Gender

• Sex


  Biological term describing being male or female
• Gender


  Social construct allowing individuals to identify as feminine or masculine
• You cannot choose your sex, but you can choose your gender
• Sex means there are uncontrollable internal workings, whereas gender means you have some control over how you behave and present yourself
• Gender-identity disorder


  Occurs when a person's sex is not in accordance with their gender
• Transgender

  Identifies with a gender different from the one assigned at birth
• Gender transitioning


  Changes a person's sexual identity through changing their reproductive organs and hormone levels
• Sex-role stereotypes


  Expectations and perceptions of appropriate behaviour for each sex
• Sex-role stereotypes can justify discriminatory practices against women
• Androgyny


  Displaying a balance of masculine and feminine characteristics
• Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI)


  Measures androgyny across masculinity, femininity and neutral dimensions
• The BSRI is a self-report measure, which makes it subjective and potentially unreliable
• The BSRI has evidence supporting its reliability and validity
• The BSRI may oversimplify the complex and subjective social construct of gender
• Chromosomes


  Small sections of DNA containing genes that code for proteins and hormones
• Genotype


  The genetic makeup of an organism
• Testosterone


  Male hormone that triggers male reproductive development and is associated with aggression
• Oestrogen


  Female sex hormone that triggers female reproductive development and contributes to PMS
• Oxytocin


  The 'love hormone' that promotes bonding and intimacy, especially in women
• Hormones and chromosomes play a key role in gender development, but this may be an oversimplification
• Biological explanations for gender differences can be used to justify discriminatory practices
• Klinefelter's Syndrome


  Genetic condition in males with an extra X chromosome, resulting in female-like physical and psychological characteristics

  
• Turner's Syndrome

  Genetic condition in females with only one X chromosome, resulting in male-like physical and psychological characteristics

  
• Biological explanations for atypical gender characteristics may be an example of biological determinism
• Atypical gender syndromes contribute to the nature vs nurture debate, but lack objective methods to measure their utility
• Understanding atypical gender syndromes can lead to effective treatments to improve quality of life
• Kohlberg's Theory of Gender Development

  Children mature through 3 stages of gender development in line with biological development
• Stage 1: Gender Identity


  Child can identify themselves as male or female, but not others
• Kohlberg suggested that all children mature through the same 3 stages of gender development
• Kohlberg's stages of gender development

  • Stage 1 (gender identity, 2-3 years old): Child can identify themselves as male or female, but not others
  • Stage 2 (gender stability, 4-5 years old): Child appreciates their own gender remains constant, but not others
  • Stage 3 (gender constancy, 6 years old): Child appreciates their own and others' gender remains constant
• Social learning theory


  Children imitate and develop characteristics/personality traits of sex-role appropriate role models
• Slaby and Frey (1975) found children in Kohlberg's stage 2 paid more attention and were more attracted to same-sex models
• Martin and Halverson agreed with Kohlberg on the positive correlation between age and sophisticated gender identity understanding
• Gender schemas


  Mental frameworks of pre-conceived ideas and beliefs about gender identity
• Gender schema theory


  • Child actively seeks out information to confirm gender identity beliefs through increasingly sophisticated schemas
  • Initially based on stereotypes, but become more comprehensive with experience
  • Creates 'ingroup' (own gender) and 'outgroup' (other genders)
• Gender schema theory and Kohlberg's theory are complementary
• Psychosexual stages


  Oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital
• Oedipus Complex


  Boys suffer from castration anxiety, identify with father to internalise his values
• Electra Complex


  Girls suffer from penis envy, identify with mother after accepting she cannot be removed
• Social Learning Theory


  Learning occurs through direct (conditioning) or indirect (vicarious reinforcement) experience, facilitated by role models