State whether you think the following
statements are true or false.
1. Women talk more than men.
2. Women are more likely than men to touch other
people.
Sex and Gender
Identity
Unit 5
Defining Male and Female
■ Sex: the biological distinction between male and
female
■ Biological determinism: The belief that
behavioral differences in males and females are a result of inherited physical characteristics
◻ Such as men are more aggressive and women are built for providing and protecting
◻ The idea of biological determinism lacks the scientific proof, it has not been causally linked
■ If it were true all men in all societies would act
Gender Identity
■ Gender Identity: a sense of being male or female
based on learned values
◻ From birth male and females are treated
differently https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVloo9PLZ8Y
◻ Typically parents will stress the characteristics of a child that accentuate the behaviors/ideals
society has for a male or female
◻ Gender Identity is based on culture not biology ◻ Becoming a woman or man is a cultural process ◻ Gender like race or class is a social category in
Nature vs. Nurture
■ Sociologists are in continued debate about gender
differences
■ At the center is the nature vs. nurture argument
◻ Does biology or socialization play a larger role in gender differences?
◻ Sociologists are attempting to answer the question scientifically instead of looking at tradition
■ “Like A Girl” (3:18)
Biological Differences
■ There are obvious biological differences between
males and females
◻ Different muscle-to-bone ratios ◻ Fat Storage
Brain Differences
■ There are slight structural differences
■ Men show more activity in the section of the brain
dealing with adaptive responses (fighting), while women show more activity in the section linked to emotion
■ The female brain is less specialized, using both
http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/men-women-different-brains1.htm
■ In 2001, researchers from Harvard found that
certain parts of the brain were differently sized in
males and females, which may help balance out the overall size difference. The study found that parts of the frontal lobe, responsible for problem-solving
and decision-making, and the limbic cortex,
responsible for regulating emotions, were larger in women [source: HoagIn 2001, researchers from Harvard found that certain parts of the brain were differently sized in males and females, which may help balance out the overall size difference. The study found that parts of the frontal lobe,
responsible for problem-solving and
decision-making, and the limbic cortex, responsible for regulating emotions, were larger in women
[source: Hoag]. In men, the parietal cortex, which is involved in space perception, and the amygdala,
How do Sociologists View Behavior?
■ Most sociologists argue that gender-related behavior
is not primarily the result of biology, they turn to culture
■ Margaret Mead did research in 3 different New Guinea
Tribes (all primitive). In each one the gender behavior was different, showing that you could rule out biology (p.314-315)
■ Other case studies have shown that parents who
socialized their child for the opposite gender did so fairly easily
Questions…
■ How is gender different from sex?
■ How are gender traits acquired?
■ Does socialization or biology have a stronger
influence over “masculine” and “feminine” behavior?
■ Is there a price to pay for not fulfilling your
“expected” gender role?
BEM Scale
BEM Scale Scoring
■ “Masculine Traits”
◻ Add the score from column 1 to the score from column 5
■ “Feminine Traits”
◻ Add the score from column 3 to the score from column 6
■ Note:
◻ Column 2 & 4 are “Neutral”/Undifferentiated
■ Bem Score:
BEM Scale
■ Androgynous = -9 to +9
■ Femine = -20 or less
■ Inventory was created by Sandra Bem in an effort
to measure androgyny. It was published in 1974. Stereotypical masculine and feminine traits were found by surveying 100 Stanford undergraduate students on which traits they found to be socially desirable for each sex.[2] The original list of 200
traits was narrowed down to the 40 masculine and feminine traits that appear on the present test.[5]
Normative data was found from a 1973 sample for 444 males and 279 females and a 1978 sample of 340 females and 476 males all also from Stanford University undergraduates.[2]
■ Scoring and interpretation[edit]
■ Participants are asked to rate themselves on each
trait using a likert scale. One indicates never or almost never true, while a seven would indicate always or almost always true.[5] Originally
androgyny was calculated by finding the t-ratio
Originally androgyny was calculated by finding the t-ratio difference between masculine and feminine scores; however, in 1981 Bem advises users to utilize a split median technique for more accurate scoring.[2]
■ The Bem Sex-Role Inventory offers four different
possible resulting categorizations: masculine, feminine, androgynous and undifferentiated.
Previously, an androgynous score was thought to be the result of equal masculine and feminine traits, while a sex-typed masculine or feminine score is
the result of more traits belonging in one or the other category.The fourth type of score,
undifferentiated, was seen as the result of extremely low masculine and feminine traits.
■ Although, after the change in scoring technique,
androgynous is the result of scoring above the
median in both masculine and feminine categories. Sex-typed scores, masculine and feminine, are the result of scoring above the median in one gender and below the median in the other. An
undifferentiated score is now a result of scoring below the median in both masculine and feminine categories. In other words, since scores are based on normative data, an androgynous classification occurs when a subject scores above 50% of the comparison group in both masculine and feminine categories, while a sex-typed classification is the
result of scoring above half the comparison group in only one gender category.[6]
■ Reliability and validity[edit]
■ The BSRI is very empirically sound. Bem reports
coefficient alphasThe BSRI is very empirically sound. Bem reports coefficient alphas of .78 for
femininity scales and .87 for the masculinity scale. BSRI, also has demonstrated high test-retest
reliability.[2]
■ However, since this is a self-report inventory how
reliable the assessment is depends on how accurately participants rate themselves. An androgynous score is the result of extremely masculine and feminine scores and an
undifferentiated score is the result of extremely low masculine and feminine scores. It has been
theorized that perhaps tendencies to rate oneself extremely low and extremely high on traits can affect a subjects' resulting gender placement.[5]
■ The degree of reliability of each scoring technique
is up for debate. When comparing the old t ratio scoring to the newly endorsed median split
technique, 42.3% of participants had a different resulting categorization. Since the median split method bases scores more heavily on the
normative data of that population, a participant can be categorized differently based on the population of subjects they take the test with. For example
results may differ if the test was administered to a group of marines versus students at a private girls highschool. This challenges the test's between
sample reliability.[6] As stated by Elazae Pedhazur in a clip from his critique, "Bem concludes her
discussion by stating, "Finally, we urge
investigators to further analyze their data without categorizing individual subjects in any way, i.e., through the use of multiple regression technique". While endorsing what appears to be a suggestion to conduct studies within the framework of
