Sex & Gender• Distinguish between sex and gender;• Outline the concepts of masculinity, femininity and androgyny.

Male or Female?• How do you know?

Task 1

• Put the characteristics into two categories: masculine and feminine

• Which ones did you disagree with? Why?• Read each list, and decide which ones

apply to you.

What is the difference between SEX and Gender?

Key concepts

Sex

• male or female

• physical

• fixed

Gender

• masculine, feminine or androgynous

• psychological: thinking and behaviour

• flexible/variable

Gender

Child A is sensitive, good verbally and enjoys cooking.Child B is competitive, had good visual-spatial skills and enjoys sports.Child C is boisterous, caring and enjoys playing all kinds of board

games.

Which child’s gender is masculine?BWhich child’s gender is feminine?AWhich child’s gender is androgynous?C

Lesson 2: Objectives• Outline the role of chromosomes, gonads and hormone

production in typical gender development;• Describe basic evolutionary sex differences in human

behaviour;• Explain the criticisms of the biological theory of gender

development;• Consider psychoanalytic theory as an alternative theory,

with specific reference to the role of the Oedipus/Electra complex in gender development.

• Describe Diamond and Sigmundson’s case study of the castrated twin boy raised as a girl;

• outline limitations of Diamond and Sigmundson’s study.

The biological theory of gender development

The theory is that males and females are simply born different. Their gender is basically decided at the same time as their sex – when they are conceived.

The differences between male and female behaviour are instinctive, and have developed through evolution. Males are born to provide, fight and protect, whereas females are born to care for and nurture others.

How does this explain masculine and feminine behaviour?

Male or Female?

Male FemaleXYXX

TestosteroneOestrogen

OvariesTestes

Evaluating biological theory

How valid are the following points?

Boys and girls are born the same and we bring them up differently.

Males should be more similar and females should be more similar if it’s to do with biology.

This theory doesn’t explain different gender roles across different cultures.

Psychodynamic Approach

• Sigmund Freud is the most famous psychologist behind the psychodynamic:– Children develop in stages– 3-6 develop strong attachments to opposite

sex parent– Boys: Oedipus complex– Girls: Electra complex

Oedipus

• Boys fear their father finding out about their desire for their mother

• This might lead to child fearing that their father might cut off their penises– Castration anxiety

• Boys strive to become more masculine to impress their father

Electra Complex• Desire fathers due to their penis

– Penis envy

• Blame mothers for not having a penis and believe they have been castrated

• Realise never had a penis• Desire a baby to replace penis envy• Develop feminine characteristics due to

understanding their role being the same as the mother

An alternative: psychoanalytic theory

This theory says that gender is more determined by children’s relationship with their _________. Boys go through the _________ complex where they desire their _________ but fear ____________ by their father. Girls go through the _________ complex where they experience _______ envy which turns into a desire for a baby. These complexes occur in the ____________ part of the mind. They are resolved when children ___________ with their same sex parents and adopt their gender roles.

An alternative: psychoanalytic theory

This theory says that gender is more determined by children’s relationship with their parents.

Boys go through the Oedipus complex where they desire their mothers but fear castration by their father. Girls go through the Electra complex where they experience penis envy which turns into a desire for a baby. These complexes occur in the unconscious part of the mind. They are resolved when children identify with their same sex parents and adopt their gender roles.

Diamond & Sigmundson’s case study

Case study of a boy raised as a girlOne of pair of twins from Canada, 1965Circumsision op went wrongParents advised to have corrective surgery and raise as a

girlNurture not nature gives you your gender!‘Brenda’ enjoyed playing with girls toys when youngDuring teenage years, started to feel more masculine,

fancy girlsConfession was givennow’ ‘Brenda’ is David, and is married with adoptive

children

Diamond & Sigmundson’s case study

1. Why was Bruce’s gender re-assigned?Because he lost his penis in an accident.

2. At what age was gender re-assigned and Bruce given the name Brenda?

20 months

3. What was Brenda’s sex?Male

4. What was Brenda’s gender at puberty?Masculine

5. Does the case support the role of nature or nurture in gender development?

Nature

The limitations of the Diamond & Sigmundson case study

What are the main problems of this study? Why is it not regarded as ‘reliable’?

Explain why the following points make the case study unreliable…

• The case relates to just one boy.• Bruce had a twin brother.• Bruce’s gender was re-assigned when he was nearly 2

years old.• Case studies are open to interpretation.

Applications of research into sex & gender: equal opportunities

In education!At work!Social!

Political!

Applications of research into sex & gender: equal opportunities

Think about how the following statements have been questioned or disproved…

“Women are not born with the capacity to understand the complexities of politics and therefore should not be allowed to vote.”

“Women are ‘naturals’ with babies and so men should not be staying at home to look after children.”

“Males are innately more superior to females in any measure of intelligence.”

“Boys have a sporting instinct than girls cannot match.”

“Males will never communicate with each other as well as females do – it is just not a key part of their biological make-up.”

QuestionnaireDesign a questionnaire to find out the

following;• Whether people think gender is

determined by nature or nurture• Sex affect career opportunities• Sex discrimination• Equal opportunities in education• Colour co-ordinated genders!

Questionnaires• Self-report methods are useful ways of

studying the mind• Closed, open question and combination of

both• Three types;

– Interview; face-to-face questioning– Structured; interview with pre-set questions– Unstructured; interview where questions may

vary depending on interviewees responses

Strengths Weaknesses

Access peoples thought and feelings

All respondents asked same questions, so comparisons can be made on specific questions

Easy to administer to a large sample, e.g. can be posted on internet

x Candidates may lie or exaggerate their answers (depending when and where occurring)

x Misunderstanding of question giving unreliable results

x Researchers can’t explore individual responses

Applications of research into sex and gender

Media’s influence on gender• Using the media articles and catalogues,

discuss and write an account of the effects of this on the public

Sex Education

In groups, make a short diagrammatic story aimed at 10 year olds as an informal sex education aid to describe how the following are involved in gender development;

• Sex chromosomes• Hormones• Gonads

Exam Practice• What are sex chromosomes for a male? [1]• Name the hormone associated with females. [1]• Outline what is meant by the Oedipus complex. [3]• Explain the differences between sex and gender. [3]• Describe and evaluate the biological approach of gender

development. [10]