Unit 2Unit 2Chapter 4, Section 4Chapter 4, Section 4

Gender Roles and DifferencesGender Roles and Differences

Mr. YoungMr. Young

PsychologyPsychology

GenderGender

One of the first One of the first questions parents questions parents ask is, “Is the baby ask is, “Is the baby a boy or a girls?”a boy or a girls?”

Gender greatly Gender greatly influences how you influences how you dress, move, work, dress, move, work, and playand play

Gender RolesGender Roles

Gender identityGender identity-- physical and physical and biological makeupbiological makeup

Ages 2-3, children Ages 2-3, children label themselves as label themselves as either boys or girlseither boys or girls

Age 5, most children Age 5, most children have learned how to have learned how to act like their genderact like their gender

Gender Role ContGender Role Cont

Gender RoleGender Role- set of behaviors that - set of behaviors that society considers appropriate for society considers appropriate for each sexeach sex

Defined mainly by society and Defined mainly by society and cultureculture

How each person is suppose to actHow each person is suppose to act Gender roles can change from Gender roles can change from

society to society and over timesociety to society and over time

Gender RolesGender Roles

Cont.Cont.

Men viewed as Men viewed as dominant, dominant, competitive, and competitive, and emotionally emotionally reservedreserved

ContCont

Women viewed as Women viewed as submissive, submissive, cooperative, and cooperative, and emotionally emotionally responsiveresponsive

ContCont

Gender Gender StereotypesStereotypes- - oversimplified or oversimplified or prejudiced opinions prejudiced opinions and attitudes and attitudes concerning the way concerning the way men or women men or women should behaveshould behave

Cont.Cont.

AndrogynousAndrogynous-- combining or blending combining or blending traditionally male and traditionally male and female characteristicsfemale characteristics

Psychologist Sandra Psychologist Sandra BemBem

Argues that Argues that androgyny should be androgyny should be our ideal our ideal characteristiccharacteristic

Cont.Cont.

Androgyny is becoming and accepted Androgyny is becoming and accepted idea in our cultureidea in our culture

Adolescence have more choices in Adolescence have more choices in the way they define themselvesthe way they define themselves

Young people can now express Young people can now express themselves according to their themselves according to their talents, temperaments, and valuestalents, temperaments, and values

Gender Differences in PersonalityGender Differences in Personality

Males more confident than females, Males more confident than females, especially in academic areas or in especially in academic areas or in tasks stereotyped as masculine, such tasks stereotyped as masculine, such as math and scienceas math and science

Female self-confidence rises when Female self-confidence rises when they perform tasks in which they they perform tasks in which they receive clear and direct feedbackreceive clear and direct feedback

MalesMales FemalesFemales

Male and Female AggressionMale and Female Aggression

Aggression has the most significantAggression has the most significant Females, more verbal aggressiveFemales, more verbal aggressive Males, more physical aggressiveMales, more physical aggressive Females feel guilty or have more Females feel guilty or have more

anxiety about the dangers involved anxiety about the dangers involved in aggressive behaviorin aggressive behavior

Aggression Cont.Aggression Cont.

Males, use mock Males, use mock fighting and rough fighting and rough playplay

Females, indirect Females, indirect forms such as forms such as talking about, talking about, rejecting, ignoring, rejecting, ignoring, or avoiding or avoiding aggressionaggression

Male and Female CommunicationMale and Female Communication

Women usually considered more Women usually considered more talkativetalkative

Men actually talk more and interrupt Men actually talk more and interrupt women while talkingwomen while talking

Women use Women use hedgeshedges (“kind of” or (“kind of” or “you know”), “you know”), disclaimersdisclaimers (“I may be (“I may be wrong” or “I am not sure”), and wrong” or “I am not sure”), and tag tag questionsquestions (“Okay?”) (“Okay?”)

Gender differences in Gender differences in Cognitive AbilitiesCognitive Abilities

No measurable differences in verbal No measurable differences in verbal skills exist between males and skills exist between males and femalesfemales

No significant differences in mathNo significant differences in math Men do better on spatial abilitiesMen do better on spatial abilities Women are better at tracking objectsWomen are better at tracking objects

MaleMale FemaleFemale

Biological TheoryBiological Theory

Emphasizes the Emphasizes the roles of anatomy, roles of anatomy, hormones, and hormones, and brain organizationsbrain organizations

Boys prefer trucks Boys prefer trucks and girls prefer dollsand girls prefer dolls

Has evolved from Has evolved from the early men and the early men and women and how women and how they actedthey acted

Psychoanalytical TheoryPsychoanalytical Theory

Sigmund Freud, Sigmund Freud, children identify children identify with the same sex with the same sex parentparent

Boys identify with Boys identify with fathers, girls with fathers, girls with mothersmothers

Social Learning TheorySocial Learning Theory

Children learn their gender roles by Children learn their gender roles by observing and imitating models, such observing and imitating models, such as parents, friends, peers, teachersas parents, friends, peers, teachers

Parents can reward or discourage Parents can reward or discourage behavior based on traditional gender behavior based on traditional gender rolesroles

Cognitive-Developmental TheoryCognitive-Developmental Theory

Acquire gender roles by interacting Acquire gender roles by interacting with their environment and thinking with their environment and thinking about those experiencesabout those experiences

Children must first see themselves as Children must first see themselves as that genderthat gender

Form Form gender schemegender scheme- a mental - a mental representation of behavior that helps representation of behavior that helps a child organize and categorize a child organize and categorize behaviorsbehaviors

Changing Gender RolesChanging Gender Roles

Most women now have jobs outside Most women now have jobs outside the homethe home

Work provides income and a sense of Work provides income and a sense of accomplishmentaccomplishment

Women do not advance as quickly in Women do not advance as quickly in the workforce, maybe because of the workforce, maybe because of discrimination or because of discrimination or because of childbearing childbearing