II. Gender and Other Identities Powell pages 3-16

Remember: Sex vs. Gender Sex?? – Biological property of individuals –Sexual characteristics Gender?? –psychological and social ramifications of being male or female –Girly, macho, emotional, dominate…

General Theory Men and women differ in nature so should their roles in society Comes from: –Women’s capacity to bear children

Question If general theory is correct, how do men and women differ beyond child bearing? Should humans of the male (female) sex (biological) be forced to “act” as the male (female) gender (psychological)? –Time Magazine “His name is Aurora” 09/19/00

How do we examine gender? Examination? Questions? Set up a Model of gender…

Model What is this?

Uni-dimensional Model of Gender Two extremes –Male (more masculine) –Female (more feminine) –What about “tom boys”?

Problems with “simple” model Leads to continuation of sex segregation Society really have high degrees of androcentrism (characterized by masculine interests or point of view) –Male seen as dominate gender Gender shift with WWII Thus uni-dimensional model is outgrown

Earliest references to Male vs. Female Worth Book of Leviticus, where it is stated “the value of a woman shall be assessed as three fifths the value of a man” (27: 1-7).

Biodimensional Model (Sandra Bem pages ) Gender composed of two independent dimensions

Bio-dimensional Model cont. Masculine and Feminine are independent of biological sex Remember Gender is psychological while sex is biological (distinct) Uni-dimensional model had sex and gender defining the same aspects of a person

Gender-Role Identity The degree a person has male and female traits A person with both male and female traits is said to be androgynous Remember --- PSYCHOLOGICAL NOT PHYSICAL

How measure? Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) Categorizes people as to their gender role orientation Categorized as male or female if large differences occur between the male and female scores Categorized as androgynous if the male and female scores are balanced Three distinct categories!!

Your Personal Qualities “The measure of psychological androgyny” –Sandra Bem Includes views from society of desirable behavior for men/women.

In-Class Activity #6 Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI) CONFIDENTIAL worksheet Given 40 characteristics rate (1 to 7) each as to how it describes your general behavior 1 = never or almost never true 7 = always or almost always true Really think about each characteristic pertains to you

BSRI Calculations What we want to find is if a person’s masculine attributes differs significantly from his/her feminine attributes Sum each column REMEMBER—if your numbers are high for the “other” gender it doesn’t mean you are any less of a man/woman. DON’T FREAK OUT!!

BSRI Rating Androgyny Score = Column 2 – Column 1 Androgyny Score * = BSRI Rating –t-ratio can be estimated by Range – to = high masculine characteristics = high feminine characteristics My score = => Androgynous with more feminine characteristics (because it is positive)

Findings On average most of the population cluster around the 0 mark Found to be a more accurate assessment of leadership than male or female alone

Is the Bio-dimensional model broad enough? Many researches argue No… Multi-dimensional model really necessary where separate frameworks exist for attitudes, sexual orientations, gender identity and personality traits.

Are the definitions of male and female gender correct? Some argue definition is too narrow Why? Too many have sex (biological) linked connotations

Do more positive things happen to men? Research has shown more positive outcomes are associated with being male and TASK ORIENTED OUTCOMES (when asked what can you do) Less distinction is made with INTERPERSONAL OUTCOMES (show me what you can do)

Are we clear on Sex and Gender?

When do we use Sex vs. Gender? Sex – To access others perceptions or attitudes towards a target person or group –Visually looking a person or how others view someone (outside) Gender – To access an individuals aspirations, motives, attitudes, and personality –How you see yourself (inside)

Now want to expand this understanding to other races and cultures Gender is easy to examine People differ within genders as well as within races and cultures Research on “other races” are predominately on white/black differences Minorities are usually defined as anyone other than the white male –This is really a large group

Is Race and Gender really important? Much emphasis within society on treating people equal Is all this hype helping or increasing the problem?

Advertisements Advertisements convey messages about the roles that women and men play in the workplace as well as in society. Several stereotypes of women’s roles occur regularly –Women’s place is in the home –Women are sex objects –Women need protection

Advertisements cont. Men have stereotypes as well –Ready to drink beer (“this bud’s for you” only has men drinking the beer…the women serve it, but the men drink it) Women’s jeans advertisements emphasize looking good Men’s jeans advertisements emphasize being an individual, comfortable, and getting the job done

Advertisement cont. Why the difference? What about the addition of race and culture? Are advertisements influential?? –Top advertisements of the century…

Can you name them?? You deserve a break today –McDonalds Tastes great, less filling –Miller Lite We try harder –Avis Good to the last drop –Maxwell House Mmm mm good –Campbell Soup Look, Ma!! No Cavities –Crest Melts in your mouth not in your hands –M&ms Breakfast of champions –Wheaties