Gender Development

Gender Development Sex: your biological status based on your chromosomes and anatomy Your biological sex helps define your gender

Gender Development Sex: your biological status based on your chromosomes and anatomy Gender: the socially constructed roles and characteristics by which a culture defines male and female.

Cultural norms vary and change “The generally accepted rule is pink for the boy and blue for the girl. The reason is that pink, being a decidedly and stronger color is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty is prettier for the girls.” Earnshaw’s Infants’ Department June 1918

Traits checklist handout M F B ___ ___ ___ Active ___ ___ ___ Adventurous ___ ___ ___ Affected ___ ___ ___ Affectionate ___ ___ ___ Appreciative ___ ___ ___ Arrogant ___ ___ ___ Autocratic ___ ___ ___ Bossy ___ ___ ___ Cautious ___ ___ ___ Changeable ___ ___ ___ Charming ___ ___ ___ Coarse ___ ___ ___ Conceited ___ ___ ___ Dependent ___ ___ ___ Emotional ___ ___ ___ Enterprising ___ ___ ___ Fearful ___ ___ ___ Forgiving ___ ___ ___ Hardheaded ___ ___ ___ Loud M F B ___ ___ ___ Modest ___ ___ ___ Nervous ___ ___ ___ Obnoxious ___ ___ ___ Opinionated ___ ___ ___ Opportunistic ___ ___ ___ Patient ___ ___ ___ Pleasant ___ ___ ___ Pleasure-seeking ___ ___ ___ Precise ___ ___ ___ Prudish ___ ___ ___ Quick ___ ___ ___ Reckless ___ ___ ___ Sensitive ___ ___ ___ Sentimental ___ ___ ___ Show-off ___ ___ ___ Softhearted ___ ___ ___ Timid ___ ___ ___ Tough ___ ___ ___ Warm

Traits checklist handout M F B _X_ ___ ___ Active _X_ ___ ___ Adventurous ___ _X_ ___ Affected ___ _X_ ___ Affectionate ___ _X_ ___ Appreciative _X_ ___ ___ Arrogant _X_ ___ ___ Autocratic _X_ ___ ___ Bossy ___ _X_ ___ Cautious ___ _X_ ___ Changeable ___ _X_ ___ Charming _X_ ___ ___ Coarse _X_ ___ ___ Conceited ___ _X_ ___ Dependent ___ _X_ ___ Emotional _X_ ___ ___ Enterprising ___ _X_ ___ Fearful ___ _X_ ___ Forgiving _X_ ___ ___ Hardheaded _X_ ___ ___ Loud M F B ___ _X_ ___ Modest ___ _X_ ___ Nervous _X_ ___ ___ Obnoxious _X_ ___ ___ Opinionated _X_ ___ ___ Opportunistic ___ _X_ ___ Patient ___ _X_ ___ Pleasant _X_ ___ ___ Pleasure-seeking _X_ ___ ___ Precise ___ _X_ ___ Prudish _X_ ___ ___ Quick _X_ ___ ___ Reckless ___ _X_ ___ Sensitive ___ _X_ ___ Sentimental _X_ ___ ___ Show-off ___ _X_ ___ Softhearted ___ _X_ ___ Timid _X_ ___ ___ Tough ___ _X_ ___ Warm

Why do you think there are universal cultural traits related to gender?

How Are We Alike? How Do We Differ? This discussion is about the differences between the average woman and man, not necessarily any individual woman or man.

Who has higher self-esteem? Males or Females?

Gender and Aggression Aggression: any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy Women are more likely to commit relational aggression, like gossip. Men are higher in violent crime rates, fighting, war.

Gender and Aggression Around the world, fighting, violent crime and blowing things up are mostly men’s activities. That is why many were surprised to hear that female suicide bombers were responsible for the 2010 Moscow subway bombing.

Gender and Social Power When groups form, men leaders tend to be autocratic, women leaders tend to be more democratic. In interactions men utter opinions, women express support. Men talk assertively, interrupt, stare. They smile & apologize less.

Gender and Social Connectedness Western males tend to be more individualistic, females more relationship oriented. In childhood play, boys form groups and are competitive, girls play in smaller groups, less competitive, and are more imitative of social relationships. Vocationally, men tend to prefer working with things, women prefer working with people.

Gender Roles Gender Role: a set of expected behaviors for males and females Shaped by culture Vary over time and place Socialization of Gender Roles handout

Gender Identity Gender Identity: our sense of being male or female Social learning theory assumes children acquire gender identity by observing and imitating others, and by being rewarded or punished for acting certain ways.

Gender Identity In spite of some cultural emphasis on social learning theory, around the world children organize themselves into “boy worlds” and “girl worlds.” Gender schemas form very early in life.

Gender Identity Some feel confusion when comparing themselves to their culture's concepts of gender. Transgender people’s gender identity (sense of male/female) or gender expression (behavior or appearance) differ from their birth sex. Gender identity is different from sexual orientation.