Social Influences on Gender INTRODUCTION:

Two types of socializing ‘forces’ Informal socializing agents People in which close contact occurs:- Parents Siblings Extended family Friends Formal socializing agents Distant, but still exert an influence on individual behaviour:- Education – teachers, school, curriculum Law – police, courts, government. Media

Parents and Schools  What theories can we use to explain how parents and schools might influence gender behaviour ?  Social learning theory  Biosocial  Gender schema theory

Individually, on mini whiteboards, describe the studies for social influence AND state the theories we can use to explain how parents and schools might influence gender behaviour

H&K – biosocial – fathers treat children differently depending on their biological sex – leads to gender differences e.g. boys likely to engage in more boisterous behaviour. Friedman – GST – the younger children's gender schema is being influenced by the mothers attitudes to gender E&D – SLT – characters in the books could act as role models for the children who read them – could lead to imitation of behaviours and differences in role models. Bigler – GST – children form in-group/out-group schemas and own-sex schemas. Must make sure you link back to social influence of parents and schools

It is important to consider how social influences actually impact on children’s perception of gender. It could be argued that they alter children’s gender schemas as the children gather information from their parents and teachers or perhaps the literature that they are exposed to at school. Friedman found that a mother’s use of stereotypical language predicted gender stereotyping in young children and Bigler found that when teachers split classes into all girl or all boy groups these children showed more gender stereotypical views than before. The research suggests that children are collecting information from their environment that is strengthening their schemas for each gender. Write a paragraph like the example for SLT or the biosocial approach. As an extension you could evaluate the research.

Social influences: IDA Social influences explains gender development from the nurture side of the nature-nurture debate. For example research conducted by Hagan & Kuebli found differences in how parents monitored their children’s risk taking behaviour based on the sex of the child. Thus showing how parents treat daughters and sons differently and that this can an influence on their gender development. The issue with this standpoint is that it is impossible to isolate social influence in order to see if that alone has an effect on gender development. Therefore, the research in this area may not be able to provide any conclusive evidence for the role of social influence on gender development.

Wider evaluation: In pairs write a paragraph based on one of the below points it is difficult to assess the social influences since they cannot be isolated as independent variables in controlled studies. why the social influences may influence children – do they alter children’s gender schemas or effect the way they behave through social learning theory? Can other explanations account for the findings? Other IDA – nurture, determinism. Alternatively for wider evaluation you could look for themes in the research and then suggest how parent and schools could improve gender equality

Big w/b – plan an essay January 2012 a) Describe research into social influences on gender. (8 marks) b) Assess the importance of social influences on gender. (16 marks) June 2010 a)Outline the biosocial approach to gender development. (4 marks) b) Outline social factors that may influence gender roles. (4 marks) c) Use research to assess the importance of social factors on gender roles. (16 marks)

Cross-cultural studies of gender role INTRODUCTION:

What is Culture? Culture represents the beliefs and values shared by a society which are subsequently passed down through the generations. Gender ‘appropriate’ behaviour varies across cultures. The ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society

Cultural explanations Define the following on the wall boards Cultural Bias Cultural determinism Ethnographic approach

Definitions Cultural bias- interpreting and judging phenomena by standards inherent to one's own culture. Cultural determinism- the culture in which we are raised determines who we are at emotional and behavioral levels. This supports the theory that environmental influences dominate who we are instead of biologically inherited traits. Ethnographic approach - A qualitative approach that studies the cultural patterns and perspectives of participants in their natural settings

Why study cultural differences? To study the different biological and cultural influences on gender Researchers can study and compare traditional cultures with modern industrialised societies. Isolated cultures may demonstrate cultural differences, suggesting behaviours may be socially determined; or they may show cultural similarity, which may suggest universal and therefore evolved adaptations.

Analyse the research Now read through the handout on Mead, Cook and Medicine’s research. Answer the questions and compare with other people’s answers.

Evaluation of this research 1. Reliability of the data 2. Effects of participant observation 3. Potential for cultural bias in interpretation 4. Nature vs nurture 5. Cultural determinism (a form of environmental determinism) 6. Ethical issues/socially sensitive issues Think about and research these using your text book and your own ideas. Write a short paragraph for each point.

Mead… Reliability – The work of Margaret Mead has been questioned. Gewertz (1981) found males to be more aggressive than females within the Tchambuli tribe. Cultural bias- Critics have suggested Mead’s work is tainted with her own cultural interpretations which obscured her observations. Validity? ‘Cultural determinism’ -Mead may have overemphasized the role of culture at the expense of ignoring biological factors affecting the role of gender.

Methodology… Participant observation- The presence of an observer can affect the dynamics of a social group. Difficult to control and accurately assess the extent of its influence. Interpretation- Problems can arise with accurate interpretation of language, behaviour and attitudes of other cultures. Nature v Nurture – comparing cultures allows a better understanding of determining gender. Ethics – cross-cultural research allows a rich form of investigation that ethically would be inappropriate to do in a laboratory.