Sex Differences and Gender-Role Development

1. Sex Differences and Gender-Role Development Chapter 13

2. Definitions • Sex = biological identity • Gender = social and cultural identity as male/female • Gender-role standard = a behavior, value, or motive that society deems more appropriate for males/females

3. SOME FACTS AND FICTIONS ABOUT SEX DIFFERENCES • Actual Psychological Differences Between the Sexes • Verbal Ability – girls are superior • Visual/Spatial Abilities – boys are superior • Evident by 4, persists across life span • Mathematical Abilities • In adolescence, boys better at arithmetic reasoning • Girls better at computational skills

4. SOME FACTS AND FICTIONS ABOUT SEX DIFFERENCES • Aggression • Boys  physically and verbally • Girls  covert

5. SOME FACTS AND FICTIONS ABOUT SEX DIFFERENCES • Other Sex Differences • Activity level – boys are more physically active (even before birth) • Fear, timidity, and risk-taking – girls are more fearful, timid, and take fewer risks • No difference in cognitive impulsivity • Developmental vulnerability – boys are more vulnerable to prenatal and perinatal hazards and disease

6. SOME FACTS AND FICTIONS ABOUT SEX DIFFERENCES • Conclusions • Differences reflect group averages • Differences are small • Differences are most apparent at the extremes • Males and females are much more psychologically similar than they are different

7. SOME FACTS AND FICTIONS ABOUT SEX DIFFERENCES • Emotional expressivity / sensitivity • Beginning in toddlerhood • Boys  anger • Girls  other emotions • Compliance – girls are more compliant

8. Gender Differences in Social Behavior • Gender segregation • Play styles • Social Influence Styles • Charlesworth • 4 children, playing with movie viewer designed so only one child could watch at a time

9. Gender Differences in Social Behavior • Forms of Verbal Influence • Social Interaction • Jacklin & Maccoby • Pairs of neutrally dressed, unacquainted 33 m/o brought to playroom • Group Structure

10. THEORIES OF GENDER-TYPING AND GENDER ROLE DEVELOPMENT • Evolutionary Theory • Males and females face different evolutionary pressures

11. THEORIES OF GENDER-TYPING AND GENDER ROLE DEVELOPMENT • Criticisms of the Evolutionary Approach • Applies to differences that apply cross-culturally • Ignores differences limited to cultures or historical periods • Social roles hypothesis • Cultures assign roles based on gender • Socialization practices

13. THEORIES OF GENDER-TYPING AND GENDER ROLE DEVELOPMENT • Evidence for Social-Labeling Influences • Cultural influences • Mead’s study of tribal societies • Arapesh – both males and females were taught to be expressive • Mundugumor – both genders were taught to be “masculine” • Tchambuli – from Western standards, males more feminine, females more masculine

14. THEORIES OF GENDER-TYPING AND GENDER ROLE DEVELOPMENT • Evidence for Social-Labeling Influences • Condry & Condry • Saw film of 9 m/o presented with jack-in-the-box • Half told male, half told female • “boy” was described as angry • “girl” was described as afraid

15. THEORIES OF GENDER-TYPING AND GENDER ROLE DEVELOPMENT • A psychobiosocial viewpoint • Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory • Social Learning Theory • Direct tuition/reinforcement • Observational learning

16. THEORIES OF GENDER-TYPING AND GENDER ROLE DEVELOPMENT • Kohlberg’s Cognitive-Developmental Theory • Basic gender identity • Gender stability • Gender consistency • Gender Schema Theory (Martin & Halverson)

18. THEORIES OF GENDER-TYPING AND GENDER ROLE DEVELOPMENT • Martin & Halverson • Show 5-6 y/o pictures: • Boy engaging in traditional masculine activity • Girl engaging in traditional masculine activity • Boy engaging in traditional feminine activity • Girl engaging in traditional feminine activity • One week later, show pictures…

19. THEORIES OF GENDER-TYPING AND GENDER ROLE DEVELOPMENT • Martin • 4-10 y/o told story • Character in story was either a boy or girl • Description was neutral, stereotyped, or counterstereotyped

20. THEORIES OF GENDER-TYPING AND GENDER ROLE DEVELOPMENT • An Integrative Theory • Biological theories account for major biological developments • Social-theories account for differential reinforcement processes • Cognitive development explains the growth of categorization skills • Gender schemas are also important as are models as children age

21. Androgyny – Bem • Historically, masculinity and femininity were at opposite ends of a single dimension • Androgyny – sees them as 2 separate dimensions, allowing individuals to be high in both masculine and feminine traits

23. Scoring for BEM • Use the scoring guide to tally up scores for a and b answers • A answers: tally scores, divide by 20 (as long as you didn’t omit any “a” answers), place number in the box at the bottom of your sheet labeled R.S. and a. • B answers: tally scores, divide by 20 (as long as you didn’t omit any “b” answers), place number in box labeled R.S. and b.

24. Do Androgynous People Really Exist? • In a college student sample • 33% were masculine men or feminine women • 30% were androgynous • 37% undifferentiated or gender-type reversed

25. Are There Advantages to Being Androgynous? • More highly adaptable to the situation • Higher self-esteem • More likeable • Perceived as better adjusted • The masculine traits are more important for adjustment • Advantages may differ across lifespan