1 Psychology 320: Psychology of Gender and Sex Differences Lecture 55

2 Announcement CampOUT is seeking applicants for paid and volunteer positions for a CampOUT Leadership Team. CampOUT is an empowering summer camping experience for BC’s queer, trans and allied youth. Application deadline: March 15, More information:

3 Physical Health: 1. What factors account for sex differences in health? (continued)

4 4. review gender-related factors that contribute to sex differences in mortality and morbidity. 3. discuss sex differences in exercise levels. By the end of today’s class, you should be able to: 1. review health behaviours that may contribute to sex differences in mortality and morbidity. 2. describe gynoid obesity and android obesity.

5 6. define the terms agency, unmitigated agency, communion, and unmitigated communion. 5. define the nurturant role hypothesis.

6  Females are more likely to exhibit gynoid obesity; males are more likely to exhibit android obesity. Android obesity poses a greater health threat than gynoid obesity. What factors account for sex differences in health? (continued) (d) Overweight, Obesity, and Exercise (continued) 2. Health Behaviours (continued)

7  The psychological (e.g., depression), social (e.g., marriage), and economic costs (e.g., income) of overweight and obesity are greater for females than males (Gortmaker et al., 1993; Hoe et al., 2006).

8  Among the primary factors implicated in increasing rates of overweight and obesity is lack of exercise. Across all age groups, males are more likely than females to engage in leisure-time physical activity and vigorous exercise, although the sex difference is very small.

9 3. Gender-Related Factors (a) Job Characteristics  In general, males are more likely than females to be employed in hazardous jobs (e.g., manual labour positions; Donkin et al., 2002; Saulcy, 2005).

10 (b) Risky Behaviour  Males engage in riskier activities than females. Moreover, when engaged in risky activities, males take greater risks than females (Waldron, 1997).  “d” obtained in a meta-analysis of 150 risk-taking behaviour studies=.13 (Byrnes et al., 1999).

11 However, sex differences varied for distinct risk-taking behaviours: Smoking: d = -.02 Drinking/drug use:d =.04 Sexual activities:d =.07 Physical activityd =.16 Gambling:d =.21 Driving: d =.29 Intellectual risk taking:d =.40 Risky experiment: d =.41

12  Males score higher than females on “sensation- seeking” (Zuckerman, 1994, 1996). Sensation-seeking is related to levels of monoamine oxidase, an enzyme that breaks down dopamine.

Examples of Items from the Sensation Seeking Scale (Zuckerman, 1965) I sometimes like to do things that are a little frightening. A sensible person avoids activities that are dangerous. * I like to have new and exciting experiences and sensations even if they are frightening, unconventional, or illegal. Almost everything enjoyable is illegal or immoral. I get bored seeing the same old faces. I like the comfortable familiarity of everyday friends. * * Reverse-scored items. 13

14 (c) The Nurturant Role  Females are socialized to take care of others. This may contribute to higher rates of morbidity among females (Gove, 1984).

15 (d) Gender-Related Traits  Researchers have investigated the relationship between health and: agency, unmitigated agency, communion, and unmitigated communion.

16 Physical Health: 1. What factors account for sex differences in health? (continued)