Chapter Five Gender Issues Distinction Between Gender Sex

Chapter Five Gender Issues

Distinction Between Gender & Sex Ø Gender – refers to behavioral, psychological, and social characteristics of men and women Ø Sex – refers to an act or the biological aspects of being male or female Ø Gender Identity - subjective sense of being male or female Ø Gender (Sex) Role - cultural norms for male and female behavior

Prenatal Development: X and Y Make the Difference Ø Humans reproduce sexually and are made to be sexual beings Ø Each parent supplies a gamete, each with half of the genetic information (23 chromosomes), including a sex chromosome v. Male: sperm (X or Y) v. Female: egg/ovum (X) Ø Sex is determined at conception

Sexual Differentiation in the Womb Ø Gestation: 9 months Ø 4 -6 weeks: gonads begin to develop and sexual differentiation starts 1 -2 weeks later Ø Sex chromosomes control development of: vinternal sex organs vexternal sex organs vthe embryo’s hormonal environment vthe brain’s sexual differentiation

Typical Prenatal Differentiation

Typical Prenatal Differentiation Ø Chromosomal sex v. XX, XY, etc. Ø Gonadal sex v. Ovaries and testes Ø Hormonal sex v. Estrogens androgens Ø Genital sex v. Internal and external organs

Typical Prenatal Differentiation Ø Internal structures v. Wolffian duct Males – Vas deferens, seminal vesicles, ejaculatory duct v. Müllerian duct Females – Fallopian tubes, uterus, inner 1/3 vagina Ø External structures v. Genital tubercle Clitoris or penis v. Labioscrotal swelling Labia or scrotum

Prenatal Differentiation of Internal Structures

Homologous Sex Organs

Sex Differentiation Of The Brain Ø Hypothalamus v. Differentiates in pregnancy v. Directs production of sex hormones v. May influence sex differences and sexual functioning Ø Cerebral hemispheres Ø Corpus callosum

Girls’ Brain Development Ø By adolescence, a girl’s corpus callosum is 25 percent larger than a boy’s, so the girl has more “cross talk” between hemispheres and can multi task better v. Girls have fewer attention span problems and can make faster transitions between lessons. Ø Stronger neural connectors create better listening skills, more detailed memory storage, and better discrimination among the tones of voice. Ø A girl’s stronger neural connectors and a larger hippocampus provide greater use of sensory memory details in speaking and writing. Ø Girls’ prefrontal cortex develops earlier and is larger than boys’.

Girls’ Brain Development Ø Girls have more serotonin and make fewer impulsive decisions than boys. Ø A girl’s brain also experiences approximately 15% more blood flow, which is located in more centers of the brain than a boy’s. Ø With more cortical areas devoted to verbal functioning, girls are better at: sensory memory, sitting still, listening, tonality, mental cross talk, and the complexities of reading and writing, i. e. the very skills and behaviors often rewarded in schools.

Boys’ Brain Development Ø Boys have more cortical area devoted to spatial-mechanical functioning and half as much to verbal-emotive functioning. Ø For many tasks, brain imaging studies show that women use the most advanced areas of the brain, the cerebral cortex, whereas men doing the same task use the more primitive areas, especially when related to emotions. Men emote from the amygdala. Ø Boys have less blood flow to the brain and tend to structure or compartmentalize learning.

Boys’ Brain Development Ø Spatial-mechanical brain functioning makes boys want to move objects through the air, such as balls, airplanes, their little sisters, or just their arms and legs. Ø Boys have less serotonin and less oxytocin (and more testosterone), which makes them more impulsive and likely to behave in a risky way. Ø The male brain is designed to go into rest states in which it renews, recharges, and reorients itself. Ø The more words a teacher/mom/girlfriend uses, the greater chance a boy will quit listening. Ø Boys’ brains are better suited to symbols, abstractions, and pictures.

Hormonal Development and Influences Ø Ovaries produce: v. Estrogen: female sexual characteristics v. Progesterone: menstrual cycle and pregnancy Ø Testes produce: v. Androgens: development of male-typical characteristics

Atypical Prenatal Differentiation Ø Intersexed v. True hermaphrodites v. Pseudohermaphrodites Ø Sex chromosome disorders v. Over 70 sex chromosome abnormalities v. Turner’s syndrome XO v. Klinefelter’s syndrome XXY

Atypical Prenatal Differentiation Ø Disorders affecting prenatal hormonal processes v. Androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) v. Fetally androgenized females (AGS) v. DHT-deficient males

Atypical Prenatal Differentiation

Theoretical Explanations for Gender Differences

Gender Stereotypes Ø Gender stereotypes greatly influence our thoughts and interactions Ø What are some stereotypes?

Gender Role Expectations Ø Women undersexed, men oversexed Ø Men initiate, women receive Ø Women as controllers, men as movers Ø Men are unemotional and strong Ø Women are nurturing and supportive

Gender Stereotypes Ø What stereotypes does this cartoon reinforce?

Gender Stereotypes Ø Gender-based stereotypes (North American) v. Males Independent and aggressive v. Females Dependent and submissive Ø Recent trend away from rigid stereotypes v. Women less entrenched than men in rigid gender-role stereotypes Ø Ethnic variation in gender roles

Masculinity and Femininity Ø Ideal cluster of traits that society attributes to each gender Ø Changes with society, and varies from culture to culture v. Less gender role stereotyping in African Americans and Northern U. S.

Masculinity: The Hunter Ø Rights of passage in many societies Ø Contradictions in the male role: v. Provide, but don’t solely focus on career v. Be sexually successful, but not degrading to women v. Be strong and stable, but be emotionally available v. Do not be dependent on a woman Ø Men have a less flexible role than women

Femininity: The Nurturer Ø Typically viewed as the opposite of masculinity Ø Characterized by beauty, empathy, concern, softness, modesty Ø Contradictions in the female role: v. Job fulfillment, but stay at home with kids v. Not just for looks, but use makeup/be thin v. Opportunities are available, on men’s terms

Gender Roles Agents of Socialization Ø Parental expectations Ø Peers Ø School teachers and textbooks Ø Television and gender-based stereotypes

Gender Role Theory Ø A variety of theorists and positions Ø Evolutionary biology: gender differences are due to adapting to our environment Ø Social learning: learn gender roles from society, our environment Ø Cognitive development: universal stages for understanding and utilizing gender

Gender Role Theory Ø Gender schema: Cognitive structures organize “gender, ” influenced by culture Ø Chodorow’s developmental: v. Psychoanalytic background; boys separate from mom by devaluing females; girls can love mom as a heterosexual and idealize father’s qualities

Androgyny Transcending Gender Roles Ø Having characteristics of both sexes Ø Benefits Ø Drawbacks Ø May show more flexibility and comfort with sexuality

Transgender Ø Transgender is an umbrella term for persons whose gender identity, gender expression, or behavior does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth.

Billy Tipton was a well-known jazz musician who was discovered to be a female when he died in 1989.

Transsexualism: When Gender and Biology Don’t Agree Ø Feel their gender identity does not match their biological sex (Gender Dysphoria) Ø “Trapped” in the wrong body Ø More males than females experience this Ø Sex reassignment surgery involves a long process: psychological counseling, live as the other sex, hormones, multiple surgeries v. M 2 F: realistic results, orgasm v. F 2 M: experimental stages

Third Genders: Other Cultures, Other Options Ø Some cultures have a third gender category v. Native American berdache v. Oman xanˉ ýth v. Indian hijra v. Thai kathoey v. Hawaiian aikane v. Tahitian mahu

Asexualism: The Genetics but Not the Sex Ø Born without any sexual organs (no biological gender) Ø Has a genetic gender (XX or XY) Ø Typically assigned gender as a child and given hormones