Sex - Role Stereotypes Flashcards
what are sex role stereotypes
Sex role stereotypes are types of qualities, characteristics and behaviours that are seen as appropriate and expected for each sex.
Individuals are born male or female, but
sex-role stereotypes teach us about masculine and feminine qualities/characteristics/behaviours that are seen as appropriate and expected for each sex.
Sex-role stereotypes create norms
(expected forms of behaviour and attitude) that people often feel pressured to conform to.
Therefore, arguably, our understanding of ‘masculinity’ and
what is socialisation
(Socialisation = the passing on of beliefs, attitudes and behaviour from one generation to another)
Sex-role expectations are taught from an early age…
In the way different genders are handled by their parents – how do you think males are handled compared to females?
In the games and types of play children are encouraged to engage in.
Peer influences in reinforcing sex-role stereotypes:
Children quickly pick up and conform to sex-role stereotypes. They then judge other children’s roles.
Individuals judged as exhibiting ‘incorrect/inappropriate’ behaviour are subjected to hostility and pressure to assume ‘correct’ sex roles.
Seavey et al. (1975) – Baby X Experiment
Procedure
Procedures: The researchers told one in three adult participants that a three-month old baby dressed in a yellow jumpsuit was either a boy or girl, or they did not reveal the baby’s gender at all.
Seavey et al. (1975)
Why do you think the baby was dressed in yellow clothing?
Neutral clothing
Seavey et al. (1975)
They were left to play with the baby in a room. What were the three toys available to the adult to use in their interactions with the baby?
A ball (stereotypically male toy)
A doll (stereotypically female toy)
A plastic ring (non sex-role stereotypical toy)
Seavey et al. (1975)
How did the adults’ behaviour towards the baby differ if they were told it was male or female?
Both male and female adults gave the baby the doll to play with if they believed it to be female.
They were more likely to give it the non-stereotypical toy if they thought the baby was a boy.
Seavey et al. (1975)
How did they behave if the baby’s gender was not known?
When the baby’s gender was not known, female adults handled the baby more and both male and female adults tried to assess the baby’s gender on the basis of its perceived strength.
Seavey et al. (1975)
What do the results of this study suggest i.e. what conclusions could be drawn from these findings?
The results suggest that males and females react to babies differently according to what gender they believe them to be.
what did Langlois and Downs (1980) do
compared peers’ and mothers’ reactions to pre-schoolers’ play with opposite–gender toys.
Langlois and Downs (1980)
How did parents and peers differ in their reactions to boys playing with girls’ toys e.g. dolls?
When boys played with girls’ toys, mothers accepted this.
However, male peers ridiculed and even hit them.
Langlois and Downs (1980)
What could you conclude from this study?
This study demonstrates the intolerance of male peers for cross-gender behaviour and thus the strength of their influence on establishing gender roles.
