Sex + Gender

Question 1

What is meant by sex

Answer 1

-refers to biological status as male or female
-determined by different chromosomes, which then influence hormonal differences + in anatomy like reproductive organs, body shape, hair growth
-sex is innate and result of nature
-sex + gender often used interchangeably, suggesting they’re the same, but are separate concepts

Question 2

Whats meant by gender

Answer 2

-refers to someone psychosocial status as masc or fem.
-includes attitudes, roles, behaviours that we associate with this
-heavily influenced by social norms and cultural expectations
-difference is sex is innate and result of nature, while gender is partly environmentally determined , and so due to nurture

Question 3

How can gender and sex be summarised

Answer 3

• sex = innate, nature
  -gender = environmental determined, nurture
• if someone’s sex is innate then, this is biological fact and is unchanged
• those who undergo ‘sex change’ don’t actually change their sex as this is fixed , so more accurate term is gender reassignment surgery
  -may be that gender as a learned concept is more fluid and open to change
  -someone may become ‘more masc/fem’ depending on social context they’re in, and norms / values associated with it

Question 4

Describe gender dysphoria

Answer 4

• for most, their biological sex and gender identity correspond
  -some however experience gender dysphoria, when their biological sex doesn’t reflect how they feel on inside and what gender they identify as
• some that feel this way may undergo gender reassignment to bring their sexual identity in line with their gender identity

Question 5

What is meant by sex-role stereotypes

Answer 5

-set of shared expectations that ppl in a society/culture hold about whats acceptable / usual for men and women
-these expectations are somehow communicated through society and may be reinforced by parents, peers, media, school
-may lead to sexist assumptions made, eg idea that woman wont have capacity to cope with high responsibility position in workplace, as she may become ‘over emotional’

Question 6

What evidence is there to support basis of sex-role stereotyping

Answer 6

-widely held belief that women are better at multi tasking than men is supported by recent study of differences in neurological activity between men and women
-brains scanned of 949 young men/women using hi-tech diffusion MRI imaging to map out connections in parts of brain
-discovered women’s brains have far better connections between L+R sides , whilst men’s display more intense activity
-female brain is hardwired to cope better with several tasks at once whereas male brain better at one task at once