Chapter 9
Gender
Definitions
Sex: Biology, genes, anatomy
Gender: Psychology
–Identity - self-perceived gender
How do we form our gender identity?
–BIOLOGY v. SOCIAL LEARNING
Gender Formation: Social Learning
Learn what it means to be a boy or girl
–Social and cultural influences key
–Gender roles
Parents & teachers
–Respond to children ala gender roles
»Toys, play behaviors, classroom, crying
»Model & reinforce gender appropriate behaviors
–18 months child has GI & it perpetuates
»Impacts life trajectory (education, career, sexuality)
Gender Formation: Social Learning
Media adds to/elaborates early GI (sexuality)
–Magazines, TV, movies
–MTV & music videos (key for youth)
»What do music videos tell us about sexuality?
Dreamworld video
–Who inhabits the dreamworld and their role?
–What are men and women like in dreamworld?
Gender Roles: Dreamworld
Story being told about women’s sexuality?
–How does this story relate to female sex drive?
What is the Dreamworld like for males?
–How does this relate to the male sex drive?
Who tells this story?
–What are the implications of this?
Implications?
–Men should… Women want...
Gender Formation: Sex Surgery
Tabula Rosa view of gender at birth
–All due to social influences (discount BIO)
»Any child could develop a male or female GI
Born w/ ambiguous genitals
–SL approach says gender assignment
»Surgery and raise as chosen gender
»Video
Group Activity IV: Sex Surgery
Groups of 4-5 (mixed genders)
–Summarize responses to questions
–Share with class
–TURN IN AFTER CLASS!
Group Activity IV: Sex Surgery
You’re child is born w/ ambiguous genitalia. The doctor recommends assigning a gender & surgically modifying the genitals. Would you do as the doctor advises? Explain.
–If yes what gender would you choose & why?
–Do you think this sort of procedure is ethical?
»Should we let children be intersexual? Are there > 2 genders?
Session II
Gender Formation: Biology
Sex (& ~ gender) differentiated prenatally
Chromosomes (XX, XY) ->
–Gonadal development (testes, ovaries) ->
»Hormone production (testosterone, estrogens) ->
Reproductive organs (penis, vagina)
Brain development (some sex differences)
Gender Formation: Biology
Prenatal hormone exposure key for GI
–Influences brain development -> later GI
–XX - estrogen, XY - testosterone
Atypical prenatal differentiation yield mix
–AIS - XY but not sensitive to testosterone
»Female organs & GI
–FAF - XX but excess of testosterone
»Ambiguous organs, female GI but dissatisfaction & male orientation
Gender Formation: Biology
Biological differences reflected in behavior
–Males more (physically) aggressive
–Women better at verbal, emotional tasks
»Denser corpus callosum
–Men better at spatial, analytical tasks
–Women more nurturing
Fausto-Sterling (1993)
Gender & sex may be continuum not qualitative dimension
–Female OR male
–Many gradations from male to female
»Allows for various combinations
Intersexuals physiologically & psychologically
–5 sexes?
Fausto-Sterling (1993)
Males, female
Hermaphrodites
–One testis & one ovary
Male pseudohermaphrodites
–testes & female external genitalia (no ovary)
Female pseudohermaphrodites
–Ovaries & external male genitalia (no testes)
Fausto-Sterling (1993)
Estimated that 4% of all births intersexed
–~500 KSU students intersexed
Legal & medical response to intersexuality
–Laws require male or female determination
–Medial community responses w/ treatment
»Surgery, hormones in infants
Prejudice about intersexuals
Prejudice
Negative attitudes about social group
–Behavior
–Feelings
–Cognitions or beliefs (stereotypes)
»Conveys homogeneity of group members
»Associated with social categorization
Social Categorization
Divide social world into Us & Them
–Us - viewed favorably/heterogeneous
–Them - viewed negatively/homogenous
OutGroup Homogeneity Effect
–Ingroup members seen as heterogeneous & Outgroup members seen as homogenous
–Maintains prejudice
Fausto-Sterling (1993)
Social reality about sex differences challenged by intersexuals
–Evokes attempts to marginalize, control
»Labeled deviants, abnormal (out-group)
»Maintain consensual social reality
See this in science (Gallileo, Einstein)
Transsexualism
GI opposite of biological sex
–Feels like a woman trapped in a man’s body
–Feels like a man trapped in a woman’s body
Transsexualism
Sexual orientation independent GI
–Many hetero (within GI)
–F->M desire females (~all)
–M->F desire males (~most)
Transsexualism
Etiology (unclear)
–Not genetic disorder
–Brain differences (prenatal hormones)
»Zhou et a., 1995 - M->F had female sized hypoth
–Not adult hormones levels
–Social learning
Transsexualism
Some satisfied with assuming the G Roles
–Many want changed body and G Roles
Sex reassignment surgery (SRS)
–1. Psychological therapy
–2. Lifestyle change
–3. Hormone therapy
–4. Surgery
»M->F easiest (arousal, O possible)
Male to Female Transsexual
Female to Male Transsexual
Sex reassignment
–F->M hard (O increases)
SRS Outcomes (Cohen-Kettenis & Gooren, 1999)
Outcomes measures
–Objective (employment, housing, relationships)
–Subjective (gender dysphoria, life satisfaction)
Dozens of studies reveal positive outcomes
–Majority satisfied with results of SRS
»MF: 71%-87%
»FM: 90%-97%
–Unsatisfied due to improper diagnosis, poor real-life test, poor surgery
Reaction Paper IV : Transsexualism
How would you react if one of your classmates told you he or she had had sex reassignment surgery? If your date told you? What questions would you want to ask him or her?
Conclusion
Gender and sex different and at times inconsistent
–Intersexuals, transsexuals
Gender identity influenced by social & biological forces
–Gender more in the brain than between the legs