Stress - 7. Managing and Coping with Stress: 4. Gender Differences

Question 1

Why does Taylor believe there are gender differences in coping with stress?

Answer 1

As a consequence of our evolutionary history, males respond to stress through aggression (fight or flight)
Responding in this way would not be evolutionarily beneficial for females, as survival of their offspring would be put at risk
Men and women both go through same physiological response to stress (fight or flight) but both show different responses

Question 2

Difference in response to stress between men and women

Answer 2

Women more likely to respond in a protecting, nurturing, calming way to a stressor (tend or befriend response)

Question 3

Key reason for gender differences in stress management according to Taylor

Answer 3

Women have a limited fertility whereas men don’t
Men can live more risky lives than women, resulting in gender differences

Question 4

Who does Vogele link gender roles and stereotypes to gender differences in coping with stress?

Answer 4

Stereotypes about gender suggest men are less open about their feelings and less likely to discuss them, making them more likely to use harmful methods (like smoking and drinking)
Men feel that anger is an acceptable response in stressful situations and feel more distressed if unable to show it

Question 5

Criticism of Vogele’s link between gender differences and gender role stereotypes

Answer 5

Potentially lacks temporal validity as men are more open about their feelings today

Question 6

What hormone may contribute to gender differences in coping with stress?

Answer 6

Oxytocin

Question 7

What is oxytocin?

Answer 7

Known as the love hormone
Hormone that gives us a ‘warm’ feeling about people
Released in both sexes and promotes feelings of goodwill and affiliation towards others

Question 8

Gender differences in oxytocin

Answer 8

Female hormone oestrogen increases the effect of oxytocin, resulting in reduced stress response in women
Male hormone testosterone dampens effect of oxytocin, so it may have an inhibitory effect on oxytocin

Question 9

What are women more likely to seek than men when dealing with stress?

Answer 9

Social support

Question 10

Problem-focused and emotion-focused ways of coping with stress

Answer 10

Women take an emotion-focused approach, meaning they seek to share and talk about their stress with others
Men take a problem-focused approach, meaning they just want to take practical action in dealing with the stress