Sex and gender

• Sex is

  • A biological fact.
  • Chromosomes XX (female) and XY (male), hormonal differences, reproductive organs.
  • Nature (innate).
• Gender is

  • A person's sense of maleness & femaleness.
  • Psychosocial status i.e. masculine or feminine based on socila norms and cultural experiences.
  • Nurture (environment).
• Gender dysphoria

  • When someone's biological sex doesn't match the way they feel and the gender they see themselves as.
  • Surgery called 'gender reassignment surgery' (GRS), not 'sex change'. You can't your sex.
  • GRS brings sexual identity in line with gender identity.
  • Gender is a more fluid concept and usually learned - you can become more masculine or feminine depending on social context.
• Sex role stereotypes - what is it ?

  • Shared expectations that ppl within a society / culture hold about what's acceptable for males & females - seen as "proper & expected".
  • Concept of masc / fem is learnt through socialisation :

  -Transmitted through society, reinforce by parents / peers / media.

  -But, it may have no truth & may lead to discrimination e.g. woman poor leaders as too emotional.
• Sex role stereotypes - These are taught early on.

  • i.e. girls = quiet play, dolls & tea parties, boys = loud play, weapons & dinosaurs.
  • Children "police" other children's role by teasing (punishment) those that go against the sex role stereotypes.
  • Gender subjects in schools. Boys = maths & science, girls = English & humanities.
  • Media plays a large role in maintaining these stereotypes, but can also be used to help break them.
  • Cultural differences in gender stereotypes
• Smith & Lloyd (1978)

  • 4-6 month old babies dressed half the time as boys, other half as girls (regardless of sex).
  • When adults interacted w the babies :

  -those assumed to be boys given hammered shape rattles & encouraged to be active & adventurous.

  -those assumed to be girls given dolls, told they were pretty reinforced when passive.
• Social learning theory of gender.

  Agents of socialisation (the media, parents, etc) sustain the stereotype expectations we have of men and women in society.