Sex and Gender Flashcards
Sex
Biological fact of being male or female based on genes and hormones
Gender
Difference between the ways that men and women behave and the concepts of masculinity and feminity.
Hines three components of psychosexual development.
- Core gender identity
- Gender role behaviours
- Sexual orientation
Core gender identity
- Sense of themself - M or F
- Childhood
Gender role behaviours
- Characteristics or behaviours that differ in males and females
Sexual orientation
- Sexual interest in individuals of the same or opposite gender
- Puberty or early adulthood
Gender dysphoria
A mismatch between biological sex and core gender identity
Androgynous
Possessing a blend of masculine and feminine characteristics in roughly equal proportions
Bem sex-role inventory
- 50 male and female
- Rate a list of 200 personality words in relation to how desirable they were for men and women.
- Bem picked out consistently rated traits for both genders.
- Sex-role stereotypes.
- Picked out neutral traits for both genders.
Sex-role stereotype
Generalized expectation about a typical feminine or masculine quality
- Create norms = expected forms of behaviour and attitudes
- The pressure to conform
= M or F = learned as result of socialisation processes (passing on beliefs, attitudes and behaviour from one generation to another)
Temporal validity of Bem
- Ideas about masculinity and femininity might have changed dramatically
- Holt and Ellis - replication found 58/60 adjectives from original still fitted into the 3 subscales
What does the SRI identify?
- Masculine
- Feminine
- Androgynous
- Undifferentiated
Sex-typed individuals
Conform to traditional gender stereotypes
Sex-role expectations
- Taught from an early age = males treated more physically
- Different games/type of play
- Children police other children
- Pressure to study ‘gender-suitable’ subjects = careers
Powerful source of stereotyping
- Media
- Culture
