Lecture Overview
• Sex and Gender
• Transvestism &
transexuality
• Sexual Orientation:
How is it formed?
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010
Sex & Gender:
Important/Confusing Terms
• Sex: biological maleness or
femaleness including
chromosomal sex
• Gender: psychological &
sociocultural meanings
added to biological sex
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010
Let’s start with Sex:
• Genetics. X from mother, Y from father
• Mullerian ducts = female ; Wollfian ducts=
male
• SRY gene (sex determining region) on Y
chromosome
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010
Dimensions of Sex & Gender
Sex Dimensions
Male
1.
2.
3.
4.
XY
Testes
Androgens
Penis, scrotum
Chromosomes
Gonads
Hormones
External genitals
5.Internal accessory organs
Female
XX
Ovaries
Estrogens,Progesterone
Labia, clitoris,
vaginal opening
Prostate, seminal
Vagina, uterus,
vesicles,
fallopian tubes,
vas deferens
cervix
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010
Early circulating hormones affect the
hypothalamus
– Prenatal hormones--affect fetal
development
– Do they affect sexual orientation?
brain
– Do early circulating hormones affect gender identity?
– (Testosterone aromatizes to Estrogen)
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010
Gender Dimensions
Gender identity (self-defined) : Am I a boy
or a girl?
Gender role ( socially-defined): How shall I
behave?
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010
Gender Identity Formation
• Gender Identity:
self-identification
as being either a
man or a woman
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010
Gender Role Development
• Gender Role:
societal
expectations for
“appropriate”
male & female
behavior
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010
Gender development?
• Gender labels: Recognize difference between
boys and girls ( around 30 months of age)
• Gender stability: I am a girl and will remain a
girl (around 5)
• Gender constancy: Gender is consistent across
all situations
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010
Two Theories of Gender Role Development
• Social-learning theory of gender
role development: suggests gender
roles develop as children:
– receive rewards &/or
punishments for gender role
behaviors & attitudes
– observe & imitate the
behaviors & attitudes of others
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010
Two Theories of Gender Role Development
• Gender Schema Theory: combines social
learning & cognitive processing; children
form gender schemas (mental blueprints)
of “correct” behaviors for boys vs. girls
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010
Theories of Gender Role Development
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010
Transsexual: mismatch between gender
identity& gonads, genitals, or internal accessory
organs
Transvestite: individuals who cross-dress for
emotional &/or sexual gratification; from
Latintrans, meaning “to change,” & vestire,
meaning “clothing”
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010
Sex & Gender:
• Sexual Orientation: primary
erotic attraction toward
members of same sex
(homosexual, gay, or lesbian),
both sexes (bisexual), or other
sex (heterosexual)
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010
Biology, gender, sexual orientation
• Congenital Adrenal
Hyperplasia in girls
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010
Biology, gender, sexual orientation
(cont.)
• Guevedoce in
Dominican Republic
• AIS (androgen
insensitive
syndrome)
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Amazing case of David Reimer
• David
Money and Ehrhardt,
Johns Hopkins
Hospital
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Male
External Sex Organs
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Sex Differences
• Physical anatomy: height, weight, body build,
reproductive organs
• Functional & structural brain differences:
– hypothalamus
– corpus callosum
– cerebral hemispheres
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010
Gender Differences
• Cognitive abilities
– Women score slightly higher on verbal skills.
– Men score slightly higher on math & visuospatial
skills.
• Aggression
– Men exhibit greater
physical
aggressiveness.
– Women supposedly higher
on
relational aggression, but no clear differences.
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010
Sex & Gender:
Important/Confusing Terms (Cont.)
• Androgyny:
combining
characteristics typically
male (assertive, athletic)
with those considered
typically female
(yielding, nurturing);
from Greek andro,
meaning “male,” & gyn,
meaning “female”
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010
Sexual Behavior: Sexual Orientation
• Myths of Homosexuality:
– Seduction theory--gays & lesbians seduced in
childhood by adults of same sex
– “By default” theory--gays & lesbians unable to
attract partners of opposite sex
– Poor parenting theory--gay men = domineering
mothers, weak fathers; lesbian women = weak or
absent mothers
– Modeling theory--children imitate gay or lesbian
parents
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010
Biological basis of homosexuality
•
•
•
•
Childhood gender nonconformity
Michael Bailey twin studies
Simon LeVay and the INAH3
2D :4D ratio
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010
Yet the environment is important
• Bem: traits are inborn and then get labeled
and reinforced
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010
The Study of Human Sexuality
• Alfred Kinsey--among the
first to use surveys &
interviews to study sexual
practices & beliefs.
• Masters & Johnson-- early
scientists who used
experimentation & direct
observation to study the
sexual response cycle.
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010