Unit 2 Self and Others Gender

Childhood poem What are little boys made of? Frogs and snails And puppy dogs’ tails, That’s what little boys are made of What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice And all that’s nice, That’s what little girls are made of

Gender focus questions How are gender differences distinct from gender roles? What difficulties do both men and women face moving into non-traditional gender areas? Why is it important to keep challenging our beliefs about appropriate gender roles?

Gender Attitudes Gender differences the physical differences that exist between males and females -body fat -muscle density (strength) - reproductive organs In the past – resulted in us being put into rigid categories – gender roles

Male Gender Roles and Expectation Female Gender Role and Expectations Gender Roles: the roles that society expects people to play based on their gender Historically! Male Gender Roles and Expectation Female Gender Role and Expectations Aggressive behaviour Tough and independent Not to express their feelings Jobs: Involving physical strength (police, firefighter), Doctors, lawyers (power). Careers would continue after the birth of children Passive / submissive behaviour Feminine and dependant Emotional Jobs: Involving nurturing (nurses, not doctors, teachers). Careers ended with the birth of children

Gender Roles and Socialization

Gender Socialization Gender socialization: the different ways in which boys and girls are socialized, or learn to belong to society Early Impact of Gender: Adult voice pitch and word choice changes when relating to babies of perceived different genders

Gender Socialization continued High pitch voice Vocabulary choice: pretty, dainty Lower pitch voice Vocabulary choice: Strong, big, health, strapping

Gender Roles and Socialization

Gender Differences in Our Brains Differences involve both brain’s structure and function Tendencies (generalizations) More men than women are left-handed More men than women favour the right ear when listening, women listen equally with both ears More men than women excel at rotating 3-D objects in their heads More women than men prove better at reading the emotions of people in photographs

Gender Differences in Our Brains WHY? Theories: Right hemisphere is dominant in male brains Corpus callosum in larger in female brains (thus allowing for better communication between the right and left hemispheres of the female brain Corpus callosum up to 23% wider in females (Allen and Gorski, 1992) females use both sides of brain when spelling while males use mostly the left side when spelling (Naylor, 1988)

Gender Differences in Our Brains

Non-Physical Gender Differences Conversation styles: (Deborah Tanner) Women – Consensus model – allowing everyone to have input in the decision making process (to not appear bossy or arrogant) Women do not call attention to their accomplishments to the same extent that men do (to not appear like they are bragging) Use of pronouns: women use “we” or “our” whereas men use ”I” and “my”

Non-Physical Gender Differences Sense of Humor Men Slapstick: involving exaggerated physical violence and activities which exceed the boundaries of common sense Gallows humor: type of humor that arises from stressful, traumatic, or life-threatening situations (similar to black comedy) WARNING: Watch your dog! Police all over the country are advising all dog owners to "Watch your Dog". Dogs are being picked off one at a time. They are falling in great numbers.

Non-Physical Gender Differences Sense of Humor Women Irony: an expression of something completely different  from the literal meaning.  Usually, someone says the opposite of what they mean and the listener believes the opposite of what they said.