Sex, gender & androgyny

• what is meant by somebody's sex


  sex refers to a person's biological status as male or female

  It's determined by chromosomes, then hormones which creates differences in anatomy
• what is meant by somebody's gender


  gender refers to a person's psychosocial status as masculine or feminine

  This includes attitudes/roles/behaviours we associate to being male or female (influenced by social/cultural expectations)
• is it nature of nurture which determines sex and gender

  sex = NATURE

  gender = NURTURE
• what is the term for someone who is neither male or female (biology)

  intersex: children that are born as neither sex
• what is intersex - how is it caused

  caused by exposure to hormonal imbalances in the womb and it means their genitals can be ambiguous - in most countries parents are encouraged to opt for surgery and determine a set gender for their child at birth
• what is the term for sex change operations

  gender reassignment surgery

  - don't change sex, only gender
• what is the term when someones biological sex doesn't match the gender they identify with

  gender dysphoria
• what is the name of the case study involving 4 boys called

  batista boys
• summarise the Batista boys case study

  - 4 children within a family were identified as girls at birth

  - at puberty they 'changed' into males

  - genetic disorder: hormonal changes lead to true biological sex being revealed
• what does this case study suggest about gender

  supports a link between gender and nature, as when puberty began they switched to their biological sex, despite being raised as girls
• why is it difficult to generalise this case study


  the switch is easier because they are transitioning from a deemed 'inferior' to 'superior' gender, by switching from female to male, so its more acceptable as its seen as preferable

  However, unique case = not common occurance in the rest of the world
• what are sex role stereotypes


  these are a set of expectations that people within society/cultures hold about what is acceptable/usual behaviour for males or females
• how are sex role stereotypes maintained


  they are transmitted through society and are reinforced by parents, peers, the media, institutions...

  Although some contain elements of truth, many don't so may lead to sexist assumptions
• how are sex role stereotypes developed - different explanations

  - SLT: observation, imitation, reinforcement

  - development of cognitive awareness: Kohlberg

  - Freud: internalisation
• give 2 examples of sex role stereotypes for females and males

  females: love shopping, plays with barbies/dolls

  males: hates shopping, plays video games
• what type of research supports sex role stereotypes - what did the results show

  + brain scans of 949 men and women using MRI:

  women's brains have better connections between hemispheres, men's brains display more intense activity in specific parts
• what does this research suggest - however

  suggests that female brains are better equipped at coping better with multiple tasks/multitasking due to brain structure, whereas male brains prefer to focus on a single task at a time

  This may not be stereotypes but actual biological differences

  However, not all females are better at multitasking and not all men are bad at it
• what research supports reinforcement of stereotypes

  + Smith and LLoyd:

  - mothers played with a 6month old baby who was dressed and named as either a girl or a boy, but this wasn't always the same as their true sex

  - 7 toys were presented, which were either masculine (hammer) feminine (doll) or neutral (a rattle)
• what did the research show - what does this suggest

  the mothers responded to the percieved sex of the child, offering the 'boys' more masculine toys and verbally encouraging more motor movement

  This showed that mothers treat boys and girls differently, in line with their sex role stereotype
• what is a weakness of sex role stereotyping

  - categorising behaviours, occupations and qualities as either masculine or feminine may place restrictive barriers on positive roles that men or women play in society, e.g:

  males working in nursery's (3%)
• what could changing sex role stereotypes lead to

  Therefore, in changing sex role stereotypes that people have, it could lead to more equal representation of genders in different roles in society
• are there any practical applications


  + if learned environmentally then stereotyping could be addressed by providing learning experiences for children that emphasise sex roles as equally applying to males/females
• what does the word androgyny mean

  Andro = male

  gyny = female
• who used androgyny to explain gender - what did she believe

  Bem uses it to describe a personality trait that is a balance of masculine and feminine characteristics
• what did Bem believe about androgynous people

  more psychologically healthy to avoid fixed sex roles:

  androgynous people = better equipped to deal with a range of situations
• what could lead to mental illnesses developing


  stiffling true personality could lead to mental illness,

  e.g: a man wanting to be more gentle/emotional
• how can andrognyny be measured

  BSRI

  Bem Sex Role Inventory
• how was the BSRI developed


  this was developed by giving 200 characteristics to 100 judges, they had to rate how desirable each was for either males or females

  then the highest ratings for masculinity, femininity and neutral were added (e.g M= competitive F= gentle N= happy
• what was the aim of Serbin & Burchardt's research

  aim: to see if there was an association between androgyny and positive mental health
• what were the procedures for this research

  female & male students and psychiatric inpatients completed the BSRI and another personality inventory (measured psychological wellbeing)
• what were the findings - what does this conclude

  androgynous females and males scored lower on scales of depression than non-androgynous people

  Conclusion: being andrognyous is positively correlated with good mental health, so supports Bem's view
• what is the however point to this research

  However, they also found masculinity correlated well with good mental health, so masculinity might also assist having a positive mental health
• what is a strength about the scale (BSRI) - evidence

  + mostly valid and reliable:

  asking p's to judge characteristics they associate as male/female, it was then piloted with over 1000 people & their results corresponded with their own description of gender identity

  It has test-retest reliability as the same p's were tested a month later, with their scores remaining positive: increased validity
• what is an issue with validity/ other bias

  - temporal validity and cultural bias has been criticised
• explain how the BSRI lacks temporal validity - why is this an issue

  it was developed over 40 years ago and behaviours regarded as 'typical' and 'acceptable' have changed so the ideas may be stereotypical

  Also the scale was also designed from only US people

  This is an issue as cultures from US may not be the same worldwide, so study lacks temporal validity
• what is another potential criticism about the BSRI - explain why this is an issue

  - self report:

  relies on an understanding of their own personality, some may lack insight into their true personality
• why is this an issue

  scoring is subjective: people's interpretations of the meaning of each end of the 7 point scale may differ
• what is a strength of Bem's claim about androgyny

  + practical applications:

  link with andrognyny and positive mental health
• explain how it could have practical applications

  androgyny is better for physical and mental health, so raising children free to assume characteristics that are of either gender, without restrictive sex role stereotypes could lead to benefits

  Therefore the theory has actual uses to benefit the development of people and isn't solely a theory
• what is a however point to this

  However, protest from parents who believed it to be child abuse as they believe stereotypes are important for healthy development