week 7 - gender and sexual orientation

gender

the behavioural, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with ones sex. Distinct from anatomic sex.

Artistotle beliefs about sexual differentiation

anatomical difference between males and females was due to heat of semen at the time of sexual relations (hot = male, cold = female)

what pair of chromosomes is the sex chromosome?

the 23rd

male vs female chromosomal structure

XY vs XX

how many weeks when ovaries begin to develop

11 to 12 weeks

Primitive duct structures

Mullerian (female) and Wolffian (male)

what androgen spurs differentiation between male Wolffian duct system

testosterone

what does the Wolffian duct develop into

epididymis, vas deferens, and seminal vesicle

what androgen shapes the external genitals (8 weeks)

dihydrotestoserone (DHT)

what hormone secreted in the fetal stage prevents the Mullerian ducts from developing into the female duct system

Mullerian-inhibiting system (MIS)

what do the mullerian ducts evolve into?

Fallopian tubes, the uterus, and upper two thirds of the vagina

what female sex hormones are involved in sexual differentiation?

Although female sex hormones are crucial in puberty, they’re not involved in fetal sexual differentiation.

prenatal sexual differentiation in the brain

testosterone causes cells in the hypothalamus of a male fetus to become insensitive to the female sex hormone estrogen 

why is sensitivity to estrogen important in the regulation of the menstrual cycle after puberty

The hypothalamus detects low levels of estrogen in the blood at the end of each cycle, and initiates a new cycle by stimulating the pituitary gland to secrete follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)

testes and ovaries by about 10 weeks after conception

they have descended so they are even with the upper edge of the pelvis 

Inguinal canal and role in testes

A fetal canal that connects the scrotum and the testes, allowing the latter to descend, happens about four months after conception

Men with undescended testes are usually treated through surgery or hormonal therapy for what reason

higher risk for cancer of the testes, and impaired sperm production because teste is subjected to higher than optimal body temp which causes sterility 

hermaphrodite

an individual who possesses both ovarian and testicular tissue

congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH

a genetic (XX) female has female internal sexual structures (ovaries) and masculinized external genitals (clitoris is enlarged and resemble a small penis)

androgen-insensitivity syndrome (AIS)

Affects genetic (XY) males who, as a result of a mutated gene, have experienced ­lower-than-normal prenatal sensitivity to androgens. Genitals do not become normally masculinized

Klinefelter’s syndrome

A disorder in which a male has an extra X sex chromosome (an XXY pattern, rather than an XY pattern), typically have small testes that do not produce as much testosterone as usual, which can delay or inhibit puberty and impede the development of secondary sex characteristics and lead to infertility

Turner’s syndrome

one rather than two X sex chromosomes. The most common feature is short stature; early loss of ovarian function is also common. Females with the syndrome may not naturally undergo puberty, so they usually begin hormone treatment

Dominican Republic syndrome

An intersex condition in which a genetic enzyme disorder prevents testosterone from masculinizing the external genitalia.  At puberty, however, their testes swung into normal testosterone production.

gender identity

psychological awareness or sense of being a boy or man, girl or woman, or other gender

how many months does it take for children to be aware of their assigned sex? Acquired sense of gender identity?

18 months, 36 months

gender binary

A social system that classifies sex and gender into two distinct, ­opposite forms of masculine and feminine.

is gender nonconformity a mental disorder in the DSM

is not in itself a mental disorder and that the diagnosis of gender dysphoria is dependent on the individuals expressing clinically significant distress about their gender status, and this distress must lead to impairment in social, occupational, or other domains of functioning.

how many trans people are in the United States (estimate)

1.4 million

autogyneophilic

transgender men who are sexually stimulated by fantasies that their own bodies are female (trans activists have contested the idea that trans people are motivated by erotic interests)

phalloplasty

construction of artificial penis for (F to M), however the penis doesn’t usually work well and procedures are costly

gender identity disorder 

a clinically diagnosed disorder often given to children who’s expression of gender did not conform to societies typical expectations - this resulted in therapy to make these children conform

what in the childhood of those with gender dysphoria predicts persistence in adulthood?

the intensity of dysphoria, typically non conforming children resolve as the child gets older 

benevolent sexism

tendency to help women as they are the ‘weaker sex’

modern sexism

the proclamation that we live in a post sexist society, men and women are judged only on their merit 

how much has women’s participation in the labour market increased since 1950 and 2015? What about women in natural and applied science?

60%, but only ¼ of people in natural and applied science are women

the 5 C’s

positions more typically held by women, “caring, clerical, catering, cashiering, cleaning”

gender typing

the process by which a child acquires behaviours deemed appropriate for his or her gender 

biological perspectives of gender typing

roles of genetics and prenatal influences, possible roles of hormones in sculpting the brain during prenatal development

The evolutionary perspective of gender typing 

genes we get from ancestors increase our chances of survival to produce viable offspring. Men have traits that helped them hunt, women have traits that make them good mothers

prenatal brain organization of gender typing

The organization of the brain is largely genetically determined, and prenatal exposure to sex hormones is a way in which the genetic code expresses itself. Men have better spatial relations and aggression die to testosterone in right hemisphere 

psychological perspectives of gender typing

Children become aware of gender-role stereotypes by the tender age of two to three, children develop these knowledges and adopt stereotypical behaviour patterns 

psychoanalytic theory of gender typing 

requires that boys come to identify with their fathers and girls with their mothers. Through identification with the same-gender parent, the child comes to develop behaviours that are typically associated with that gender.

social cognitive theory of gender typing

the development of gender-typed behaviour in terms of processes such as observational learning, identification, and socialization

cognitive developmental theory of gender typing (kohlberg)

children form concepts of schemas about gender and then exhibit behaviour that conform to their gender 

what are the three concepts that emerge for gender typing according to Kohlberg

gender identity (age 3), gender stability (4 or 5), and gender consistency (7-8)

Gender schema theory of gender typing

children develop gender schemas as a means of organizing their perceptions of the world, a gender schema is a cluster of mental representations about male and female physical qualities, behaviours, and personality traits

traditional sexual script

A sexual script based on stereotypical standards for sexual behaviour that dictates that males take an assertive and active role in heterosexual interaction while women take a receptive and passive role.

the sexual double standard

girls were judged by stricter rules than boys for sexual behaviour, and that girls were more likely to be negatively labelled by their peers for the same behaviours boys would be admired for.

psychological androgyny

A state characterized by possession of both stereotypical masculine traits and stereotypical feminine traits.

sexual orientation

a person’s erotic attraction to and interest in developing romantic relationships with people of the same gender, another gender, or both.

sexual identity

One’s sense of who one is in terms of one’s sexual anatomy; cultural stereotypes of masculinity and femininity; one’s place in a given cultural setting as a man, woman, or somewhere in between; and the gender of those to whom one is sexually attracted.

The Kinsey Continuum 

Evidence for a continuum of sexual orientation among the people they surveyed with bisexuality representing a midpoint 

what is the estimate for sexual orientation of LGB

around 7% (but about 14% of people have had oral sex with a person of the same gender)

% of LGBTQ students who feel unsafe at school, % who had been harassed or assaulted

64%, 21%

according to Foster, a key factor for children in lesbian families to develop normally is the fact that

families tend to be egalitarian, nurturing, and empathic 

Savin-Williams and Diamond described coming out as involving four steps

experiencing attractions to people of the same gender, self-labelling as gay or lesbian, having sexual contact with people of the same gender, and disclosing one’s sexual orientation to others.