Gender Role Development

Ch. 4 Sec.4

Gender and Sex

• Sex- physical and biological make up. (XX or XY chromosomes).– By age 2 or 3, most children

can label themselves as a boy or girl.

Gender roles

• Gender role- set of behaviors that society considers appropriate for each sex.

Gender stereotypes

• Gender stereotypes- oversimplified generalization. (i.e., men are tough, women are emotional).

Gender roles

• Androgynous- combining male and female characteristics.– Aka “gender-neutral” or “non-

binary”– Younger people don’t feel a

need to define themselves along rigid gender lines.

Gender

• Gender Identity: How one individual identifies (male, female, gender-neutral, etc)

• Gender Expression: How we express ourselves in terms of gender (masculine, feminine, androgynous).

Gender• Transgender: One who’s

gender identity does not match their biological sex.

• Cisgender: One who’s gender identity and biological sex match.

• Intersex: One who is born with unique genitalia (approx. 1 in 1,600 births).

Origins of Gender Differences

• Biological Theory:– Role of anatomy, hormones,

and brain organization.– Gender differences are the

result of certain behaviors men and women adopted to survive.

Origins of Gender Differences

• Psychoanalytical Theory:– Freud: identification. – Boys identify with their father;

girls with their mother.– But is this the cause or the

result of gender differences?

Origins of Gender Differences

• Social Learning Theory:– Children learn by imitating

gender models and from rewards and punishments.

– Ex: boy may be punished for crying; girl may be punished for being too loud.

Origins of Gender Differences

• Cognitive-Developmental Theory:– Children learn by interacting

with their environment and learning from experiences.

– Children must first know they are male or female so they can form a gender schema.