad behaviors viewed as gender appropriate
Gender stereotypes
beliefs a culture holds about the acceptable attitudes and behaviors appropriate for each gender; proscribes the way males/females should act
Gender based beliefs
based on gender stereotypes, children form beliefs/expectations about which attitudes and behaviors are acceptable and appropriate for males vs. females
Gender roles
behaviors exhibited by males/females that reflect gender stereotypes of a given culture
Gender identity
a person’s self-concept of their gender; may be the same as or different than the gender traditionally associated with their physiological sex at birth
Gender-role preferences
desire to possess certain gender-typed characteristics
Sexual preferences
developed in late childhood/adolescence; attracted to same, opposite-sex, or both sexes (or asexual)
Intersex
person born with a reproductive/sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male
Mosaic genetics
having both XX and XY chromosomes
Gender assignment
giving an intersex-born child hormones, reconstructive surgeries, etc. to determine gender
Gender Identity Disorder
displaying persistent cross-gender behaviors on more than one occasion; marked avoidance/rejection of same-sex stereotypical activities
Physical differences in gender
Girls are physically and neurologically more advanced at birth, walk earlier. Boys may be larger at birth. As they age, boys may become better at activities involving motor skills and strength.
Cognitive differences in gender
Early childhood, girls may be better at verbal/reading/comprehension. Later on, boys may be better at visual-spatial and mathematical.
