Hyde: The Future of Sex and Gender in Psychology: Five Challenges to the Gender Binary Flashcards

1
Q

gender binary=

A

the framework/the view that humans comprise only two types of beings, women and men.

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2
Q

5 empirical findings discussed that undermine the gender binary

A
  • neuroscience findings that refute sexual dimorphism of the human brain;
  • behavioral neuroendocrinology findings that challenge the notion of genetically fixed, nonoverlapping, sexually dimorphic hormonal systems;
  • psychological findings that highlight the similarities between men and women;
  • psychological research on transgender and nonbinary individuals’ identities and experiences;
  • and developmental research suggesting that the tendency to view gender/sex as a meaningful, binary category is culturally determined and malleable
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3
Q

In addition to the core belief that there are two discrete categories into which all individuals can be sorted, the gender binary system also typically assumes that ….

A

one’s category membership is…

  • biologically determined,
  • apparent at birth,
  • stable over time,
  • salient and meaningful to the self,
  • and a powerful predictor of a host of psychological variables.
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4
Q

terminology in this area

A
  • Some authors have argued that sex should be used for biologically based differences between males and females, whereas gender should be used for differences between women and men that are produced socioculturally
  • Others have argued that biological and
    sociocultural factors are typically intertwined, and thus the distinction between the terms sex and gender should be abandoned
  • dus hier: gender/sex
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5
Q

intersex/sex diverse=

A

Individuals with statistically atypical genitals or internal reproductive structures

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6
Q

are there differences between women and men in brain structure in function?

A

Yes.
- but misinterpretation: they are not innate/preprogrammed, not context independent, and not stable over time.
- also assumed that these differences create two types of brains, either females or males.
For this to be true, we should have: 1) highly dimorphic differences, and 2) they should be internally consistent. Both are not true.

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7
Q

Two fundamental assumptions underlie current thinking about sex as a biological system:

A

1) that sex is a dimorphic system (= a system that can take one of only two forms), and
2) that the effects of sex on other systems (e.g., the brain, gender identity) are characterized by a dimorphic outcome (e.g., male vs. female brain, male vs. female gender identity).

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8
Q

For a system to show sexual dimorphism, each of its elements should be….

A
  • dimorphic: should exist in only two different forms or categories, one typical of females and the other typical of males,
  • and all the elements within an individual should be internally consistent , that is, either all in the form typical of females or all in the form typical of males
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9
Q

dus wat zijn de verschillen tussen mannen en vrouwen breinen

A

Although many studies have reported differences between women and men in brain structure, these differences are not sexually dimorphic; rather, there is considerable overlap between the distributions of women and men. This is true even for regions showing the largest sex differences known to date.

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10
Q

voorbeeld van brein overeenkomsten

A

For example, the intermediate nucleus of the human hypothalamus is about twice as large, on average, in men compared with women, yet in approximately 30% of men, the size of this nucleus falls in the female-typical range

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11
Q

internal consistency in gender differences

A

internal consistency is rare, because sex differences in brain areas can be different (and even opposite) under different environmental conditions and because these sex-by-environment interactions can vary across brain features.

bv. ratten: higher density of cannabinoid receptors in hippocampus in male rats, but density of stressed females is the same as in nonstressed males. and stressed males is the same as nonstressed females.
-> complex sex-by-environment interactions produce a brain structure that is multimorphic, rather than dimorphic

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12
Q

Thus, it is unlikely that brains are internally consistent and dimorphic; rather, each brain comprises a unique mosaic of features, some more common in females and others more common in males

A

oke

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13
Q

mosaicism=

A

having at least one element in the brain with the female-end form and at least one element with the male-end form.

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14
Q

wat vond een studie naar brein regios over internal consistency

A

mosaicism was much more common than internal consistency!!!

-> Accordingly, sex differences in the human brain do not add up to create two types of brain, a male brain and a female brain. Instead, most brains are gender/sex mosaics.

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15
Q

samenvatting neurowetenschappelijk bewijs

A

The division of humans into two categories, females and males, on the basis of the form of their genitalia is often accompanied by the assumption that males and females belong to two distinct categories in other domains; however, current scientific evidence refutes this assumption for the brain. The distributions for men and women on different brain features are overlapping, and internal consistency across features within individuals is rare. Thus, human brains are not internally consistent for male-typical and female-typical features. Instead, most human brains are a mosaic of these features.

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16
Q

behavioural neuroendocrinology assumpties

A

(1) that gonadal hormones are dimorphic (i.e., that there are “female” hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, and “male” hormones, such as testosterone),
(2) that levels of these hormones are genetically determined and fixed.

17
Q

misinterpretaties van hormonen en hoe het echt zit

A
  • mensen denken vaak dat er mannelijke en vrouwelijke hormonen zijn, maar dit is niet zo. estrogenen en androgenen komen in mannen, vrouwen en non-binaire personen voor, en worden door ovaries/testes/adrenal glands/fatty tissue gemaakt
  • average levels of estradiol and progesterone do not differ between women and men
  • changes in steroid levels that go with reproductive phases (pregnancy, ovulation) show the gender binary breakdown: nonpregnant women have estradiol and progesterone levels more similar to men than to pregnant women
  • differences in the levels of hormones can differ during life.
18
Q

how do hormones differ throughout life

A
  • fetuses and prepubertal children cannot be categorized into a gender binary on the basis of androgens and estrogens
  • During adolescence, testosterone levels increase in both boys and girls, but at a much higher average rate for boys
  • although testosterone levels are higher in men than women, on average, the difference is much smaller than widely believed and the distributions show considerable overlap
  • the unquestioned belief in the gender binary has hampered the study of these hormones because many researchers have studied “male” hormones (e.g., testosterone) only in men and “female” hormones (e.g., estradiol and progesterone) only in women
19
Q

are androgens and estrogens genetically determined and fixed?

A
  • no, research shows that levels vary widely according to social, behavioural and environmental contexts such as: competition, nurturing and social bonding.
  • hormones are not purely biological markers of gender, but are instead dynamic and interacting with social and environmental factors
20
Q

gender similarities hypothesis

A

studies using large datasets and meta-analysesfind that for most behaviours, differences between men and women are either small or nonexistent.

differences are more likely to be due to cultural expectations than biology, reinforcing the view that gender is not a meaningful basis for categorizing psychological traits.

bv: onderzoeken met deindividuation show that men and women have differences in aggressive videogames when they wear a nametag, but these dissapear when they do not.

21
Q

research on transgender and nonbinary experiences

A

directly challenge the assumption that gender identity is strictly linked to one’s biological sex at birth.

many people self-identify with a gender different from their birth-assigned sex, or they identify as nonbinary, which cannot be understood from within the binary model.

research shows that gender identity is influenced by a rango of personal and social factors, and many individuals identities are fluid or nonconforming. this diversity of experience suggests that gender identity is complex and cannot be limited to male or female categories.

22
Q

developmental psychology and cultural influences

A

traditionally, developmental psychology viewed gender categorization as an innate, automatic process. but recent studies indicate that children learn to see gender as important through cultural practices, such as language, social organization (eg. single-sex schools) and gendered expectations.

the use of gendered pronouns, clothing and toys, as well as the way adults emphasize gender, all contribute to children’s internalization of gender as a key aspect of identity.

-> society, not biology, largely shapes gendered behaviours, which vary greatly across cultures and historical periods.

23
Q

implications of moving beyond the gender binary

A
  1. scientific progress: move forward, multidimensional, influenced by both biology and culture, more nuanced questions, inclusion of trans- and nonbinary people.
  2. clinical practice: the gender binary can lead to gender stereotypes and biases. bv: depressie is een ‘female’ disorders, therefore men may be underdiagnosed and receive inadequate treatment. more inclusive approach: not tied to gender and each individual has unique needs. also we need affirmative therapy approaches for trans and nonbinary clients.
  3. social impact and policies: gender-binary assumptions shape many social institutions, including healthcare, education and sports (single sex schools based on the idea that boys and girls have cognitive differences, but schools do not yield better outcomes). sports policies are also based on hormone levels, exclude many intersex and transgender individuals.
24
Q

testosterone debate

A

Because testosterone is often seen as a biological account of differences between men and women, understanding whether it is innate and fixed, or socially influenced and malleable, is important. Testosterone is understood in many ways to be the biological essence of sex, accounting for female–male differences, in general, and maleness, in particular. As such, when testosterone is studied, it is generally studied as the sole cause of gender/sex differences, and social factors are excluded.

-> we cannot examine testerone without its social context, therefore we do not know whether testosterone differences between men and women are actually due to innate differences or that they are shaped by our environment

25
Q

recommendations for future research

A

instead of categorizing participants as male/female, we should consider gender as a spectrum and allow for self-identified gender labels. use open-ended questions

26
Q

new conceptual frameworks

A

we should treat gender as multifactorial, comprising biological, social and individual aspects, each of which may change over time. (bv gender/sex term -> acknowledges the interplay of biology and culture in shaping gender and can accomodate both stability and change in gender identity over the lifespan)

27
Q

language and communication

A

use gender-neutral pronouns and avoid gendered assumptions

28
Q

5 facets van gender

A
  • birth assigned gender category
  • current gender identity
  • gender roles and expectations
  • gender social presentation
  • gender evaluations
29
Q

conclusie:

A

evidence shows that gender is a fluid, multifacedted experience rather than a rigid binary category.

30
Q

dus nog een keer: de argumenten van neuroscience

A

Neuroscience findings refute sexual dimorphism of the brain; brain sex differences are context dependent, brought about by complex sex-by-environment interactions, resulting in a gender/sex mosaic of brain features

31
Q

dus nog een keer: hormonal systems

A

Hormonal systems also show considerable overlap and are not dimorphic; estrogens and androgens are present in males and females; on average, levels of estradiol and progesterone do not differ between genders; testosterone levels show considerable overlap; especially foetuses and prepubescent children cannot be categorised based on hormones

32
Q

dus nog een keer: psychological similarities

A
  • Psychological similarities, rather than differences, between genders (e.g. Hyde thinks that the fact that women are more likely to experience depression is related to the gender binary)