gender. gender and sex sex –biological differences chromosomal genetic gonadal gametic endocrine...
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Gender and sex
• Sex– Biological differences
• Chromosomal• Genetic• Gonadal• Gametic• Endocrine• Phenotypic
• Gender– Psychosocial condition
• Masculine or feminine– Behavior– Traits– Interests
– May not correspond sex
Gender stereotypes
• Set of belief about what it means to be a man and woman– Expected behavior
• Vary among different society• Change constantly• Some beliefs are constant regardless of the
society
– Cause of gender bias• Different treatment of individual of one sex
• Societal view of each sex– Interpretation of world
• Expected behaviors– Social shorthand sketch
• Gender polarization
• Ambiguity– Androgyny
• Both masculine and feminine characteristics
Gender identity
• Personal view of masculinity and femininity– Based on one’s sex– May not be consistent with one’s sex
• Transsexuals/transgendered– Difficult conforming to polarized gender code
• Could trigger gender identity disorder– High level of distress (“woman trapped in a man’s
body”)
• Differences between genders– May not be as clear
• Large overlap between men and women– Display of emotions in men– Competitiveness in women
– Paradox• Societal view• Individual view
Origin of gender
• Nature– Biological makeup
• Nurture– Physical environment– Society– Gender-specific behavior patterns
Role of hormones
• Development of sexually dimorphic behavior– Exposure of animals during critical stage of
development• Neonatal• Late fetal
– Predominant behavior• Not exclusive
• Structural arrangement within the brain– Hypothalamus– May not be as reliable predictor of specific
behaviors
• Effects of steroid hormones– Stage-specific
• Critical period
Differences in humans
• Brains– Hypothalamus– Cortical region
• Cognitive differences– Gender identity
– Not large enough to be conclusive• Stage of development• Cause of differences
• Effects of hormones– Tomboyism in adrenogenital syndrome
girls• Does not persist
– Behave as normal adult females
• Greater flexibility and overlapped behavior in humans
Effects of social learning
• Assignment of baby– View of individual– View of society
• Behavior of adult– Based on perceived sex of baby
• Expectation of certain behviors
– Interpretation of baby’s behavior based on its perceived sex
• Gender constancy– Fixed gender that cannot be changed
• Effects of society– Mass media– Peers– Household