The role of chromosomes and hormones in sex and gender

Question 1

What are chromosomes?

Answer 1

Structures in the nucleus made up of genetic information

Question 2

What are the 23rd pair of chromosomes?

Answer 2

The sex chromosomes

Question 3

What are sex chromosomes?

Answer 3

The chromosomes that determine an individual’s sex

Question 4

What sex chromosomes do females have?

Answer 4

XX

Question 5

What sex chromosomes do males have?

Answer 5

XY

Question 6

What internal and external genitalia do individuals with XX chromosomes normally have?

Answer 6

Ovaries and vagina

Question 7

What internal and external genitalia do individuals with XY chromosomes normally have?

Answer 7

Testes and penis

Question 8

Name two syndromes associated with atypical sex chromosomes.

Answer 8

Turner’s syndrome and Klinefelter’s syndrome

Question 9

What is the sex chromosome configuration in Klinefelter’s syndrome?

Answer 9

XXY

Question 10

What is the sex chromosome configuration in Turner’s syndrome?

Answer 10

X

Question 11

What external genitalia do individuals with Klinefelter’s syndrome have?

Answer 11

A penis

Question 12

What external genitalia do individuals with Turner’s syndrome have?

Answer 12

A vagina

Question 13

What characteristics do individuals with Klinefelter’s syndrome have?

Answer 13

Taller than normal, less muscular, less facial hair, broader hips, breast tissue + infertile

Question 14

What characteristics do individuals with Turner’s syndrome have?

Answer 14

Shorter than average, no menstrual cycle, webbed neck, narrow hips + cognitive impairments

Question 15

What does intersex mean?

Answer 15

An individual who is neither distinctly male or female due to a biological mismatch

Question 16

Which hormone is associated with men?

Answer 16

Testosterone

Question 17

Which hormone is associated with women?

Answer 17

Oestrogen

Question 18

What is testosterone responsible for?

Answer 18

Stimulating the development of male-typical secondary sexual characteristics

Question 19

What is oestrogen responsible for?

Answer 19

Stimulating the development of female-typical secondary sexual characteristics

Question 20

What feelings does oxytocin elicit?

Answer 20

Contentment and calmness

Question 21

What sex is oxytocin associated with?

Answer 21

Females

Question 22

What are the 4 AO3 points for the role of chromosomes and hormones in gender development?

Answer 22

1) Case study support from David Reimer
2) RWA - intersex conditions
3) Reductionist
4) Ignores role of cultural + social factors

Question 23

What sex was David Reimer born as?

Answer 23

Male

Question 24

What traumatic event happened to David Reimer as a baby?

Answer 24

His penis was destroyed in a surgery

Question 25

After David Reimer's penis was destroyed, what did his parents decide?

Answer 25

To have him undergo sex change surgery

Question 26

What gender was David Reimer raised as?

Answer 26

Female

Question 27

What occurred during David Reimer's teenage years?

Answer 27

He transitioned back to a male

Question 28

What was the norm for intersex babies in the past?

Answer 28

Surgery to make their external genitalia look 'normal'

Question 29

What is the norm for intersex babies in the modern world?

Answer 29

To assign them a gender at birth, but not carry out surgery

Question 30

Why is genetic testing for individuals with Turner syndrome good?

Answer 30

It allows early detection + hormone supplementation

Question 31

Why is the biological approach to gender reductionist?

Answer 31

It ignores the changing gender roles across cultures + time

Question 32

Where were the Batista family from?

Answer 32

The Dominican Republic

Question 33

What do the Batista family contradict?

Answer 33

The role of chromosomes and hormones in gender development

Question 34

What genitalia were the 4 children of the Batista family born with?

Answer 34

Female external genitalia

Question 35

What happened to the Batista children at puberty?

Answer 35

The testosterone produced caused male genitalia to develop

Question 36

What chromosomes did the Batista children have?

Answer 36

XY

Question 37

Why did the Batista children's male genitalia not appear at birth?

Answer 37

They had a gene for testosterone insensitivity

Question 38

How did the Batista children cope with their gender change?

Answer 38

They accepted their new male roles without any difficulty

Question 39

How does the Batista family case study contradict the role of biology in gender?

Answer 39

Highlights the importance of culture - community with more fluid gender roles make it easier to move between roles