Gender Roles
Gender Roles
Gender Roles
(anatomy and functioning) Gender is what culture makes out of the raw material of biological sex Gender identity refers to how we classify ourselves and others Gender Roles refer to the behaviors, attitudes, values, beliefs, expectations society deems appropriate on the basis of biological sex
Gender constancy
age which children recognize that gender is set and therefore not controlled by other factors such as clothing or hairstyle
Definitions/Distinctions
of small parts of rats hypothalami resulted in new-born males behaving as though they were female (Dorner, 1976)
Hemispheric
specialization when males perform spatial tasks, theres greater electrical activity in the right hemisphere (Bryden and Saxby, 1985) 2003 states that the female brain is hardwired for empathy (baby girls as young as 12 months respond more empathically to others distress, show more sad looks, and express comforting vocalizations
Baron-Cohen
y
y
y y y y y y y
Depending on the degree of unpredictability of outcome, deference given to psychosocial factors when outcome is unpredictable
(respekt)
Prenatal exposure to testosterone establishes a male brain circuitry and inhibits the development of female brain circuits.(Rat study)
Dr. John Money interaction We are treated through gender stereotypes according to our genetically assigned sexual physiology. Children are gender neutral at birth and gender identity is the result of socialization. Worked with intersex children and believed that gender could be assigned.
Read the case study on page 210. Answer the three questions in your notes in the Be a thinker box. Pay special attention to researcher bias and demand characteristics.
Baby X Experiments (Smith and Lloyd, 1978) One baby was dressed in neutral clothing and given either a boy name, a girl name, or a neutral name. When asked regarding gender, the researchers placed the baby into three categories: male, female, or ? Read Gender X writeup (http://scientopia.org/blo gs/scicurious/2011/03/09 /baby-boy-baby-girlbaby-x/) (PDF file)
Sociobiological theory
y Gender has evolved over the course of human
development as part of our broader adaptation to the environment (Lumsden and Wilson, 1983). y Different roles have developed between males and females because physical traits facilitate each gender in their various roles (i.e. labor and reproduction)
MEN Physical strength Larger lung capacity Aggression Systemizing Women Child-bearing Milk-producing Verbal ability Naturally empathetic
Psychoanalytic Theory
KEY THOUGHT: Resolution of Oedipus complex occurs through identification with the same-sex parent, and results in the acquisition of gender identity. Men Age 3 love for mom, jealous of dad Father is bigger and stronger so boy becomes afraid of castration Boy wishes to avoid castration so he represses desire for mom/hate for dad Identifies with dad and begins to act, think and feel as if he were his father, thus exhibiting male sex role Oedipus complex Women Belief shes already been castrated and blames mother for no penis Substitutes wish for penis with wish for baby which causes her to love her dad Girl fears loss of mothers love if she mates with dad, so she internalizes Becomes good child that mom wants but doesnt have to give up love for father so this leads to weaker superego, weaker identity and more dependency Electra complex
Placing this into the context of Piagets stages of cognitive development and biological theories of cognitive development, do the theories justify the theories?
SLT support
Fagot (1985) observational study. Found that boys (21-25 months) made fun of boys who played with dolls or with girls Sroufe et al. (1993) observed that kids (10-11 years) who did not behave in a gender-stereotyped way were the least popular. Gunter (1986) found that children categorized as heavy TV viewers hold stronger stereotyped beliefs than lighter viewers.
Recognition of self as being male or female (this allows us to categorize the world Children do not link boys with men or girls with women Gender is retained throughout life Children still demonstrate a reliance on superficial appearance in determining gender differences. Gender is immutable (cannot be changed through the changing of superficial characteristics. (Linked with conservation Piaget)
y Steps Cog-Dev allows for schema to be formed Observation (SLT) provides for children to develop selfconcept in response to external perceptions of others Self-concept is mixed with cultural schemas for comparison Self-esteem linked with measuring up to gender schema
and females in activities either in line with gender role schemas or inconsistent with gender role schemas y Children later tested on memory of images presented the week before y Distortions evident in memories of models exhibiting behaviors outside of gender schema
stimuli that supports (fits) the schemas they have created for self and others. The world is then divided into masculine/feminine labels through which attention is given according to observations made through social learning, thus steering the child to more masculine/feminine behaviors dependent upon the childs selfperception.
Its not possible to explain how and why gender schemas develop/form (same criticism as schema theory) Too much focus on individual and not enough emphasis on social and cultural factors Key Questions To what extent would culture affect schema development and/or differences between cultures regarding schema-appropriate behavior? Is there a universal norm for masculine/feminine? If in fact we believe that schema development is responsible for gender identity, do we eliminate all biological precursors/predeterminants?
Support There are no known societies in which the female does the fighting in warfare. Rebuttal Malinowski (1929) Studied Trobriand Islanders In order to support their tribes reputation for virility, groups of women would catch a man from another tribe, brutally rape him, and then boast about their achievement
Aggression Nurturing
Nurturing behavior was often excluded in the work of early researchers (confirmation bias) by not listing certain nurturing behaviors as such: Provision of food Providing safety
Cultural norms dictate what in fact is normal within society. Apply the evidence found within Native American, Alentian, and Madagascar tribes to the notion of gender role development.
Crane, J., & Hannibal, J. (2009). IB Diploma Programme Psychology Course Companion. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Gross, R. (2009). Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour (5 ed.). Dubai: Hodder Arnold. *note creator recognizes that the pictures remain uncited and wishes to give credit to the many websites visited to acquire them.