Download Gender Roles - Coweta County Schools

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.
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
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.
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.
Gender Roles in United States
and Other Western Cultures
• Women
• Men
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Gentle
Dependent
Emotional
Weak
Aggressive
Independent
Dominant
Strong
Even newborns, who show no gender
differences at all
are described with these terms.
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.
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.
Boys more rigidly sex-typed than Girls
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.
Gender Constancy
• Understanding
that gender is
permanent
characteristic
• Can’t be altered
by changing
clothing or
cutting hair.
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.
Do Gender Roles Have
Biological or Social Roots?
Nature
Nurture
Heated topic among
psychologists &
sociologists. Seem to
agree that both
biology & society play
part in gender identity,
but how much is still
debatable.
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
• 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.