1. CHAPTER 12 GENDER ROLES AND SEXUALITY

4. Learning Objectives
What are gender norms and stereotypes? How do they play out in the behaviors of men and women?
What actual psychological differences exist between males and females?
How does Eagly’s social role hypothesis explain gender stereotypes?

5. Male and Female Genetic: XX=female; XY=male Gender Roles: Behaviors
Communality versus Agency
Gender-Role Norms: Expectations

7. Male and Female Genetic: XX=female; XY=male Gender Roles: Behaviors
Communality versus Agency
Gender-Role Norms: Expectations
Gender-Role Stereotypes:
Overgeneralizations, inaccuracies

9. Male and Female Genetic: XX=female; XY=male Gender Roles: Behaviors
Communality versus Agency
Gender-Role Norms: Expectations
Gender-Role Stereotypes:
Overgeneralizations, inaccuracies
Gender Typing: Acquiring the role

11. Gender Differences Verbal: Females slightly higher
Spatial: Males higher
Math: Males highest and lowest
Aggression and riskiness: Males
Compliant, tactful, cooperative: Females
Nurturant, empathic, anxious: Females
Vulnerability: Males

12. A spatial ability task. Are the two figures in each pair alike or different? The task assesses the ability to mentally rotate visual information and is a task in which average differences between males and females are quite large.

13. Social-role Hypothesis (Eagly)
Roles create stereotypes
Context and culture important

15. Social-role Hypothesis (Eagly)
Roles create stereotypes
Context and culture important
Psychological Differences
Few and small
Important
Differential roles continue
Changes occurring today

17. Learning Objectives
How do gender role stereotypes influence infants’ behavior and treatment?
How do children acquire gender role stereotypes? In what ways do children exhibit gender-typed behavior?
What theoretical explanations account for gender-typed behaviors?
How well-supported are these theories?

18. Infancy Differential treatment Differential expectations
By 18 mo: Categorical self
By 2½ yr: Gender identity
18-24 mo: Gender toy preference

19. Childhood 3 yrs: Gender stereotypes acquired
Gender rigidity until age 6
Gender Constancy: By ages 4-6
Gender-typed behavior by age 2½
Greater by age 6
Stronger rules for boys

20. Adolescence Gender Intensification Gender and peer conformity
Pubertal hormonal changes
Preparation for reproductive activities
Gender and peer conformity
Later adolescence more flexible thinking

21. Biosocial Theory Biological Development
Presence of Y chromosome
Testosterone masculinizes brain and nervous system
Social influences and labeling at birth
Gender behavior through social interaction

22. Critical events in Money and Ehrhardt’s biosocial theory of gender typing.

23. Psychoanalytic Theory
Oedipus (boy) and Electra (girl) Complex
Research Supports:
Identification with same-sex parent
Preschool years important
Importance of father for both
Stronger male reaction
Greater need to identify with father

24. Social Learning Theory
Differential reinforcement
Observational learning
Fathers differentiate most
Internalization of parent views
Peers, media, books, etc.

25. Cognitive Theories Kohlberg: Self Socialization Stage-Like Changes
Gender identity: ages 2-3
Label themselves correctly
Gender stability: ages 3-4
Stable over time
Gender consistency: ages 5-7
Stable across situations

26. Gender Schema Theory Information processing approach
Gender schemata by ages 2-3
In-group/out-group schema
Own-sex schema
Child looks for confirming information in the environment

27. Gender schema theory in action
Gender schema theory in action. A young girl classifies new information according to an in-group – out-group schema as either “for boys” or “for girls.” Information about boys’ toys and activities is ignored, but information about toys and activities for girls is relevant to the self and is added to an even-larger own-sex schema.

29. Learning Objectives How do gender roles change throughout adulthood?
What is androgyny?
To what extent is androgyny useful?

30. Adulthood Gender Roles Over the Life-Span
At marriage: Greater differentiation
Birth of child: It increases more
Parental imperative
Middle age and older: Androgyny
Androgyny shift - does not mean switch

31. Learning Objectives
How are infants affected by their sex? What do we know about infant sexuality?
What do children know about sex and reproduction? How does sexual behavior change during childhood?
What factors contribute to the development of sexual orientation?
What are adolescents’ sexual attitudes today? How would you characterize the sexual behavior of today’s teens.

32. Sexual Behavior Reproductive sex Recreational sex Difficult to study
2% of sex acts
Recreational sex
98% of sex acts
Difficult to study
Sampling bias
Response bias

33. Sexual Response Cycle Excitement Plateau Orgasm Resolution
Refractory period (men)

35. The Role of Chemicals Hormones Pheromones Androgens Estrogens
Testosterone
Estrogens
Pheromones

37. Ovulation and eroticism
About to ovulate=Increased sexual fantasies
Increased pheremone production
Increased sense of smell

39. Men’s shifting hormones
Prefer “ruggedly handsome”
Men’s shifting hormones
Anticipation increase
Married men = lower testosterone at end of day
More time with wife = lower testosterone
Oxytocin
Vasopressin

40. Adolescents-early sex if friends do it
Sexual Stimuli
Visual stimuli
Men more aroused than women
Nature of video (audience)
Less important for women
Olfactory stimuli
Mating preferences: evolutionary theories
Parental investment
Concerns about infidelity
Adolescents-early sex if friends do it

41. Sexual Orientation Heterosexual Homosexual 4-10% Bisexual
DSM
Bisexual
Biological differences
Hypothalamus
Genes
Environment

42. What’s Normal? Cultural variations Sexual dysfunction
Male erectile dysfunction
Female arousal dysfunction
Atypical sexual behavior: Paraphilias
Pedophile
Fetishes
Transvestism
“Homophobia”

46. Sexuality Over the Life Span
Infant Sexuality: CNS arousal
Childhood
Learn about reproduction
Curiosity and exploration
Sexual abuse: like PTSD
Adolescence: Sexual identity, orientation
Double Standard: Has it declined?

49. Learning Objective
What sexual changes occur in adulthood?

50. Adult Sexuality Most are married Gradual declines in sexual activity
Individual differences
Married have more sex
Males sexual peak: Age 18
Female sexual peak: Age 38

52. Older Adults Stereotype: Asexuality Reality: Decline
Diseases and disabilities
Social attitudes
Lack of a partner (especially women)
Physiologically able in old age