Extension: Could gender be an interaction of the different explanations we have looked at so far? Discuss with somebody else whether you think the development of gender is more due to nature or nurture and why.

Biological influences on gender Pages Biological influences on gender The biosocial approach to gender development Pages

Learning objectives By the end of this lesson you will be able: To describe the biosocial theory as an explanation of gender development. To evaluate the biosocial theory as an explanation of gender development.

Starter Over the next few slides are six different questions to get you thinking about the biosocial approach. You have two minutes per slide. In pairs (or alone) write down some key points for each slide.

Question 1  A baby girl is born, her biology is female. How might the fact that she is female influence how her parents/carers behave towards her? Extension: Begin to think about what the biosocial theory may suggest as the reason for gender development

Question 2 In some cultures it is believed that ‘boys don’t cry’ and should be masculine. Consider a baby boy and a baby girl are both crying – how might the parents/carers respond to them differently?  How might this influence the future behaviour of the babies? Extension: Begin to think about what the biosocial theory may suggest as the reason for gender development

Question 3  A sample of babies are dressed either in pink or blue clothes and participants are asked to interact and play with the babies. How might the toys the adults choose to play with differ.  How would this influence the behaviour of the infants? Extension: Begin to think about what the biosocial theory may suggest as the reason for gender development

Question 4 Biologically females are able to carry a child and give birth. Their bodies are also designed to be able to feed the infant. As a result of this biological factor (that men cannot do) what might society see as a female gender role? Extension: Begin to think about what the biosocial theory may suggest as the reason for gender development

Question 5 Biologically, men produce high levels of testosterone, this hormone helps to build muscle in men. Based on this biological difference to women, what might society see as appropriate male gender roles? Extension: Begin to think about what the biosocial theory may suggest as the reason for gender development

Question 6 Women are now able to control if and when they reproduce (by using contraception). This means that whilst they may put off, or choose not to have children, society may begin to see their gender role as different. Can you think of any ways that gender roles in our society have changed as a result of this? Extension: Begin to think about what the biosocial theory may suggest as the reason for gender development

Bringing it together Share with your peers the answers you have put, and collectively come up a sentence or two that you think describes the main assumption of the bio social approach to gender development. Extension: How could you carry out research to test this theory?

Your task Read through the hand out on the bio social approach to explaining gender. Complete the missing information. Extension: Plan the following past question: Discuss the biosocial approach to gender development. (8+16 marks)

Check your understanding Summarise the information on the hand out into a format that is more memorable to you i.e. Pictures, diagram, mind map, bullet points. Extension: Read pages and add to your notes.

Learning objectives : You are now able: To describe the biosocial theory as an explanation of gender development. To to evaluate the biosocial theory as an explanation of gender development.

Homework Due in next lesson: - Use the internet or textbooks to find out a definition of Gender Dysphoria. - Give a description of Gender Dysphoria (including symptoms) and think about how the biosocial approach could explain it. -If you can, find how the DSM V classifies Gender Dysphoria. Don’t forget to continue revising social explanations of gender for a test. Preparation for next lesson: Read pages