Social approach: Gender

Question 1

What are the 3 social explanations for gender?

Answer 1

Peer influences on gender, conformity to gender roles, influence of culture on gender

Question 2

PEER INFLUENCES ON GENDER: gender

Answer 2

Gender identity in childhood:
Most children can state if they are a boy or a girl by age three (they have a gender identity). Gender segregation also begins at this age. Same gender peers contribute to gender identity by acting as models for gender-typical behaviour. By primary school, children spend little time with opposite gender peers. Peers exercise normative social influence (NSI) as they provide norms of gender typical behaviour Eg ‘We don’t play with dolls, there for girls’. This can also be understood as informational social influence (ISI) as peers are also sources of information about gender related behaviours. Peers are also a source of punishment for gender a-typical behaviours. Therefore, normative and informational social influence guide gendered behaviour, especially in children because peer pressure influences who they choose to play with and how they express their gender

Gender identity in adolescence:
An important element of gender identity in adolescence is gender typicality. gender typicality is the extent to which the adolescent feels like they are like other members of their gender group (i.e. are typical) Eg, a girl behaving in a feminine manner. To judge that typicality, the adolescent compares themselves with their peers. In doing so, some adolescents become aware that they are transgender, in that their expressed gender does not match their assigned (birth) sex

Question 3

CONFORMITY TO GENDER ROLES: gender

Answer 3

There are certain norms associated with a gender role, Eg, how are male or female is ‘meant’ to behave or feel.

Felt pressure for gender conformity:
Normative social influence (NSI) - the adolescent feels social pressure to conform to the norms of a gender role (ie how a man or woman is ‘meant’ to behave) from parents/carers, peers etc. This includes pressure not to behave in gender-atypical ways (ie, boys should not be feminine, girls should not be masculine)

Gender non-conformity:
Felt pressure causes stress for adolescents who do not conform to gender role norms. This is because they are trying to cope with a role that many feel is socially unacceptable. Negative outcomes for nonconforming adolescents include teasing, bullying and rejection by peers. Gender dysphoria may be explained by the stress associated with a nonconforming identity (Not necessarily the identity itself)

Question 4

INFLUENCE OF CULTURE ON GENDER: gender

Answer 4

Cultures differ in the extent to which gender is considered binary. Several cultures use the term ‘3rd gender’ for people who do not fit in the strict classification of woman or man.

Question 5

Give 1 strength of the social approaches explanation of gender

Answer 5

Research to support

There is research to support the social approach to gender. Eg, in some cultures women have jobs/roles away from the domestic environment, suggesting that expectations of gender roles have changed (Hoftede) However, in other cultures women still face pressure to adopt the role of homemaker due to social, cultural and religious demands. This suggests that gender roles are strongly by cultural context

Question 6

Give 2 limitations of the social approaches explanation of gender

Answer 6

1. Incomplete explanation

Social explanations for gender are incomplete because the approach focuses only on how other people, wider society and culture influence behaviour. It does not consider the influence of cognitive factors such as schemas, cognitive priming and cognitive biases (such as confirmation bias, brand loyalty and authority bias). Therefore, the social approach offers an incomplete explanation of consumer behaviour.

2. Some social influences on gender are not strong

Kornienko found the adolescent peers significantly influenced ‘felt pressure’ for gender conformity, but were not a significant influence on gender typicality. This suggests that some aspects of gender are influenced by peers (eg, gender conformity) but others are not (gender typicality). Therefore, the social approach does not explain all aspects of gender, such as peer influence