Sex, Gender, and sex-role stereotypes

• Define sex

  The biological status as either male or female
• Define Gender

  The psychological identity as either masculine, feminine or gender neutral
• differences between sex and gender

  Gender: culturally defined (women=sensitive men=superior to women)

  Sex: biological (women have XX men have XY)
• Sex-role stereotypes

  Shared ideas (by members of society and cultures) about what behaviours/traits/characteristics are appropriate for males and females.

  E.g. women should do domestic roles of cooking and cleaning and

  men should be the breadwinners
• How can sex-role stereotypes develop?

  Social learning, Gender schema and psychodynamic
• How do sex-role stereotypes develop SLT?

  When children observe and imitate sex-stereotypical behaviours/traits from same-sex models (they are more likely to repeat the behaviour if they see them being reinforced).
• How do sex-role stereotypes develop Gender schema explanation?

  Children devlop a rigid schema about each gender. this can cause the children to only engage in activities associated with their own gender and reject any other activities.

  Thus sex-stereotypical behaviours and attitudes can form.
• How do sex-role stereotypes develop Psycho dynamic explanation

  Children during their phallic stage (approximatly 4-5y) will identify with their same-sex parent and internalise their behaviours and attitudes.

  This will mean the child expects these from others of the same sex and so sex-role stereotypes begin to form.
• Evaluation of the research into sex-role stereotypes

  -supporting evidence for their existence from parental studies

  -supporting evidence for their existence from media/schools

  -negative implications for woman's careers

  -may lack temporal validity as they are less common now