Developmental and Social Perspectives on Gender

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Developmental and Social Perspectives on Gender
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How Many Sexes Are There?

• Western culture emphasizes two
• Some cultures see intersexuality as a third sex
• Intersexuality
• True Hermaphrodite
• Pseudohermaphrodite
• Male
• Female
• 2 out of 10,000 births
• Biological levels
• Genetic, gonadal, body, brain

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Gender identity vs. Gender Role

• Definitions
• Biological (body shape and sex organs)
• Sociocultural factors (Hair length, clothing)

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Biological Sex Sexual Differentiation

• Genetic
• Gonads
• Body
• Brain

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Sexual DifferentiationPrenatal Factors

• Chromosomes
• Fetal Gonads
• Fetal Hormones
• Development of Body Sex
• DHT chemical present leads to development of male
  genitals

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Sexual DifferentiationFactors of Infancy and
Childhood

• Sex assignment at birth
• Differential socialization
• Childs body image
• Core gender identity

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Sexual DifferentiationFactors at Puberty -
Hormones

• Behavioral Responses
• Increased sex drive
• Erotic fantasies
• Sexual behavior

• Physical Changes
• Growth of genitals
• Secondary sex characteristics

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Adult Gender Identity
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Identity Interpretation

• Androgyny
• Hyermasculinity
• Hyperfemininity

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Transgenderism

• Crossing of traditional gender lines because of
  discomfort and nonconformity with gender roles
  generally accepted by the society
• Originally conceived as pathological not today
• Transsexual
• Strong degree of discomfort feel in wrong body
• Gender identity disorder and gender dysphoria
• Expression of identity in a way that is socially
  inconsistent with ones anatomical sex

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Theories of Gender Role Development

• Psychodynamic
• Working through Oedipal conflicts leads to gender
  development
• Social Learning
• Modeling and socialization
• Cognitive-Developmental
• Thoughts reinforce socialization

• Gender Schema
• Social and cognitive
• Behavioral Genetics
• Interaction of genes and environment
• Multifactorial Web
• Eclectic
• Celebrate and understand differences

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Gender in Culture Society

• Growing up Female Male in North America
• Sex Objects vs. Success Objects
• Metrosexual vs. Retrosexual
• Then Now Feminism
• Gender-egalitarian cultures
• Sudest Island near Papua New Guinea