Human Sexuality
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Human Sexuality. Chapter 5: Gender and Gender Roles. Gender: Topic Areas. Impact of gender on human development Gender and sexual development Biological and cultural perspectives Sexual orientation Gender stereotypes and health Gender socialization Gender variance and gender identity
Human Sexuality
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Human Sexuality Chapter 5: Gender and Gender Roles
Gender: Topic Areas • Impact of gender on human development • Gender and sexual development • Biological and cultural perspectives • Sexual orientation • Gender stereotypes and health • Gender socialization • Gender variance and gender identity • Biological differences: brain, hormones, anatomy
Sex • Sex: biologically male or female, based on chromosomes and anatomy • Genetics: XX or XY • Anatomical: genitals/bodily differences
Gender • Gender: a social construct; related to notions of masculinity and femininity • Gender Identity: the gender one believes oneself to be
Gender • Gender roles: attitudes, behaviors, rights and responsibilities assigned to us based on our sex • Varies by culture
Gender • Gender-role stereotypes: rigidly held, oversimplified beliefs about sex appropriate behavior.
Gender • Gender-role attitudes: our personal perspectives/beliefs about sex appropriate behavior • Gender-role behaviors: activities/behaviors we engage in as influenced by our sex/gender
Gender • Gender presentation: how our sex/gender is perceived by others • Based on our physical appearance, movements, habits, personality, etc. • Baby X study
Gender:Congruence and Incongruence • Biological, cultural, psychological, and social contexts of gender • These contexts can be congruent or incongruent • Examples?
Gender Variations • Some do not conform to socially/culturally constructed gender norms • How are such violations represented in dominant discourses? • Psychological impact of gender variations?
Social Construction ofGender Identity • U.S.: gender identity- internalized by age 2 • East African societies: boys is a “woman-child” until an initiation rite which makes him a man • Mundugumor of New Guinea: women are expected to be violent/aggressive
Instrumentality and Expressiveness • Instrumentality: being task-oriented; stereotypically applied to males • Expressiveness: being emotionally oriented/focused; stereotypically applied to females • “Gender Quotient Test”
Gender Stereotypes and Sexual Orientation • Ex. Gay men are not masculine; Lesbian women are not feminine • Gay people may have more flexible interpretations of gender roles and expectations (Lippa, 2000)
Cognitive Social Learning Theory • Albert Bandura • We “learn” gender as a result of: • Reinforcements and consequences • Imitation/modeling and observation • The social world provides many models and messages about gender • Body image: “Women’s Ideal Bodies”
Cognitive-Developmental Theory • Developmental level impacts cognitive processing of gender • Understanding gender in developmental perspective
Gender Schemas • Mental frameworks for understanding gender • Accounts for gender stereotypes
Social Constructionism • Cultures invent or “construct” notions of gender • Mediated by language and social systems
Social Constructionism • Feminist Studies • Post-Modern Approaches • Queer Theory
Social Constructionism and Identity • (Cohen & Savin-Williams, 1996) • Many sexual minority youth are not identifying as gay • Rejection of the social construction of sexual orientation
Contextual Influences on Gender • Parents “socialize” gender • Messages about gender appropriate behavior • Directing children to gender appropriate toys
Parents “Socialize” Gender • Differential language for the same behavior: “active” boy vs. a girl who is a “tomboy” • Directing children toward gender appropriate activities (I.e. helping mom in the kitchen)
Gender Socialization • Peers: peer pressure, reinforce gender norms • Teachers: differential treatment based on gender? Classroom reinforcement • Media: gender roles and stereotypes
Sexual “Scripts” • Script: acts/rules/expectations associated with a particular role (male and female “scripts”) • Men/women are impacted by certain “scripts” internalized from social interactions
Male Sexual Scripts(Zilbergeld, 1992) • Men should not have/express certain feelings • Sex is for physicality • Men are in charge
Male Sexual Scripts • Men always want and are ready for sex • Men should be sexually skilled and successful in sexual interactions
Female Sexual Scripts(Barbach, 2001) • Sex is good and bad (good in the context of a marriage, stigmatized elsewhere) • Masturbation is stigmatized • Sex is for men; women are sexually passive (nurturers)
Female Sexual Scripts • Women should not articulate their needs/desires • Women shouldn’t discuss sex • Women should look like models
Androgyny • Both instrumental and expressive traits • Flexibility in gender roles
Intersexed People • Ambiguous genitalia • 1 in every 2,000 births • Due to genetic or hormonal factors
Intersexed People • Sex chromosomes, external genitalia, or internal reproductive system • Underdeveloped penis or enlarged clitoris
Intersexed People:Chromosomal Abnormalities • Turner Syndrome: • XO • 1 in 2,000 births • Female external genitalia, no ovaries
Turner Syndrome • Secondary sexual development cannot occur; no menstruation • Short • Treated with hormonal therapy • Infertility
Klinefelter Syndrome • XXY;XXXY;XXXXY • 1 in 1,000 births • Male genitalia (small penis) • Female characteristics: breasts
Klinefelter Syndrome • Sparse body hair • Learning disabilities • Low sex drive, sexual dysfunction
Intersexed People:Hormonal Disorders • Androgen-Insensitivity Syndrome: • (testicular feminization) • Inherited condition; passed on through X chromosomes
Androgen-Insensitivity Syndrome • 1 in 13,000 individuals • Genetically male • Born with undescended testes (inside the abdomen) • estrogen is prevalent in the body
Androgen-Insensitivity Syndrome • Vagina and labia, but no female internal reproductive structures • Secondary female characteristics develop during puberty, without pubic hair
Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia • Genetic female • Ovaries • Malfunctioning adrenal gland • Develops externally as a male
Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia • 1 in 13,000 births • Penis and empty scrotum • External genitalia are ambiguous • Often assigned “female”
DHT Deficiency • Unable to convert testosterone to DHT • Internal male organs • Ambiguous external genitalia (looking more female)
DHT Deficiency • Begin to look male during puberty (genitalia and physical development)
Gender Identity Disorder • Cross-gender identification • Discomfort with one’s assigned gender • Psychological distress
Transsexuality • Gender identity and sexual anatomy are not compatible • Different from homosexuality
Transgendered People • Arguably the most stigmatized sexual minority
Transgendered People • An umbrella term; inclusive • Flexibility in terms of gender and social identity • Move toward transgender rights; legal to fire transgender people in many states
Positioning Theory • Rom Harre • We “position” ourselves and others in discourse • Power relationships
Positioning Theory • Ex. Positioning oneself as an expert, others as uninformed • Ex. Positioning oneself as masculine, another male as powerless/emasculated
Masculinity • How does culture/society construct masculinity? • Dominant discourses on masculinity • Contested discourses on masculinity
Masculinity • How are constructions of masculinity sustained and reproduced?
Hyper-masculinity • Exaggerated, stereotypical male behavior • Aggression • Strength • Dominance