1 / 65

Human Sexuality

Human Sexuality. Chapter 5: Gender and Gender Roles. Gender: Topic Areas. Impact of gender on human development Gender and sexual development Biological and cultural perspectives Sexual orientation Gender stereotypes and health Gender socialization Gender variance and gender identity

daniel_millan
Download Presentation

Human Sexuality

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Human Sexuality Chapter 5: Gender and Gender Roles

  2. Gender: Topic Areas • Impact of gender on human development • Gender and sexual development • Biological and cultural perspectives • Sexual orientation • Gender stereotypes and health • Gender socialization • Gender variance and gender identity • Biological differences: brain, hormones, anatomy

  3. Sex • Sex: biologically male or female, based on chromosomes and anatomy • Genetics: XX or XY • Anatomical: genitals/bodily differences

  4. Gender • Gender: a social construct; related to notions of masculinity and femininity • Gender Identity: the gender one believes oneself to be

  5. Gender • Gender roles: attitudes, behaviors, rights and responsibilities assigned to us based on our sex • Varies by culture

  6. Gender • Gender-role stereotypes: rigidly held, oversimplified beliefs about sex appropriate behavior.

  7. Gender • Gender-role attitudes: our personal perspectives/beliefs about sex appropriate behavior • Gender-role behaviors: activities/behaviors we engage in as influenced by our sex/gender

  8. Gender • Gender presentation: how our sex/gender is perceived by others • Based on our physical appearance, movements, habits, personality, etc. • Baby X study

  9. Gender:Congruence and Incongruence • Biological, cultural, psychological, and social contexts of gender • These contexts can be congruent or incongruent • Examples?

  10. Gender Variations • Some do not conform to socially/culturally constructed gender norms • How are such violations represented in dominant discourses? • Psychological impact of gender variations?

  11. Social Construction ofGender Identity • U.S.: gender identity- internalized by age 2 • East African societies: boys is a “woman-child” until an initiation rite which makes him a man • Mundugumor of New Guinea: women are expected to be violent/aggressive

  12. Instrumentality and Expressiveness • Instrumentality: being task-oriented; stereotypically applied to males • Expressiveness: being emotionally oriented/focused; stereotypically applied to females • “Gender Quotient Test”

  13. Gender Stereotypes and Sexual Orientation • Ex. Gay men are not masculine; Lesbian women are not feminine • Gay people may have more flexible interpretations of gender roles and expectations (Lippa, 2000)

  14. Cognitive Social Learning Theory • Albert Bandura • We “learn” gender as a result of: • Reinforcements and consequences • Imitation/modeling and observation • The social world provides many models and messages about gender • Body image: “Women’s Ideal Bodies”

  15. Cognitive-Developmental Theory • Developmental level impacts cognitive processing of gender • Understanding gender in developmental perspective

  16. Gender Schemas • Mental frameworks for understanding gender • Accounts for gender stereotypes

  17. Social Constructionism • Cultures invent or “construct” notions of gender • Mediated by language and social systems

  18. Social Constructionism • Feminist Studies • Post-Modern Approaches • Queer Theory

  19. Social Constructionism and Identity • (Cohen & Savin-Williams, 1996) • Many sexual minority youth are not identifying as gay • Rejection of the social construction of sexual orientation

  20. Contextual Influences on Gender • Parents “socialize” gender • Messages about gender appropriate behavior • Directing children to gender appropriate toys

  21. Parents “Socialize” Gender • Differential language for the same behavior: “active” boy vs. a girl who is a “tomboy” • Directing children toward gender appropriate activities (I.e. helping mom in the kitchen)

  22. Gender Socialization • Peers: peer pressure, reinforce gender norms • Teachers: differential treatment based on gender? Classroom reinforcement • Media: gender roles and stereotypes

  23. Sexual “Scripts” • Script: acts/rules/expectations associated with a particular role (male and female “scripts”) • Men/women are impacted by certain “scripts” internalized from social interactions

  24. Male Sexual Scripts(Zilbergeld, 1992) • Men should not have/express certain feelings • Sex is for physicality • Men are in charge

  25. Male Sexual Scripts • Men always want and are ready for sex • Men should be sexually skilled and successful in sexual interactions

  26. Female Sexual Scripts(Barbach, 2001) • Sex is good and bad (good in the context of a marriage, stigmatized elsewhere) • Masturbation is stigmatized • Sex is for men; women are sexually passive (nurturers)

  27. Female Sexual Scripts • Women should not articulate their needs/desires • Women shouldn’t discuss sex • Women should look like models

  28. Androgyny • Both instrumental and expressive traits • Flexibility in gender roles

  29. Intersexed People • Ambiguous genitalia • 1 in every 2,000 births • Due to genetic or hormonal factors

  30. Intersexed People • Sex chromosomes, external genitalia, or internal reproductive system • Underdeveloped penis or enlarged clitoris

  31. Intersexed People:Chromosomal Abnormalities • Turner Syndrome: • XO • 1 in 2,000 births • Female external genitalia, no ovaries

  32. Turner Syndrome • Secondary sexual development cannot occur; no menstruation • Short • Treated with hormonal therapy • Infertility

  33. Klinefelter Syndrome • XXY;XXXY;XXXXY • 1 in 1,000 births • Male genitalia (small penis) • Female characteristics: breasts

  34. Klinefelter Syndrome • Sparse body hair • Learning disabilities • Low sex drive, sexual dysfunction

  35. Intersexed People:Hormonal Disorders • Androgen-Insensitivity Syndrome: • (testicular feminization) • Inherited condition; passed on through X chromosomes

  36. Androgen-Insensitivity Syndrome • 1 in 13,000 individuals • Genetically male • Born with undescended testes (inside the abdomen) • estrogen is prevalent in the body

  37. Androgen-Insensitivity Syndrome • Vagina and labia, but no female internal reproductive structures • Secondary female characteristics develop during puberty, without pubic hair

  38. Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia • Genetic female • Ovaries • Malfunctioning adrenal gland • Develops externally as a male

  39. Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia • 1 in 13,000 births • Penis and empty scrotum • External genitalia are ambiguous • Often assigned “female”

  40. DHT Deficiency • Unable to convert testosterone to DHT • Internal male organs • Ambiguous external genitalia (looking more female)

  41. DHT Deficiency • Begin to look male during puberty (genitalia and physical development)

  42. Gender Identity Disorder • Cross-gender identification • Discomfort with one’s assigned gender • Psychological distress

  43. Transsexuality • Gender identity and sexual anatomy are not compatible • Different from homosexuality

  44. Transgendered People • Arguably the most stigmatized sexual minority

  45. Transgendered People • An umbrella term; inclusive • Flexibility in terms of gender and social identity • Move toward transgender rights; legal to fire transgender people in many states

  46. Positioning Theory • Rom Harre • We “position” ourselves and others in discourse • Power relationships

  47. Positioning Theory • Ex. Positioning oneself as an expert, others as uninformed • Ex. Positioning oneself as masculine, another male as powerless/emasculated

  48. Masculinity • How does culture/society construct masculinity? • Dominant discourses on masculinity • Contested discourses on masculinity

  49. Masculinity • How are constructions of masculinity sustained and reproduced?

  50. Hyper-masculinity • Exaggerated, stereotypical male behavior • Aggression • Strength • Dominance

More Related