Sex-role Stereotypes Flashcards
What is sex
A persons biological status as either male or female, including chromosomes, hormones and anatomy
What is gender
The psychological and cultural differences between males and females including attitudes, behaviours and social roles
What is the distinct difference between sex and gender
Sex is innate (the result of nature) and cannot be changed, whereas gender is an assigned social construct
What are sex-role stereotypes
A set of beliefs and preconceived ideas about what is expected or appropriate for men and women in a given society or social group
How are sex-role stereotypes acquired
- sex role stereotypes are learned from birth as children are exposed to the attitudes of parents and others within society who go on to reinforce these expectations of masculine and feminine behaviour
- it is argued that much of what is considered as masculine or feminine is learned as a process of socialisation and the passing of beliefs, attitudes and behaviours from one generation to another
What are the implications of holding sex-role stereotypes
- leads to an overemphasis on the differences between genders
- perpetuates inequality and inaccurate assumptions
- limits opportunities for boys and girls
State and outline a research study that shows evidence for sex-role stereotypes
Seavey et al. (1975)
- participants given a range of toys and asked to interact with a 3-month-old infant for 3 minutes
- the participants interacted differently with the infant depending on whether they believed they were male or female. When no label was given, female participants interacted with the baby significantly more than the male participants.
