Gender Development Module 49

Key Terms Sex - the biological category of male or female; sexual intercourse Gender - cultural, social, and psychological meanings associated with masculinity or femininity sex is a matter of the body, while gender occurs in the mind Gender Roles - behaviors, attitudes, and personality traits designated either masculine or feminine in a given culture Gender Identity - A person’s psychological sense of being male or female Gender Typing – acquiring the traditional male & female roles (argued to possibly be a natural process) Transgender – A person’s gender identity/expression is different from their birth sex Sexual Orientation - direction of a person's emotional and erotic attractions

Gender Related Differences Gender-roles – social expectations people hold about the characteristics and behaviors of each sex Culture shapes gender role development Gender roles differ over time & place The differences between men and women are average differences, not absolute differences. Knowing that a gender difference exists in no way explains what caused that difference. Differences do not mean deficiencies

Gender Differences MALE More Aggressive No significant differences between men and women on most characteristics By age 50, many gender differences or no longer noticeable MALE More Aggressive More directive/autocratic in leadership role More independent (less empathetic, more domineering) Score higher on spatial skills - mentally rotating objects FEMALE Less Aggressive More democratic in leadership role More interdependent (tend & befriend) Score higher on verbal, reading, and writing

Gender Role Development 45 of the 46 chromosomes are unisex Culture shapes gender role development Girls and boys are treated differently from birth. Gender identity/awareness emerges at a very early age. From about 18 months to the age of 2 years, sex differences in behavior begin to emerge.

Gender Role Development Between ages 2-3 years, children can identify themselves and other children as boys or girls. Preschoolers start acquiring gender-role stereotypes for toys, clothing, household objects, games, and work. The concept of gender or sex, however is based more on outward characteristics such as clothing. After age 3 we see consistent gender differences in preferred toys and activities Toddler girls play more with soft toys and dolls, and ask for help from adults more Toddler boys play more with blocks and transportation toys (trucks and wagons), and play more actively

Gender Role Development Throughout the remainder of childhood, boys and girls play primarily with members of their own sex. Also, boys play in larger groups. Children (age 5-6) are far more rigid than adults in their beliefs in gender-role stereotypes As they grow older, girls grow more flexible in their gender role attitudes but boys become more rigid. In many ways, children’s behavior mirrors the gender-role stereotypes that are predominant in our culture. See an example of these stereotypes by clicking on the picture

Male and female brains are much more alike than they are dissimilar Gender Stereotypes Male and female brains are much more alike than they are dissimilar Or are they?

Explaining Gender Roles: Two Contemporary Theories

A Quick Comparison Social Learning Theory – Children learn gender roles through observation of parents & through reinforcement. Gender Schema Theory – Children actively form mental categories (schemas) for masculinity & femininity from their culture, recognize their own gender role, and select activities that match that role.

Gender Schema Theory An example of how a child forms a schema associated with gender. A girl is offered a choice of 4 toys to play with. I am a girl Toy car Doll Orange Artichoke Approach object Who for? Is it relevant to me? Avoid/Forget Assign to category and remember/ Approach Not for me For me Boys Girls

Gender Schemas… Influence how people pay attention to, perceive, interpret, and remember gender-relevant behavior Seem to lead children to perceive members of their own sex more favorably than members of the opposite sex Include a broad range of qualities and attributes that are less concrete, such as associating “gentleness” with females and “toughness” with males

Transgender Identify emotionally and psychologically with the opposite sex than with their biological sex. For the first seven weeks after conception, male and female embryos are anatomically indistinguishable. Then, the genes activate biological sex, which is determined by the sex chromosomes (XX, female; XY, male). Production of testosterone begins in the male embryo in about the seventh week, and the external male sex organs begin to develop. Then in the fourth and fifth months, testosterone in the male and ovarian hormones in the female affect brain-wiring patterns.

Transsexual People who want to live as a member of the opposite sex they were born with people who transition from one sex to another Less than a year after gender reassignment as a man, Brad describes his experience of being biologically female but feeling emotionally and psychologically male, and his feelings of wholeness since his reassignment. Click HERE to view.