Download Gender - Ladue School District

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Gender
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Gender is a social construction.
 Nature
makes you male or female, but society
gives gender its significance.
 Sex
= biological identity
 Gender
 But
= socially learned expectations
consider…are there really only two
genders?
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Sex identity occurs when the
father’s sperm provides either an X
or a Y chromosome.
If X, then the child is female.
If Y, then the child is male.
But this process of fetal sexual
differentiation can be
compromised.
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Hermaphrodite (Greek) Louvre, Paris
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Physical Sex Differences
Male:
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Slightly larger at birth
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Slightly lower heart rate as adults, higher blood pressure, higher
muscle mass (more muscle fibers), muscle density
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Larger thyroid cartilage (Adam’s apple) and therefore deeper
voice
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More body hair
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Smaller hip section
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Endocrine levels
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Differences between the sexes
often lead to biological
determinism:
explanations for beliefs about
gender are based on physical
characteristics, e.g. boys are more
aggressive due to increased
testosterone, girls more emotional
during hormone fluctuations
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Social Construction of Gender
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Gender socialization:
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Men and women (and children) learn about the expectations
associated with their gender.
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Is reinforced every time gender-associated behaviors are met
with approval or disapproval from multiple areas
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Is noticed as early as 18 months
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Varies from culture to culture, socioeconomic class, education
attained, etc.
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Influences include:
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Parents, peers
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Childhood games and toys
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Schools
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Books
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Advertisements
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Religion
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- Parents
- Religion
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Labels used for children: “sissy”, “Mama’s boy”, “tomboy”
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Chore assignments around the house (boys: cut lawn, girls:
wash dishes, babysit)
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Roles within religious spheres (service leaders, prescribed
social roles with regards to beliefs)
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- Schools
 This
is a particularly thorny issue in the 21st
century:
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Title IX legacy – equality of the sexes
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Achievement gap based on sex
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- Media:
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Women on TV are 5 times more likely to be blonde than
brunette
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The majority of women characters in TV shows are between
18 and 34, although only 28% of the population fits this
demographic
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Women on TV are 4 times more likely than men to be shown
provocatively dressed
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Fashion models are 23% thinner than the average women
(thirty-five years ago, the average fashion model was 8%
thinner than the average woman).
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Statistics from Kilbourne J: Deadly persuasion: Why Women Must Fight the Addictive Power of
Advertising. New York: Free Press, 1999
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Anderson, Taylor: Sociology: Understanding a Diverse Society. 3rd Edition. Thomson Wadsworth, 2004
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Advertisements can be especially
powerful
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“The Leading Brand Moms Trust
And Kids Love”
“Choosy Moms Choose Jif”
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http://www.urdown.com/funny/baby-instructions-for-new-dads.html
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The pressure to conform to
stereotypes can be
overwhelming…