Sex Differences and Gender-Role Development Chapter 13

Definitions Sex = biological identity Gender = social and cultural identity as male/female Gender-role standard = a behavior, value, or motive that society deems more appropriate for males/females

SOME FACTS AND FICTIONS ABOUT SEX DIFFERENCES Actual Psychological Differences Between the Sexes Verbal Ability – girls are superior Visual/Spatial Abilities – boys are superior Evident by 4, persists across life span Mathematical Abilities In adolescence, boys better at arithmetic reasoning Girls better at computational skills

SOME FACTS AND FICTIONS ABOUT SEX DIFFERENCES Aggression Boys  physically and verbally Girls  covert

SOME FACTS AND FICTIONS ABOUT SEX DIFFERENCES Other Sex Differences Activity level – boys are more physically active (even before birth) Fear, timidity, and risk-taking – girls are more fearful, timid, and take fewer risks No difference in cognitive impulsivity Developmental vulnerability – boys are more vulnerable to prenatal and perinatal hazards and disease

SOME FACTS AND FICTIONS ABOUT SEX DIFFERENCES Conclusions Differences reflect group averages Differences are small Differences are most apparent at the extremes Males and females are much more psychologically similar than they are different

SOME FACTS AND FICTIONS ABOUT SEX DIFFERENCES Emotional expressivity / sensitivity Beginning in toddlerhood Boys  anger Girls  other emotions Compliance – girls are more compliant

Gender Differences in Social Behavior Gender segregation Play styles Social Influence Styles Charlesworth 4 children, playing with movie viewer designed so only one child could watch at a time

Gender Differences in Social Behavior Forms of Verbal Influence Social Interaction Jacklin & Maccoby Pairs of neutrally dressed, unacquainted 33 m/o brought to playroom Group Structure

THEORIES OF GENDER-TYPING AND GENDER ROLE DEVELOPMENT Evolutionary Theory Males and females face different evolutionary pressures

THEORIES OF GENDER-TYPING AND GENDER ROLE DEVELOPMENT Criticisms of the Evolutionary Approach Applies to differences that apply cross-culturally Ignores differences limited to cultures or historical periods Social roles hypothesis Cultures assign roles based on gender Socialization practices

THEORIES OF GENDER-TYPING AND GENDER ROLE DEVELOPMENT Evidence for Social-Labeling Influences Cultural influences Mead’s study of tribal societies Arapesh – both males and females were taught to be expressive Mundugumor – both genders were taught to be “masculine” Tchambuli – from Western standards, males more feminine, females more masculine

THEORIES OF GENDER-TYPING AND GENDER ROLE DEVELOPMENT Evidence for Social-Labeling Influences Condry & Condry Saw film of 9 m/o presented with jack-in-the-box Half told male, half told female “boy” was described as angry “girl” was described as afraid

THEORIES OF GENDER-TYPING AND GENDER ROLE DEVELOPMENT A psychobiosocial viewpoint Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory Social Learning Theory Direct tuition/reinforcement Observational learning

THEORIES OF GENDER-TYPING AND GENDER ROLE DEVELOPMENT Kohlberg’s Cognitive-Developmental Theory Basic gender identity Gender stability Gender consistency Gender Schema Theory (Martin & Halverson)

THEORIES OF GENDER-TYPING AND GENDER ROLE DEVELOPMENT Martin & Halverson Show 5-6 y/o pictures: Boy engaging in traditional masculine activity Girl engaging in traditional masculine activity Boy engaging in traditional feminine activity Girl engaging in traditional feminine activity One week later, show pictures…

THEORIES OF GENDER-TYPING AND GENDER ROLE DEVELOPMENT Martin 4-10 y/o told story Character in story was either a boy or girl Description was neutral, stereotyped, or counterstereotyped

THEORIES OF GENDER-TYPING AND GENDER ROLE DEVELOPMENT An Integrative Theory Biological theories account for major biological developments Social-theories account for differential reinforcement processes Cognitive development explains the growth of categorization skills Gender schemas are also important as are models as children age

Androgyny – Bem Historically, masculinity and femininity were at opposite ends of a single dimension Androgyny – sees them as 2 separate dimensions, allowing individuals to be high in both masculine and feminine traits

Scoring for BEM Use the scoring guide to tally up scores for a and b answers A answers: tally scores, divide by 20 (as long as you didn’t omit any “a” answers), place number in the box at the bottom of your sheet labeled R.S. and a. B answers: tally scores, divide by 20 (as long as you didn’t omit any “b” answers), place number in box labeled R.S. and b.

Do Androgynous People Really Exist? In a college student sample 33% were masculine men or feminine women 30% were androgynous 37% undifferentiated or gender-type reversed

Are There Advantages to Being Androgynous? More highly adaptable to the situation Higher self-esteem More likeable Perceived as better adjusted The masculine traits are more important for adjustment Advantages may differ across lifespan