Need To Know Gender

Question 1

Gender A01

Answer 1

• Gender refers to a person’s sense of, and expression of, their maleness or femaleness.
• Gender often determined by cultural differences expected by society of men and women according to their sex.

Question 2

Sex A01

Answer 2

• refers to individual’s biological status as either male or female
• chromosomes:
• female XX
• male XY

Question 3

Sex-role stereotypes A01 with example

Answer 3

• shared expectations within society or social group regarding whats appropriate behaviour for men and women
• eg Males independent, aggressive, dominant, problem-solvers, should be main provider in family, should control and suppress their feelings.
• Females – dependent, submissive, domestic, nurturing carers, emotional.

Question 4

Androgyny A01

Answer 4

• refers to people who are possessed of equally male and female gender traits.

Question 5

Hormones

Answer 5

• chemical substances secreted by glands throughout body and carried in bloodstream
• Hormones affect development of the brain which influences gender behaviour
• e.g. male testosterone and aggression

Question 6

Atypical sex chromosome patterns Klinefelter’s syndrome. A01

Answer 6

• Sufferers are usually:
• taller than average
• have poor muscular coordination
• low levels of testosterone may cause infertility and a more feminine look

– less facial hair, broader hips, breast tissue.

• occurs (approx. 1/1000 males)
• due to an extra X chromosome (e.g. XXY)
• infant is born with male genitals.

Question 7

Atypical sex chromosome patterns

Answer 7

• Individuals with atypical chromosomes develop differently than individuals with typical chromosomes
• socially, physically and cognitively.

Question 8

Turner’s Syndrome

Answer 8

• occurs (approx. 1/2000 females)
• due to 2nd sex chromosome being partially or completely missing

– infant is referred to as X0.

• Sufferers have vagina and womb
• don’t menstruate due to undeveloped ovaries
• are shorter than average
• may present symptoms such as small lower jaw
• webbed neck
• narrow hips

Question 9

Cognitive Explanations of Gender Development Kohlberg’s Theory

Answer 9

• Kohlberg proposed that aged 2-6 we pass through 3 stages:
  1. GENDER LABELLING
  2. GENDER STABILITY
  3. GENDER CONSISTENCY

Question 10

Cognitive Explanations of Gender Development Kohlberg’s Theory full description of stages

Answer 10

• 2-3yr infants label themselves and others as boy or girl based on outward appearances like hairstyle or dress.
• Children tend to change gender labels as appearances change: i.e. boy with long hair labelled girl.
• 4yr old children recognise gender is stable over time –boys grow into men, etc.
• don’t recognise gender is consistent across situations – believing, eg males might change into females if they engage in female activities
• age 6 children realise gender is consistent across situations: e.g. just because a boy may dress or play like a girl they remain a boy.
• Gender is now fixed in the child’s mind.

Question 11

Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory OEDPIUS COMPLEX

Answer 11

• Boys want mother’s attention and experience immature sexual desire for her.
• view father as rival for their mother’s attention/affection but also fear father and feel guilty about desires to get rid of him, fear of father is experienced as fear of castration and is repressed in to the Unconscious
• To resolve this crisis, boys repress their desires for their mother and enter a period of sexual latency (which lasts until puberty) where they find a substitute mother in the form of a girlfriend/partner. The also identify with (identification) and internalise (internalisation) their father’s gender role and adopt stereotypically masculine behaviors.

Question 12

Psychodynamic Explanation of Gender Development

ELECTRA COMPLEX

Answer 12

• Awareness of the lack of a penis leads girl believing she has been castrated and experiencing penis envy, girl’s immature sexual desires then focus on father.
• to résolve this crisis girl converts desire for a penis into desire for baby, girl then identifies with (identification) the mother and internalises (internalisation) stereotypical feminine behaviors.
• Girls repress desires for father and enter a period of sexual latency (which lasts until puberty) where they find a substitute mother in the form of a boyfriend/partner

Question 13

Atypical Gender Development

Gender Identity Disorder -Gender dysphoria

Answer 13

• refers to an individual’s sense of feeling uncomfortable with their sex and the gender assigned to them. This may lead to gender reassignment surgery.