Sex, Gender And Androgyny

Question 1

What is the difference between sex and gender?

Answer 1

• Sex refers a persons biologically status as either a male or female , determines by chromosomes (XX-woman XY-man) influences hormones and anatomic differences
• Gender refers to someone’s psychological status as masculine or feminine: attitudes, roles and behaviours associated with ‘mam’ or ‘woman’
• Nature v nurture
• gender is assigned because it is a social construct rather than a biological fact

Question 2

What is Gender Dysphoria?

Answer 2

• Biologically prescribed sex does not reflect the gender they identify themselves as being
• Some may choose gender reassignment surgery in order to being sexual identity with gender identity

Question 3

What are Sex-role Stereotypes?

Answer 3

• A shared set of expectations that people within a society or culture hold about what is acceptable behaviour for men and women
• Communicated through society and reinforced by parents, peers, the media, school etc
• many hold little to no truth and lead to sexist assumptions being formed

Question 4

What is Androgyny?

Answer 4

• a personality type that is characterised by a mixture of masculine and feminine traits
• Bem developed a method for measuring Androgyny - high androgyny is associated with high psychological wellbeing as individuals who have both masculine and feminine traits can adapt to a range of situations
• a man who is very feminine and a woman who is very masculine may not be androgynous as a balance is necessary

Question 5

What is Bem’s Sex Role Inventory (BSRI)?

Answer 5

• presents 20 ‘masculine characteristics’ and 20 ‘feminine characteristic’ and 20 ‘neutral characteristics’
• respondents rate themselves on a 7 point rating scale (1 never true 7 always true)
• scores classified on the basis of two dimensions (masculinity-femininity, androgynous-undifferentiated)

Question 6

What is one strength and counterpoint of BSRI?

Answer 6

• measured quantitatively, useful for research purposes e.g to quantify a dependant variable
• Spence argued gender cannot be defined in quantitative terms and so qualitative data is more appropriate

Question 7

How was BSRI developed? Is this a strength?

Answer 7

• asking 50 male and 50 female judges to rate 200 traits in how much they represented ‘maleness and femaleness’
• traits that scored highest in each category became the 20
• then piloted by 1000 students and results corresponded with pps own gender identity (validity)
• similar scores a month later (test-retest relatability)

Question 8

The BSRI was developed over 40 years ago? What may this mean?

Answer 8

• lack of temporal validity as ‘typical’ gendered behaviours have changed significantly, Bem’s categories are outdated
• culture bias only devised by people from USA and only western standards of gender