Gender Flashcards
(17 cards)
Social learning theory to reinforce sex role stereotypes
Smith and Lloyd - adults were presented with a baby who was dressed in gender neutral clothes
The way they interacted with the child depended on whether they had a boys or girls name
This shows that adults use gender stereotypes to interact with children
Media influences to reinforce sex role stereotypes
Williams - TV introduced in a small canadian town
Investigated behaviour two years later - there was an increased difference between male and female behaviours in line with the media stereotype
Cultural influences on sex role stereotypes
Mead studied tribes in Papa new guinea
The tchabuli tribe had reverse gender roles
Dependant on culture
Biology on sex role stereotypes
Williams and best - Across 30 cultures all were in agreement that certain adjectives are gender specific suggesting it is innate to classify people in this way
Further AO3 for sex role stereotypes
Sood - only 12% of British primary school teachers are male due to it being seen as a female profession —- sex role stereotypes influence adult career choices
Klinefelters syndrome - AO1
XXY chromosomes
Physical characteristics- enlarged breasts (as a result of excess oestrogen )
Wider hips
Psychological - poorer verbal and reading skills
Turner Syndrome
X0 chromosome
Physical differences - delayed onset of puberty (not enough oestrogen), underdeveloped ovaries, narrow hips, webbed neck
Psychological - higher than average reading and verbal skills but difficulty in maintaining social relationships
Evaluating Klinefelters - Treatments (TRT)
Increase testosterone levels and improve characteristics such as increasing facial hair and reducing breast size
Help them to align their biological sex with their gender identity, if they wish
Leading to them feeling more comfortable in their body and mind so improved wellbeing
Ramasamy - testicular sperm extraction could help to retrieve viable sperm in males who had low fertility
Allows them to father children if they wish
Suggests that due to research the difficulties of living with Klinefelters are being improved
Evaluating Turners - Treatments
ORT - helps with breast and reproductive development
May relieve some of the social pressures increase their confidence and make them feel more accepted
Another treatment option is to freeze the reproductive eggs from pre-pubescent girls before ovarian failure so they are able to conceive later in life
However ethical implications due to invasive treament on young girls
Despite this research has created life changing treatments
Evaluating Turners - Effectiveness of Treatments
Quigley investigated the positive effects of ORT
If treatment is administered before puberty fenales would have a greater increase in breast tissue in the long run
Early detection and a diagnosis is crucial to give the greatest chance of maximum success for the treatment
General evaluation for turners and Klinefelters
Can be criticised for being socially sensitive as the word syndrome can infer there is something wrong with them
It is important that people ate educated to avoid mistreatment of individuals and inaccurate preconceptions
However tuririff found that the labels can have a positive effect on individuals
210 diagnosed individuals (klinefelters) were asked about the impacts of their diagnosis and 20% said it increased their empathy
Kohlberg’s theory of gender constancy - cognitive explanations for gender development
Gender identity (18m - 3y): They can recognise if they are a male or a female and use these labels to describe other people however have a limited understanding of what this means and certainly do not understand that gender remains consistent over time
Gender stability (3-5y): Can recognise that gender is fixed over time however get confused by superficial changes therefore cant understand that gender is consistent even in different situations
Gender constancy (6-7y): Understand that gender is a consistent aspect of ones identity
Begin to self socialise which is where they learn gender appropriate behaviours from those around them
AO3 for Kohlberg - Slaby and Frey
Interviewed 55 questions asking questions like “when you grow up will you be a mummy or a daddy” to identify those who have reached gender constancy
Found that those who displayed high constancy were more attentive to their same sex model when watching a video showing that gender constancy is crucial to self socialising
However it is hard to know for certain if the children are paying attention to a same sex model or merely looking or daydreaming
Therefore this lowers the internal validity of
AO3 for Kohlberg - McConaghy
Presented children with dolls where the genitals were visible and clothes were transparent
Children used the clothing to assign the dolls a gender
Supports gender stability stage as children become confused by superficial changes therefore
Developmental changes in childrens gender schema
Preschoolers (2-3): Accumulate knowledge about each gender, organising them into gender schemas
Learn distinctions about what activities go with what gender via observation
Create in groups and out groups
Ages 4-6: Learn complex associations for their own gender (what they like, how they should play and talk)
However they do not have a complex understanding of the other gender
Ages 5-6: a more elaborated understanding of what people like them do- might be a subsection of their personality and not their gender
They also start understanding what other genders do at around 6
Late childhood/early adolescence: understood that rules are just social conventions, gender role schemas become more flexible - androgyny
AO3 for gender schema theory - Martin and Halverson
Asked children to recall pics of people
Children under 6 recalled more consistent ones (male footballer) than less consistent ones (male nurse)
AO3 for gender schema theory - Aubry
Performed a longitudinal study into preferences for gender related items
Once a belief had been taken that an item is for the opposite sex preference for that item reduced
