psych of gender exam 1

Sex

often used to denote biological aspects of being male or female

• disentangling biology from social causes is difficult

Gender

often used to denote social differences between males and females

• broad set of attributes and tendencies commonly associated with maleness, femaleness, androgenous and agendered.

Gender Identity

how do I identify myself and experience my gender?

• boy, girl, man, woman, trans man, trans woman, agender, genderqueer, non-binary

Sex- gender correspondence

does my gender identity match my assigned sex?

• cisgender, transgender

Gender Expression

How do I express myself outwardly through my dress, social interactions, etc

Gender Roles

what socially expected gender - related behavior patterns do I enact?

• provider/caretaker, leader/follower, protector/protected

Gender Traits

What are my personality characteristics?

• masculine, feminine, androgenous

Gender Role attributes

what do I believe are the proper roles for women and men in society?

• traditional egalitarian

Gender stereotypes

What attributes do I believe men share? women share?

Sexual Orientation

To whom am I attracted to?

• straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, polysexual, asexual

Intersexuality

Biological components of sex including chromosomes, hormones, genitals and internal/external sex organs do not consistently fit the typical male/female pattern

Androgeny

High levels of masculine and feminine traits

Non-binary

people who fall outside of the sex and gender categories

• may fluctuate between male/female (genderfluid) or express both simultaneously

Cisgender

match between sex assigned at birth and feelings

Transgender

mismatch between sex assigned at birth and feelings

Gender queer

gender may fall outside , fall in between, or fluctuate among the binary gender categories

Multifactorial theory of gender identity

wide variety of attributes shapes gender

• roles, traits, interests

These attributes are not correlated

• knowing how a person identifies does not help predict the particular attributes of a particular individual

Sex and gender binaries

more recent views of gender identity development suggest it is a dynamic process

• set of overlapping identities

• expression may vary based on situation

• shaped by norms and other people

Intersectionality

ways in which different forms of discrimination and oppression interact to shape peoples experiences

• analytical framework for understanding how aspects of a person’s social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege

Privilege

Automatic, unearned advantage that comes from being a member of some social group

Patriarchal Societies

men occupy leadership positions in the society and control how it operates

• congress is 25 % female and senate is 25% female too

Matriarchal societies

women occupy leadership positions in the society and control how it operates

• no such society exists

Equality

treating people the same regardless of background or differences

Equity

treating everyone fairly by taking background and differences into account

First Wave Feminism (mid 1800’s- Early 1900s)

• women deserve legal rights, especially voting rights

• began in Seneca falls 1848

Second Wave Feminism (1960’s-1980’s)

women deserve equal legal rights and access to educations, workplaces, and politics

Third Wave feminism (1990’s- present)

emphasizes intersectionality, more global perspective

Gloria Steinem (1934-2026

Funded National Womens Political Caucus to advance the equal rights amendment and elect women into political offices

Liberal Feminism

men and women should be treated equally because they are equal in characteristics and ability

• seeks legislation that removes barriers for women

Radical Feminism

patriarch must be dismantled

• rid society of gender roles and oppression of women

Socialist Feminism

tendered division of labor and value put on men’s work disadvantages women

Womanism

recognizes that race, gender and class intersect

Cultural/ Difference Feminism

there are fundamental differences between men and women

• qualities of women should be values and respected as much as qualities of men

Transnational feminism

alleviate discrimination around the world

• focus on poverty, health, gender, violence, and educational access

Men’s Movements

National organization for men against sexism (NOMAS)

• pro-feminist org

• enhance the lives of men by combating sexism, racism and heterosexism

The promise keepers

evangelical Christian movement, focuses on mens spiritual health

Independent Variable

possible cause, manupulated by the researcher

• masculine task vs neutral task

Dependant Variable

possible effects, outcome of experiment

• agression

Qualitative

focus groups, interviews, case studies, ethnography

Case study

intensive study of one person or a small group of people

Ethnography

become emersed in a particular situation

Meta Analysis

quantitative technique that analyses a large collection of results from many individual studies in order to integrate research findings

Effect Size

quantifies the magnitude and direction at a difference between group or strength of relationship between variables

Within Group

how spread out the values are within a group

Between group

difference between the average values of each group

Statistical significance

there is less that 5% chance that you find your results by chance alone

Practical significance

significant in real world

Gender Bias in Theories

Biased models and research questions

Gender Bias is Androcentric research

men as default, women as deviations for norm

Gender Bias in female deficit research

view that sex differences arise because of something women lack

• perceived deficiencies, dysfunctions, problems, needs and limitations

Gender Bias in Design Research

Biased Measures (SAT Exam), Biased Samples

Gender Bias in data collection

experimenter effects

• number of sex partners differed depending on gender of experimenter

observer effect

• researchers bring bias to their observations

Gender Bias in published findings

only significant results published

• mainstream journals do not publish non significant results

Biased readings, biased against female scientists

Genes

Basic Unit of Heredity

• carry instructions for offspring characteristics

Gene by environmental interaction

when genetic effect on trait or behavior emerges only under certain environmental circumstances

• when the environmental effects on traits or behavior depends on a persons genetic makeup

Epigenetics

biological mechanisms that guide whether or not certain genes get expressed

Chromosomes

organized units of genes, 23 pairs

• one from mother and father

Prenatal Sexual Development

sex chromosomes determine development of an embryo

• 2x’s = female, 1× 1y = male

• until about 6 weeks gestation, everyone has undifferental genital structures

Wolffian ducts

precursors of male reproductive tract

Mullerian ducts

precursors of female reproductive tract

variables of sex and gender

Chromosomal Gender, Gonadal Gender, Prenatal Hormonal gender and brain differentiation, internal and external organs, pubertal hormonal gender, assigned gender and gender Identity

Difference of sex development (DSD)

variation present at birth in which sex development is atypical in terms of chromosomes, gonads, or anatomy

inconsistency across biological components of sex

1-2% of births

Turner syndrome

Chromosomes: XO

• typical gender identity: female

• undeveloped ovaries, poor breast development, external genetalia typically female adjacent, higher risk of diabetes and heart defects

Klinefelter syndrome

Chromosomes: XXY

• typically male gender identity

• appear male at birth. small testes, enlarged breasts (30%), infertility, learning disabilities

Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH)

Chromosomes: XY or XX

genetic females may identify as either male or female

• abnormal adrenal gland production, female internal reproductive organs but external male genitalia appearing

Complete Androgen insensitivity

Chromosomes: XY

Androgen receptors don’t work

• infertile, don’t menstruate, internal male testes (gonads), clear skin, breasts at puberty

Optimal Sex

The binary sex perceived to be most advantageous to assign a newborn who has gender atypical genitalia at birth

John Money (1950)

Believed gender identity was due to socalization

• intersex infants should be socialized as either boys or girls in first 18 months of life

• advocated for surgery to make intersex genitals appear like assigned sex

Intersex society of America

intersexuality is primarily a problem of stigma and trauma not gender

• parent’s distress should not be treated by surgery

• professional mental health care is essential

• honest complete disclosure is good medicine

• all children should be assigned as boy or girl without early surgery

Minimalism (similarity model)

a cognitive survival mechanism that reduces mental load, protects against overstimulation, and restores personal agency

pros- improves mental well-being and cognitive performance

cons - heightened self-criticism, emotional deprivation, and anxiety

maximalist (difference model)

treats an abundance of objects, patterns, and saturated colors as an intentional framework for self-expression, emotional grounding, and dopamine activation

pros - unique emotional, creative, and purposeful benefits

cons - emphasizes and exaggerates qualitative differences between men and women

ex post facto research

a non-experimental design where a researcher studies an effect or condition after it has already occurred, without manipulating the independent variable

WEIRD research

behavioral and psychological studies that rely almost exclusively on participants from Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic societies

people from WEIRD are typically outliers who get put as the standard ‘human behavior’

gender fair research

designing and conducting studies that avoid gender bias, treat all genders symmetrically, and account for how sex and gender influence the study's topic, methods, and results

biosocial constructionist theory of sex differences

psychological and behavioral differences between men and women stem primarily from the division of labor assigned by society, rather than being hardwired by evolution