Sex and gender

Question 1

Define sex

Answer 1

A person’s biological status as either male of female. This is determined by chromosomes which then influence hormonal differences.

Question 2

What are male chromosomes

Answer 2

XY

Question 3

What are female chromosomes

Answer 3

XX

Question 4

What do chromosomes do?

Answer 4

Produce differences in anatomy, including reproductive organs, body shape and where hair grows.

Question 5

Define gender

Answer 5

the psychological and cultural differences between males and females including attitudes, behaviours and social roles

Question 6

What is gender affected by?

Answer 6

What you have learned about what is masculine and what is feminine and includes attitudes, roles and behaviours that we associate with being male or female. A person may become more masculine or more feminine depending on the social context they are in, and the norms and expectations associated with it [gender fluid].

Question 7

What are sex-role stereotypes?

Answer 7

The shared expectations that people in society hold about what is masculine (things that males should do) and feminine (things that females should do).

Question 8

How do sex-role stereotypes come about?

Answer 8

These expectations are communicated throughout society and reinforced by parents, peers, within schools and by the media. Such stereotypes can involve sexist stereotypes.

Question 9

Give some examples of sex-stereotypes

Answer 9

• females should be more involved caring and housewives / men should be breadwinners.

Question 10

What is gender identity?

Answer 10

an individual’s perception of their own masculinity and or femininity

Question 11

What is gender identity disorder?

Answer 11

strong, persistent feelings of identification with the opposite gender and discomfort with one’s own assigned sex.

Question 12

What 2 studies do we look at?

Answer 12

Rubin et al
Seavey et al

Question 13

What was Rubin et al’s aim?

Answer 13

To find out if new parents stereotype their babies

Question 14

What was Rubin et al method?

Answer 14

Parents were asked to describe their new babies within 24 hours of the baby being born

Question 15

What did Rubin find

Answer 15

They found that parents of baby boys described their babies as being alert and strong, whereas parents of baby girls described their babies as soft and delicate

Question 16

What did Rubin conclude?

Answer 16

Parents stereotype their children from a very early stage despite no stereotypical behaviour being shown. For a lot of parents who know the sex of the baby before birth, this stereotyping behaviour starts before the baby is born by painting a room pink for a girl or blue for a boy.

Question 17

What was Seavey et al’s aim?

Answer 17

To see whether the gender label attached to a baby affected adult responses

Question 18

What was Seavey’s method?

Answer 18

A three-month-old infant was dressed in a yellow baby-suit. One third of the participants were told that the infant was male, another third were told that the infant was female, and the other third were not given a gender label. Participants were left to interact with the child for three minutes. Also in the room were some toys: a ball, a rag doll and a plastic ring.

Question 19

What was Seavey’s results?

Answer 19

When the baby was labelled as female, participants were more likely to use the doll when playing with the child. When the baby was labelled as male, the plastic ring was chosen most frequently as the plaything. Where no gender was given, the female participants interacted far more with the baby than the males did. In the no-label condition almost all the participants spontaneously decided on a sex for the baby. Their decision was often justified in terms of how the baby was perceived physically (e.g. ‘it’s a boy because he’s got a good grip, it’s a girl because she’s soft’)

Question 20

What were Seavey’s conclusion?

Answer 20

Adults will interact differently with infants depending on whether they believe they are male or female