Identity and Gender 1 Sex and Gender o

Identity and Gender 1

Sex and Gender o Sex n o Gender n o a biological classification. the social attributes associated with being a woman or a man in a particular society. Feminine and masculine n n the qualities particular societies' associate with women and men. ways of differentiating between women and men o o differences are expressed through stereotypical language. Gender identity n n influenced by individual and collective and social and biological factors. Gender identities o often associated with stereotypically feminine and masculine traits. 2

Gender identity and selfcategorization o Self-categorization theory n Tuner et al. o n Althusser o n Identity is shaped by self-categorization. “people are interpellated when they see representation of a category and think yes, that's me". We identify with representations. o Representations connect individuals to groups. 3

Explaining identity: self-categorization theory o o We take on identities appropriate to the social categories with which we identify. Similarities and differences n Influence self-categorization (identity). 4

Gender categories o Anatomical evidence n Biological differences the child is a girl or boy. o o Genetic evidence: n the DNA and sex chromosomes is used to define sex. o o Problem: (Rarely) people have more than two sex chromosomes. Social differences: n n The difference between boys and girls is socially constructed. The birth certificate is based on biological evidence o o Problem: clothes? It counts for getting passport, citizenship, marriage and so on. Social and biological influences are tangled factors contribute to defining sex: n n Dress. Haircut. The genetic information in our cells. The form of our bodies. 5

Are We Free To Change Our Gender Identity? o The UK law: n n o Essentialists: n n o Legal sex: male/female people are not free regardless of bodily evidence. Fixed category: having a Y chromosome is essential to being a male and reduces gender to one factor. All other gender characteristics are consequences of having this essence. Non-essentialists: many factors contribute to the gender categories. n Fuzzy category: To be a man or a woman may vary as time and cultures change 6

Gender stereotypes: o Positive stereotypes: n o Negative stereotypes: n o linked with the in-group. linked with the out-group. People can be more or less typical representatives of the gender categories that they belong to. 7

Summary o Self-categorization theory n o o is an account of identity: interpellation notion. Gender categories are associated with stereotypes. Gender categories show biological, social and genetic factors. 8

Gender Identity And Gender Development: o Children's construction and use of gender categories: n gender-appropriate toys by 2 – 4 years of age. o o n n able to categorize themselves appropriately. early evidence of the formation of the gender identity. They are naively certain about gender. They have a simple in-group and out-group distinction for understanding masculinity and femininity. 9

Gender Identity And Gender Development: o Lack of biological knowledge: n Children look for certainty in gender categories using social and cultural characteristics. 10

Gender Identity And Gender Development: o o Children learn that there are multiple gender identities. Gender categories and gender identities are not fixed: n n Identities are multidimensional. other factors such as ethnicity and social class may reinforce gender and at other times they may outweigh them. o o Thus, there is a diversity of masculinities and femininities. Children's development of understanding gender is a search for certainty. Children make mistakes about gender. As they grow biological knowledge is added to their socialcultural understanding. 11

Gender And Academic Achievement: o People's experience of school differs greatly. n n o Who outperforms the other? n n o o Boys performance Girls performance Male underachievement Female underachievement. What subjects are considered masculine/feminine? Can girls out-achieve boys in “male” subjects? o E. g. , math, science, technology, etc. n 12

The Origins Of Performance Differences o A result of a complex interaction: n n o o Biological factors social-cultural factors Boys and girls have different experiences inside and outside of school. boys : it is "un cool" to be seen as high achievers. 13

Gendered Identities And School Performance o Murphy & Elwood’s Study: n work done in school o Influenced by: different interests, activities and experiences of boys and girls n o lead to differences in examination performance. Examination results n n reflect gendered identities rather than a difference in ability levels between boys and girls. Socio-economic backgrounds: o o Identity and academic achievement is not just an issue of gender; issue of individual differences, social and economic groupings, ethnicity and nationality. 14