if a particular gender role appears to be consistent across different cultures, it can be concluded that this represents an innate biological difference between males and females
if we find some gender role behaviours are culturally specific, we can assume that the influence of shared norms and socialisation is decisive
earliest cross cultural studies of gender roles - margarer mead - researched tribal groups in new guinea
arapesh - gentle and responsive - similar to the western stereotypes of femininity
mundugumor - aggressive and hostile - similar to eastern stereotypes of masculinity
tchambuli women - dominant and organised village life
tchambuli men - passive and decorative
reverse of the western stereotypes
suggests that there may not be a direct biological relationship between sex and gender and gender roles may be culturally determined
mead concluded that she had underestimated the universal nature of many gender typical behaviours and went on to argue that the extent to which innate behaviours are expressed is the result of cultural norms
cultural similarities - david buss
found consistent patterns in mate preference in 37 countries across all continents
in all cultures women sought men who could offer wealth and resources and men looked for youth and physical attractiveness
robert munro and ruth monroe - in most societies, a division of labour is organised along gender lines
man - breadwinner
woman - homemaker/nurturer
the media provides role models who children may identify with and want to imitate
bussey and bandura - the media provide clear and rigid gender stereotypes
men are independent, ambitious, advice givers
women are dependent. unambitious, advice seekers
elena farragher and adrian furnham study of tv ads
men shown in autonomous roles within professional contexts
women seen as occupying familial roles weighing domestic settings
suggests that the media olays a role in reinforcing gender stereotypes
mcghee and frueh- children who have more exposure to popular forms of media tend to display more gender stereotypical views in their attitudes
bandura - self efficacy
seeing other people perform gender appropriate behaviours increase the child’s beliefs that they are capable of carrying out such behaviours in the future
