Sex Role Stereotypes (Gender) Flashcards
Sex def
either male or female due to person’s biology, predominantly by their chromosomes (male=XY female=XX)
Gender def
psychological status of having a sense of masculinity or femininity
Sex role stereotypes def
preconceived beliefs about behaviours/traits/qualities that are expected in either males or females within a given society
Development of sex role stereotypes (SLT)
- Through processes of reinforcement from parents or peers
- Vicarious learning processes of observation, imitation and reinforcement of role models e.g. parents or celebrities
Research Supporting development of sex role stereotypes through socialisation (Smith and Lloyd)
- Exposed adult p’s to a baby dressed in either male or female clothing
- Found baby that was perceived as a boy was given more physical stimulation and male toys.
- Baby perceived as a girl was treated more gently and given female cuddly toys
- Suggests socialisation plays a role in sex role stereotypes
Evidence against development of sex role stereotype through socialisation (Brain scan research)
- Ingalhaliker et al scanned the brains of 949 young men and women using MRIs
- Found women’s brains have better connection between left and right hemispheres while men’s brains display more intense activity within the brain’s individual parts(especially cerebellum)
- Suggests female brain is hard wired to be able to cope with multiple tasks at once whereas male brain prefers focus on one specific complex task (Men can’t multitask)
- Suggests a biological basis for sex role stereotypes
Practical Application of Smith and Lloyd supporting SLT evidence
Can be used to address negative sex role stereotypes by reinforcing positive ones in an education setting and in media
Limitation: Problem with the existence of Sex role stereotypes
- May lead to negative effects on society e.g. inequality in pay/opportunities in certain academic or career environments
