Influence Of Culture On Gender Development

Question 1

Why is cross cultural research important when investigating gender development?

Answer 1

It is noted for its valuable contribution to the nature v nurture debate in gender. It supports the role of nurture and environmental influences being the determining factor over nature for gender development.

Question 2

What two features support whether gender roles are determined by nature or nurture?

Answer 2

• Universal features : it is gender trends that are found everywhere across the world that support gender is innate and biologically determined
• Culturally specific features: are features found in certain place and not others and it suggests gender is learned and supports the role of nurture on gender development

Question 3

Who investigated cross cultural differences in gender development?

Answer 3

-Margaret mead

Question 4

Outline meads aim, method, findings and conclusion

Answer 4

Aim: To investigate the cultural differences of gender roles.

Method: Mead carried out an ethnographic study by living in various tribes in new guinea for six months.

Findings:
-In the Arapesh tribe both men and women were feminine, both were expressive caring and cooperative. She found both male and female took to bed when the female was pregnant-they we’re both said to bear the child.

• In the Mundugamor tribe both sexes were masculine, as they were assertive, arrogant and fierce. both didn’t like childcare so the infants in the tribe would be out of the way in a dark place.
• In the tchambuli tribe, gender roles were reversed compared to western society. Females took care of trade and were independent whereas men sat around gossiping and were considered incapable of making decisions.

Conclusion: the development of gender roles is not innate and that culture or environmental influences determined behaviours as her study revealed many culturally specific features for gender across three tribes

Question 5

Outline David Buss study on cultural similarities in gender roles

Answer 5

• he conducted a study which involved handing out surveys in 37 countries where participants had to rate the characteristics of a potential mate.
• he found males would rate good looks, youth and chastity as important while females would rate dependability, financial prospects and industriousness.
• this suggests there are cross cultural similarities between gender roles identifying universal features which supports the role of nature as it shows us gender roles are innate and biologically determined.

Question 6

What third gender is there in different cultures and what does it suggest about gender development?

Answer 6

• Five million hijras of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh live as transgender and are now recognised as having legal identities passport as E (for eunuch alongside traditional M and F)
• Aleintan islanders in Alaska raise handsome boys as girls- their beards are plucked and they are later married to rich men. They adapt readily to their assigned gender roles.
• Third genders are found in many cultures which suggests gender is a product of the environment and is formed through social norms and cultural expectations.

Question 7

Identify AO3 paragraphs for cultural influences on gender development

Answer 7

• David Reimer
• nature nurture
• buss

Question 8

Outline Barry’s research that weakens cultural influences on gender development

Answer 8

P: Barry et al has provided research evidence that week as the idea that culture influences and determines gender development.

E: He conducted research on non westernised cultures and found nurturing to be a female characteristic and self reliance a male characteristic.

E: these findings reflect western culture traditions on gender and display these behaviours as being universal features.

L: Therefore this supports that our gender roles are innate and have a biological basis and gender development is not determined or influenced by our cultures.

Question 9

Why can we not suggest whether nature or nurture determines our gender development when researching cultural influences on gender development?

Answer 9

P: Researching cross cultural influences has provided us insight on gender behaviour.

E: However it does not solve the problem on whether gender development is a biological or a psychological construct since it is very difficult to separate the two.

E: as soon as children are born they start to begin the process of socialisation of gender roles begins, and so it is difficult to separate the two

L:It is a complex interaction between both nature and nurture on gender development therefore we should use an interactionist approach to investigate gender development and not just suggest cultural influences will determine our gender identities.