Gender Roles

1
Gender Identity
Boy?
Who am I?
Girl?
Gender Role
SEX
2
Sex vs. Gender Roles????

• Gender Roles ways of behaving thought to be
  typical of the sex to which a person belongs.
• Set by society norms
• Sex Roles physiological status of being
• male or female.

3
First thing parents want to know about child is
gender. Even in womb gender becomes
most important characteristic of baby. Gender of
person is determined by which sex organs
Boy or Girl?!
4

• As child grows he or she will form attitudes and
  ideas about their gender. Their gender role will
  be influenced by both biological and social
  factors.

Gender Identity
5
Times change gender roles are becoming less
strict. Women are being accepted in roles
traditionally male dominated. Men enjoy things
once considered feminine, like caring for
children.
6
Gender Roles in United States and Other Western
Cultures

• Women
• Gentle
• Dependent
• Emotional
• Weak

• Men
• Aggressive
• Independent
• Dominant
• Strong

Even newborns, who show no gender
differences at all
are
described with these terms.
7
Gender Identity Formation

• Complex process through which children
  incorporate biological and social factors of
  gender into their behaviors, attitudes, and
  self-understanding.
• Includes two processes
• Gender-Identity Development
• Sex-Typing or Gender Role Acquisition.

8
Sex Typing or Gender-Role Acquisition

• Process through which children learn what society
  expects based on gender
• Come to exhibit personality traits, behaviors,
  interests, and attitudes related to their gender.

9
Sex Differences in Games/Toys
Boys more rigidly sex-typed than Girls
10

• Gender stereotypes are socially determined models
  which contain cultural beliefs about what gender
  roles should be. Each society has its own
  stereotypes of what perfect gender role is.

Men or Women?
11
Gender Constancy

• Understanding that gender is permanent
  characteristic
• Cant be altered by changing clothing or cutting
  hair.

12
Gender Identity Disorder

• Any disorder in which there is conflict between
  actual sex of person and sex which he or she
  identifies.
• Relates to transgender people - people who bend
  or challenge gender roles.

13
Do Gender Roles Have Biological or Social Roots?

• Heated topic among psychologists sociologists.
  Seem to agree that both biology society play
  part in gender identity, but how much is still
  debatable.

Nature
Nurture
14
Biological View

• Testosterone and estrogen are hormones that occur
  naturally in both sexes.
• Higher levels of testosterone create aggressive
  tendencies. Since males produce more
  testosterone, may be why males often more
  aggressive than females.

Testosterone
Aggression
15

• Changes in estrogen levels throughout month can
  cause mood swings, which contributes to
  stereotype women are more
  emotional.

Estrogen
Mood Swings
Body structure is another biological difference.
Males tend to have larger body builds
and more muscle tissue than females, though
females tolerate more pain than males. Females
has larger limbic systems, controlling emotion.
Females have larger temporal lobes, controlling
language. Males have more grey matter in brain.