Gender. 7 Gender, Gender Identity, and Transgender

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1 7 Gender 7 Gender, Gender Identity, and Transgender Gender refers to the entire constellation of mental and behavioral traits that differ in males and females; it permeates every aspect of our lives. Gender identity is a person s subjective sense of femaleness or maleness, and it is the core of oneself. For 99.9 percent of people, gender identity is consistent with sexual anatomy. Discordance between anatomical sex and gender identity is termed gender dysphoria. 1

2 7 Gender, Gender Identity, and Transgender (cont d) Sexual orientation is the direction of an individual s sexual attractions. Most, but not all, men are sexually attracted to women. Most, but not all, women are sexually attracted to men. Multiple factors, including both innate predispositions and life experiences, interact in the development of gender-related traits. 7 Gender, Gender Identity, and Transgender (cont d) Gender-variant individuals may adopt behaviors that are not entirely typical either of females or of males. The sex role inventory developed by Sandra Bem in 1974 (and still in use) lists 60 adjectives describing personality traits. Bem studied gender according to two dimensions: masculinity unmasculinity and femininity unfemininity. A person scoring low on both masculinity and femininity was considered undifferentiated, whereas a person scoring high on both dimensions was psychologically androgynous. 2

3 7 Bem Sex Role Inventory 7 Gender, Gender Identity, and Transgender (cont d) Transgender is an increasingly popular term used to describe gender-atypical persons. Transexuals are gender dysphoric, meaning that they experience a discordance between their anatomical sex and their gender identity. Classical:wants to be like opposite sex in every way possible. Nonclassical: mixed gender roles Transexuals may be either androphilic (attracted to males) or gynephilic (attracted to females). 3

4 7 7.1 Zuni We wha Late 1800s 7 Photo p. 191 Alain Berliner s 1997 film Ma Vie en Rose Ludovic is a young boy who can't wait to grow up to be a woman. When his family discovers the little girl blossoming in him they are forced to contend with their own discomfort and the lack of understanding from their new neighbors. Their anger and impatience cave and Ludovic is sent to see a psychiatrist in the hopes of fixing whatever is wrong with him. A movie that addresses trans-gender and gender issues in general through the eyes of a child. 4

5 7 Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia CAH:The person has the chromosomes of a woman, the ovaries of a woman, but external (outside) genitals that appear male. This usually is the result of a female fetus having been exposed to excess male hormones before birth. The labia ("lips" or folds of skin of the external female genitals) fuse, and the clitoris enlarges to appear like a penis. 7 David Reimer ( ) Born Bruce with his twin brother Brian At 7mths, phimosis let to botched circumcision John Money (Johns Hopkins Medi School) advised to raise Bruce as a girl Surgically reconstructed Hormone treatments Brenda John Money became John Colapinto As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl famous for showing that gender was 5

6 7 Gender Differences in Cognitive and Personality Traits Cognitive traits include perception, motor performance, reasoning, judgment, knowledge, and memory; personality traits include behavior, feelings, attitudes, goals, and values. Maccoby and Jacklin (1974) 1. Boys are more aggressive than girls 2. Females have more verbal ability than males, while males have better visuospatial skills 7 Gender Differences in Cognitive and Personality Traits Men outperform women in some visuospatial skills such as rotation of threedimensional objects, throwing accuracy, and navigation with reference to compass directions; women navigate as well as or better than men with reference to landmarks, and they have better control of hand and finger musculature. 6

7 7 Test of Object Location 7 Test of Object Location 7

8 7 Gender Differences in Cognitive and Personality Traits (cont d) Females outperform males in verbal fluency and verbal memory skills, whereas males outperform females in mathematical reasoning and problem solving. 7 Gender Differences in Cognitive and Personality Traits (cont d) In personality traits, men score higher than women on aggressiveness and selfesteem; women score higher than men on emotional sensitivity and a sense of caring. 8

9 7 Gender Differences in Sexuality Men express far more permissive attitudes than women toward masturbation and toward casual, premarital, and extramarital sex; women tend to view sex as a prelude to a long-term relationship. In comparison to females, males masturbate and have sexual intercourse at a younger age and with greater frequency; males also have a larger number of sex partners. 7 Gender Differences in Sexuality (cont d) Statistically, women are attracted to older partners with status and wealth; men are attracted to younger partners who are physically attractive. Women experience emotional jealousy; men experience sexual jealousy. The prevalence of homosexuality is higher in men than in women; the prevalence of bisexuality is higher in women than in men. 9

10 7 Gender Differences Arise Early in Life Infants can discriminate between male and female faces and voices. Children 2 3 years of age can identify their own sex and categorize themselves with other same-sex children. Gender constancy, or the realization that sex categories are permanent, appears at 3 4 years of age Gender constancy Gender constancy, or the realization that sex categories are permanent, appears at 3 4 years of age. 10

11 7 Gender Differences Arise Early in Life (cont d) Male fetuses are more active than females, a difference that persists throughout childhood. Newborn boys are more wakeful than girls and cry more readily in response to pain. By 2 3 years of age, most girls prefer girls as playmates and boys prefer boys; boys tend to be competitive, whereas girls tend to be cooperative. In classroom performance, girls tend to get better grades in most subjects and across most age levels. 7 Theories Concerning the Origin of Gender Differences Evolutionary theory suggests that mental and behavioral traits are heritable and have evolved over a long period of evolution. According to the biological theory, mental differences between men and women are the manifestation of sex-differentiated brain systems. Jealousy: differences in parental investment Interest in sex: males less choosey Cognitive skills: division of labor (hunters/gatherers) 11

12 7 Theories Concerning the Origin of Gender Differences (cont d) The socialization theory holds that gender-related traits are inculcated in children by learning from their parents, teachers, siblings, peers, and society in general. Behaviorism is learning theory that includes studies of classical and instrumental conditioning; according to this model, behavior is molded by judiciously timed rewards and punishments or by positive and negative reinforcement. 1. Fagot watched 50 parents play with children to determine if parents socialize gender roles. a. Boys reinforced for a. Block b. Rough and tumble play b. Boys were punished for i. asking for help c. Girls reinforced for i. Playing with dolls ii. i. Following parent Girls were punished for i. Climbing 7 Theories Concerning the Origin of Gender Differences (cont d) Feminist theory claims that gender development is influenced by socialization (by parents, schools, television, etc.). Cognitive developmental theory asserts that the key process in gender development is the sequence of ideas and understanding or thought processes that a child has concerning gender; theories of gender constancy, gender schema, and sexual scripts are offshoots of cognitive developmental theory. In summary, the development of gender traits is probably multifactorial, and all the theories or the interaction of theories may be necessary for a full understanding of the process. 12