biological theories on gender

Biological Theories

• Evolutionary explanations on gender

• Biosocial Approach

There is NO distinction between sex & gender; thus, biological sex creates gendered behavior.

Hormones and chromosomes

Two biological factors that determine gender

Hormones

Chemical substances secreted by glands, circulated through the bloodstream

Testosterone

Sex hormone affecting development and behavior before and after birth; more present in males than females

7 weeks

How many weeks for the testosterone to cause the hypothalamus to become masculinized in the womb?

L hemisphere

Language based in brain development

R hemisphere

Non-verbal, special skills in brain development

Both, left

Women use ___ hemispheres, while men use only the ___

Chromosomes

Biochemical units of heredity that govern the development of every human being

SRY Gene (Sex-determining Region Y Gene)

• on the Y chromosome leads the embryo’s gonads (sex organs) to develop into TESTES (6 weeks)

• embryo no Y chromosome = no _____. The gonads turn into ovaries

Atypical Chromosomes

Individuals develop differently from individuals with typical or conventional chromosomes – socially, physically, and cognitive

Turner’s Syndrome

XO

Condition in which females have only one X chromosome on chromosome 23 (1 in 5000)

Klinefelter’s Syndrome

XXY

condition in which men have a Y chromosome as well as an extra X on the 23rd chromosome (1 in 750)

Intersex

sexual anatomy that don’t fall neatly into the categories of "male" or "female"

Evolutionary Approach

Suggests that aspects of human behavior have been coded by our genes because they were or are adaptive

Biosocial Approach

An interactionist approach whereby nature and nurture both play a role in gender development