Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2004 Chapter Five Gender Diversity in Sexuality

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2004 Terminology - 1 Sex The biological distinction between being female and being male, usually categorized on the basis of the reproductive organs and genetic makeup. Gender The social and psychological characteristics associated with being female or male. Gender Identity The psychological state of viewing one’s self as a girl or a boy, and later as a woman or a man.

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2004 Terminology - 2 Transgendered Individuals of one biological sex who express behavior not typically assigned to their gender.  Transvestites: Men who cross-dress.  Transsexuals: Individuals who would like to surgically alter their genitals to match their gender identity.

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2004 Terminology - 3 Cross-dresser A broad term for individuals who may dress or present themselves in the gender of the other sex. Gender Role The social norms that dictate appropriate female and male behavior.

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2004 Terminology - 4 Personal Choices: Pursue a Nontraditional Occupational Role? Women and men often choose occupations that are consistent with traditional gender role expectations. Sexual Identity Factors including one’s biological sex, gender identity, gender role, and sexual orientation. Gender Role Ideology Socially prescribed role relationships between women and men in any given society.

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2004 Biological Beginnings - 1 Chromosomes Threadlike structures of DNA within the cell nucleus that carry the genes and transmit hereditary information. Sex Selection  Prenatal sex selection and amniocentesis  Preconceptual sex selection or family balancing

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2004 Biological Beginnings - 2

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2004 Biological Beginnings - 3 Chromosomal Abnormalities Abnormalities result when there are too many or too few sex chromosomes. Either the father or the mother may contribute an abnormal sex chromosome. Examples: Klinefelter’s syndrome (XXY) Turner’s syndrome (XO) Hormones Male and female embryos are indistinguishable from one another during the first several weeks of intrauterine life.

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2004 Biological Beginnings - 4 Intersex Development Variations in the reproductive system resulting in ambiguous genitals.  Hermaphroditism  Pseudohermaphroditism  Fetally androgenized females  Androgenital syndrome  Testicular feminization Syndrome  Androgen-insensitivity syndrome

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2004 Theories of Gender Role Development - 1 Sociobiology Social behavior is viewed as having a biological basis that is functional in human evolution. Identification Theory Freud suggested that children acquire the characteristics and behaviors of their same-sex parent through identification. Social Learning Theory Emphasizes the role of reward and punishment in explaining how children learn gender role behavior.

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2004 Theories of Gender Role Development - 2 Cognitive-Developmental Theory Reflects a blend of biological and social learning views; the biological readiness influences children’s response to gender cues in the environment. Gender Schema Theory A network of associations with the concepts of male and female (or masculinity and femininity) organize and guide children’s perception of gender.

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2004 Agents of Gender Role Socialization Parents Peers Teachers Religion Media

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2004 Effects of Gender Roles on Relationships and Sexuality - 1 Gender Roles in Other Societies  Gender roles in the Caribbean are characterized by women and their children as the primary family unit.  The Swedish government is strongly concerned with equality between women and men.  Japanese have or prefer more traditional or sex-typed divisions of labor.

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2004 Effects of Gender Roles on Relationships and Sexuality - 2 Racial/Ethnic Differences in the United States Gender roles are also influenced by race and ethnicity.  African American Role Relationships African American marriages are influenced by strong ties to one’s parents and the larger kinship system.  Mexican American Role Relationships Some “typical” characteristics of Mexican American relationships include male dominance and female submissiveness.

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2004 Effects of Gender Roles on Relationships and Sexuality - 3 Traditional Socialization Effects on Women  Body Image  Sexual Thoughts/Desire  Masturbation  Perception of Genitals  Love and Sexuality  Sexual Guilt  Orgasm  Age of Partners  Number of Partners  Economic Dependency  Initiation of Relationships  Resentment and Anger in Sexual Relationships  Nonegalitarian Relationships

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2004 Effects of Gender Roles on Relationships and Sexuality - 4 Traditional Socialization Effects on Men  Less Emotional Intimacy  Performance Anxiety  Restriction of Potential Partners  Sexual Aggression and Coercion  Purchase of Sex  Lack of Domestic Skills  Involvement in Group Sex  Belief in the sexual double standard

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2004 Androgyny, Gender Role Transcendence, and Gender Postmodernism - 1 Androgyny Having traits stereotypically associated with both masculinity and femininity Gender Role Transcendence The abandonment of gender schema (becoming “gender aschematic”) so that personality traits, social and occupational roles, and other aspects of an individual’s life become divorced from gender categories

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2004 Androgyny, Gender Role Transcendence, and Gender Postmodernism - 2 Gender Postmodernism The in which there is a dissolution of male and female categories as currently conceptualized in Western capitalist society.