Gender

Gender and Adolescence

Learning Objectives

  • Explain the biological, cognitive, and social influences on gender

  • Analyze the role of family, peers, schools, and media in shaping gender attitudes

  • Explain how gender-role stereotypes develop and change during adolescence

Understanding Gender

Definition of Gender

  • Gender: Refers to identity, behavior, and socialization related to femininity and masculinity, based on social and cultural norms.

Key Concepts

  • Gender Identity:

    • A sense of one’s own gender, which includes an understanding or acceptance of being a boy/man, girl/woman, or another gender.

  • Gender Roles:

    • Expectations on how girls/women and boys/men should think, act, and feel.

Biological Perspectives

Influence of Physical Characteristics

  • Physical characteristics of males and females significantly influence behavior.

  • Freud and Erikson propose that:

    • Different reproductive roles led to different adaptive strategies for males and females:

    • Men: Compete with other men to acquire more resources, which results in:

      • Aggression

      • Competition

      • Risk-taking

    • Women: Focus on securing resources for offspring and devote more effort to caregiving.

  • Evolutionary Theorists also propose similar ideas.

Social Perspectives

Social Role Theory (Alice Eagly)

  • Gender differences arise as a result of different roles and division of labor within the culture.

  • These roles create differences in:

    • Power

    • Assertiveness

    • Nurturing behaviors

Social Cognitive Theory of Gender (Albert Bandura)

  • Gender development occurs through:

    • Observation and imitation of behavior.

    • Rewards and punishments for gender-appropriate and gender-inappropriate behaviors.

Cognitive Perspectives

Gender Schema Theory

  • Proposes that gender differences emerge as individuals create:

    • Internal schemas of gender-appropriate and gender-inappropriate behaviors, which are shaped by their culture.

Applications of Theory

Social Contexts Influencing Gender

  • Parents/Family

  • Peers/Cliques

  • School/Teachers

  • Media

Gender-Role Stereotypes

Definition

  • Overgeneralized beliefs about males and females.

Characteristics

  • Agentic Traits (typical for males):

    • Aggressive

    • Controlling

    • Confident

    • Analytical

    • Logical

    • Independent

    • Ambitious

  • Communal Traits (typical for females):

    • Affectionate

    • Sensitive

    • Helpful

    • Obedient

    • Respectful

    • Kind

    • Sympathetic

    • Nurturant

    • Dominant

    • Gentle

    • Assertive

Gender Intensification Hypothesis

  • Proposes an increase in gender-stereotyped behaviors and psychological characteristics during early adolescence.

  • This increase is attributed to:

    • Heightened socialization pressure to conform to traditional gender roles.

  • Effects observed for both boys and girls:

    • Extreme gender-typed behaviors linked with low school engagement and problem behaviors.

Why Adolescence?

  • Consider the biological, cognitive, and social changes experienced during adolescence.

Developmental Change in Gender Attitudes

  • Younger children typically exhibit rigid thinking about gender roles.

  • Adolescents show increased cognitive flexibility (formal operational thinking) but maintain continued behavioral conformity.

Question to Ponder

  • Why might attitudes become more flexible while behaviors remain stereotyped?