Sex and Gender (gender) Flashcards
What’s the difference between sex and gender?
- SEX= biological state of being either male or female, determined by different chromosomes. (nature)
-GENDER= Someone’s psychosocial status as being masculine, feminine or androgynous, this is influenced by social norms and cultural expectations (nurture)
What is gender dysphoria?
- When someone’s biological sex doesn’t reflect the way they feel inside or the gender they identify as.
- Can get gender reassignment surgery
What is sex role stereotyping?
- A set of beliefs and pre-conceived ideas about what’s expected for males and females in a given society.
Stereotypes cause use to ________ similarities between individual members of the same group (eg all males are aggressive)
Stereotypes also cause us to overemphasise the __________ between the different groups (if all females are caring then all males are not caring)
- overemphasise
-differences
What was the procedure of KUHN et al’s research?
- Showed 2-3 year olds male and female paper dolls
- Asked them to identify which doll would make statements, such as ‘ I cry a lot’ and ‘I like fighting’
What were the results of KUHN’s study?
- Most of the 2 year olds had similar ideas about the sexes (boys= fighting, girls=dolls)
- Each saw its own gender as having positive qualities (girls thought other girls were pretty, boys saw other boys as hard working)
- Each sex had negative views about the other (boys are mean, girls are slow)
Are some of these sex-stereotypes matched in adult hood?
YES
- Adults see men as being: assertive, aggressive,skilful and get things done
- Women seen as: warm, expressive,gentle and lacking in competence, independence and logic
Explain how sex stereotyping is shown in young children’s toy choices
(RICHARDSON AND SIMPSON)
- Girls have dolls and house keeping toys
- Boys have guns and trucks
–> this was found in a study into the requests of 4-9 year olds for gifts from Santa
Do parents enforce sex-role stereotyping in their children from a young age due to the toys they buy them?
- ECCLES–> children encouraged by parents to play with gender typical toys
RHEINGOLD and COOK–>
- Made inventory of toys in rooms of children ages 1 month to 6 years
- Boys= vehicles, sports equipment
- Girls= dolls, floral decorations
- Differences in rooms were present from very early ages–> suggests that parents were selecting toys based upon the child’s gender rather than in response to their interests.
Only ___% of British primary school teachers and ___% of nursery teachers are male. WHY?
- 12
-3 - Early years teaching seen as a feminine profession due to nurturing ability and unsuitability of males due to perception of being intimidating
–> SEX ROLE STEREOTYPES AFFECT ADULT CAREER CHOICES
S-R STEREOTYPES EVALUATION- What does the fact that s-r stereotypes differ cross culturally tell us?
- Suggests characteristics associated with sex roles are culturally transmitted
- ENVIRONMENTAL learning experiences are stronger than BIOLOGICAL factors in determining s-r tereotypes
S-R STEREOTYPES EVALUATION- How can environmental learning experiences be used to change negative s-r stereotypes?
- Negative s-r stereotyping addressed by providing learning experiences for children
- These would reinforce the idea of POSITIVE sex roles being equally applicable to males and females
S-R STEREOTYPES EVALUATION- What’s the problem in addressing negative s-r tereotyping?
- Examples of stereotypes tend to be OVEREMPHASISED as ‘typical behaviour’, eg girls cry but when boys do it’s unusual
- ‘Typical’ differences are then perceived as ‘natural’ differences between the sexes which reinforces the stereotype and makes it HARDER TO BREAK DOWN.
S-R STEREOTYPES EVALUATION- The media is criticised for __________ presentation of sex roles
- STEREOTYPICAL
- However the way in which sexes r represented in childrens books has changed since the 1960s where women were under-represented and shown in passive and needy roles
S-R STEREOTYPES EVALUATION- Has the media really stop being stereotypical ?
- some argue it still is but now it’s more subtle
- Research shows males and females still represented differently on TV