Sex and Gender Flashcards
Define sex.
Biological status as male or female.
Determined by chromosomes, hormones and differences in anatomy
Define gender.
psychosocial status as masculine, feminine or androgynous with regard to the roles, behaviours and attitudes expected by society
What are some typical masculine behaviours?
forceful, agressive, breadwinner, independent
What are some typical feminine behaviours?
affectionate, gentle, warm, the mother
Define androgyny.
Where someone displays high levels of both masculine and feminine behaviours and traits.
e.g. a strong independent make who is caring for his child
What is the evidence for measuring androgyny?
A questionnaire with masculine and feminine traits that participants had to rate themselves on from 1 to 7.
Found 3 groups; high masculine, high feminine and high levels of both
What is a strength and weakness of using a questionnaire for this?
Reliable- same results have also been found
oversimplified the traits into a score
What is a sex role stereotype?
A belief about what is considered typical behaviour, attitudes and characteristics for a male or female
What is a study that used content analysis to study gender?
Furnam and Farrager
Aim- to demonstrate that sex role stereotyping is used in TV advertising
Method- 200 samples taken across one day to analyse the sex of the central figure, the role and type of product
Results- Men were presented in autonomous roles and in work settings or doing leisure activities and often selling motor products
Women were shown in familial roles and selling household products.
Conclusion- The findings are consistent with the sex-role stereotypes that society has about males and females
What are the (1) strengths and (2) weaknesses of the study?
+ Evidence supports the influence of sex roles stereotypes on our behaviour
- The findings are subjective so there may be observer bias
- Stereotypes vary across time so findings are era dependent
How does the nature argument say gender is learned?
Gender related behaviour is innate and controlled by our biology and suggests gender is fixed
What are the implications of the nature argument?
Cannot explain androgyny, tomboys or feminine males
pessimistic as it suggests we cannot change our gender
How does the nurture argument say gender is learned?
Gender related behaviour is determined by social and cultural factors and gender differences are to do with the environment. It suggests gender can change
What is evidence to support the nature argument?
Buss
Aim- to investigate the heterosexual mate preferences of men and women
Method- A survey carried out across all continents where participants were asked to rate the importance of a wide range of traits in a potential mate
Results- Men in all cultures ranked good looks, youth and chastity higher than women did
Women in all cultures ranked good financial prospects, industriousness and dependability higher than men did
Conclusion- Supports the evolutionary theory that men and women seek out different traits in potential mates
What are the (1) strengths and (2) weaknesses of the study?
+ large sample size across all cultures-generalisable
- Traits were already set so p’s could not offer other traits they thought were important-methodological issue
- Findings may not be universal as the traits may not apply to all cultures
What are the (1) strengths and (2) weaknesses of the nature argument?
+ Buss’ evidence supports the argument so it is more likely to be correct
- Cannot explain people who do not follow their gender role- there may be other influences
- There is evidence to show males and females have different roles in different societies- the environment is also an influence
What is the evidence for the nurture approach?
Mead
Aim- Carried out cross cultural research to see if there were differences in gender roles in 3 different societies
Method- Observed 3 tribes for 6 months and recorded the behaviours of males and females
Results- Arapesh: Both showed stereotypically feminine behaviour
Mundugamor: Both showed stereotypically masculine behaviour
Tchambuli- Gender roles of males and females were reverse of western society
Conclusion- The tribes showing different behaviours supports the idea that gender is influenced by the society we live in
What does the study suggest about the role of nature in gender?
That it does not influence gender as male have the same biology and females have the same biology so the gender roles should be universal across all cultures
What are the (1) strengths and (2) weaknesses of the nurture argument?
+ La Framboise carried out a similar study on native american cultures and found that gender roles were also different to western society- supporting the idea that cultural differences may be correct
- Mead’s method are unscientific and subjective so may be influenced by researcher bias
- Mead accused of exagerrating the cultural differences in gender related behaviour so her findings were incorrect
