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P3: gender
sex and gender
what is sex?
-person’s innate biological status as male or female determined by
chromosomes and differences in hormones and anatomy
what is gender?
-the psychosocial status incl. attitudes, behaviour and social roles
associated with being a man or woman
what is gender dysphoria?
-a condition where biological sex and gender identity do not
correspond
what is a sex-role stereotype?
-a set of expectations or appropriate behaviour for males and females
in society which is often fixed and rigid
outline Ingalhalikar et al (2014) research
-investigated the stereotype of women being better at multi-tasking
than men
-method: scanned brains of 949 men and women using MRI and
mapped connections to different parts of brain
-results: women’s brains have better connections between left and right
sides whereas men’s brains display more intense activity in individual
parts esp. cerebellum
-conclusion: female brain copes better with several tasks at once
whereas male brain prefers to focus on a single complex task
outline Williams and Best (1994) research
-aim: investigate sex stereotyping across 30 different countries
P3: gender 1
, -method: participants given over 300 characteristics and asked
whether they were more likely to be associated with males or females or
both
-results: across 30 countries, same characteristics were associated
with males and females. females described as emotional and warm and
males described as reckless and determined
-conclusion: findings of the cross cultural study suggest that there are
commonly held stereotypes of males and females
outline Renzetti and Curran (1992) research
-showed that parents also describe their newborns using gendered lang
such as daughters (tiny and delicate) and sons (strong and alert)
explain 1 strength of research investigating sex and gender
P= scientific
E= Ingalhalikar et al (2014) used MRI imaging to map between the
different parts of the brain
E= shows that research uses empirical methods because we can
observe brain connections (multitasking) through direct sensory
experience
E= conclusion that females are better at multitasking than men is not
based on personal opinion so it is objective as its based on smth we can
see
L= this research provides accurate info about sex role stereotypes and
is more likely to be accepted by society
explain 1 limitation of research investigating sex and gender
P= there are negative implications of research which can be made
worse by this scientific credibility
E= females described as being warm and caring and males described
as hard headed and strong (Williams and Best 1994)
E= females more likely to take jobs within the care sector. these are jobs
which society places less emphasis on = less money being offered for
these jobs. leads to an economy which would benefit male
P3: gender 2
, characteristics with positions of power and higher paying wages =
gender pay gap
L= we should be wary of presenting research into sex role stereotypes
to society
androgyny
what is androgyny?
-displaying a balance of masculine and feminine characteristics in ones
personality
when was it proposed and by who?
-Bem in 1974
what did she suggest there was a correlation between?
-androgyny and emotional well being
how is androgyny measured?
-BSRI= bem sex role inventory
-first systematic attempt to measure androgyny
-7 point rating scale
-60 traits= 20 masculine, 20 feminine, 20 neutral
-respondents rate themselves on a 7 point rating scale
-scores classified on basis of 2 dimensions= masculine or feminine and
androgynous or undifferentiated
explain 1 strength of using BSRI to measure androgyny
P= scale would appear to be valid and reliable
E= BSRI developed by asking 50 male and 50 female judges to rate 200
traits in terms of desirable for men or women. traits which were highest
scored in each category became the 20 male and 20 female
characteristics on scale. BSRI was then piloted with over 1000 students
and results broadly corresponded with participants own description of
their gender identity= BSRI has a degree of validity
E= follow-up study involving a smaller sample of the same students
revealed similar scores when students were tested a month later.
suggests that scale has high test-retest reliability
P3: gender 3
P3: gender
sex and gender
what is sex?
-person’s innate biological status as male or female determined by
chromosomes and differences in hormones and anatomy
what is gender?
-the psychosocial status incl. attitudes, behaviour and social roles
associated with being a man or woman
what is gender dysphoria?
-a condition where biological sex and gender identity do not
correspond
what is a sex-role stereotype?
-a set of expectations or appropriate behaviour for males and females
in society which is often fixed and rigid
outline Ingalhalikar et al (2014) research
-investigated the stereotype of women being better at multi-tasking
than men
-method: scanned brains of 949 men and women using MRI and
mapped connections to different parts of brain
-results: women’s brains have better connections between left and right
sides whereas men’s brains display more intense activity in individual
parts esp. cerebellum
-conclusion: female brain copes better with several tasks at once
whereas male brain prefers to focus on a single complex task
outline Williams and Best (1994) research
-aim: investigate sex stereotyping across 30 different countries
P3: gender 1
, -method: participants given over 300 characteristics and asked
whether they were more likely to be associated with males or females or
both
-results: across 30 countries, same characteristics were associated
with males and females. females described as emotional and warm and
males described as reckless and determined
-conclusion: findings of the cross cultural study suggest that there are
commonly held stereotypes of males and females
outline Renzetti and Curran (1992) research
-showed that parents also describe their newborns using gendered lang
such as daughters (tiny and delicate) and sons (strong and alert)
explain 1 strength of research investigating sex and gender
P= scientific
E= Ingalhalikar et al (2014) used MRI imaging to map between the
different parts of the brain
E= shows that research uses empirical methods because we can
observe brain connections (multitasking) through direct sensory
experience
E= conclusion that females are better at multitasking than men is not
based on personal opinion so it is objective as its based on smth we can
see
L= this research provides accurate info about sex role stereotypes and
is more likely to be accepted by society
explain 1 limitation of research investigating sex and gender
P= there are negative implications of research which can be made
worse by this scientific credibility
E= females described as being warm and caring and males described
as hard headed and strong (Williams and Best 1994)
E= females more likely to take jobs within the care sector. these are jobs
which society places less emphasis on = less money being offered for
these jobs. leads to an economy which would benefit male
P3: gender 2
, characteristics with positions of power and higher paying wages =
gender pay gap
L= we should be wary of presenting research into sex role stereotypes
to society
androgyny
what is androgyny?
-displaying a balance of masculine and feminine characteristics in ones
personality
when was it proposed and by who?
-Bem in 1974
what did she suggest there was a correlation between?
-androgyny and emotional well being
how is androgyny measured?
-BSRI= bem sex role inventory
-first systematic attempt to measure androgyny
-7 point rating scale
-60 traits= 20 masculine, 20 feminine, 20 neutral
-respondents rate themselves on a 7 point rating scale
-scores classified on basis of 2 dimensions= masculine or feminine and
androgynous or undifferentiated
explain 1 strength of using BSRI to measure androgyny
P= scale would appear to be valid and reliable
E= BSRI developed by asking 50 male and 50 female judges to rate 200
traits in terms of desirable for men or women. traits which were highest
scored in each category became the 20 male and 20 female
characteristics on scale. BSRI was then piloted with over 1000 students
and results broadly corresponded with participants own description of
their gender identity= BSRI has a degree of validity
E= follow-up study involving a smaller sample of the same students
revealed similar scores when students were tested a month later.
suggests that scale has high test-retest reliability
P3: gender 3
