Welcome to week two

Please note: There is no video this week

Finish Stereotypes

Theoretical perspectives

Research Issues

IMPORTANT: READ ALL YOUR TEXTBOOK INFORMATION

Theoretical Perspective

What is a theory?

Why is it important to know the theory?

Theoretical perspectives on gender identification For example Psychoanalytic theories

……

• Impact on women and men

Theoretical Perspectives of Gender Identification

Perceptions of WomenTheories WHY?

Psychoanalytic/Identification Evolutionary Social Structural Cultural Biosocial Model

HOW? Social learning Cognitive Developmental Gender Schema Social interactional theories

Perceptions of Women

Equal/Unequal

Ancient Writings

As defective man

Opposites

Canadian History

Equal/Unequal Similar/Different

Psychodynamic/Identification Studied because of the effect it has on women

(and men) - not because it is valid Freud

theories built with patients role of the unconscious - unconscious

motivation ID EGO Superego

He had a very negative view of womenBelieved that women were

• less intelligent than men• less moral than men

Why less intelligent? … …

Why less moral? Oedipus complex

… …

Males then identified with father’s maleness Negative attitude towards women

Females identification - penis envy Electra complex Desire father Must try to identify with mother

Implications males females

Why then did Freud say that men are more moral? Men have a shorter more intense struggle between

the ID and EGO – stronger Superego, more moral. Women have a longer less intense struggle

between the ID and EGO – weaker Superego, less moral

Implications … …

A major problem with Freud’s theory …

Disagreement Neofreudians

still psychodynamic/identificationstill role of the unconscious

Karen HorneyGynocentric as opposed to Freud’s phallocentrism

theoryidentification with the motherWomb envymale sense of inferiority…

Others as well (e.g., Nancy Chodorow, Melanie Kline) Others as well (e.g., Nancy Chodorow, Melanie Kline) Feminist perspectiveFeminist perspective

Strong mother-child bonding - crucialStrong mother-child bonding - crucial believed males had more problemsbelieved males had more problems

Males flee to less threatening male powerMales flee to less threatening male power Have negative view of womenHave negative view of women

Females feel unable to live up to expectations of ideal motherFemales feel unable to live up to expectations of ideal mother

Offered ways to minimize difficulties with identificationOffered ways to minimize difficulties with identification Equal sharing of parentingEqual sharing of parenting

Modern difficulty with thisModern difficulty with this ……

Evolutionary Theories

Functionalism

Sociobiology

Two Theories of Gender Identification (Genes causes differences between women and men)

(1) FunctionalismWomen and men have complementary functionsWomen

• nurturing• Little “other-time” growth• Moral• Submissive• Maternal instinct• … … …

Men• Leadership• Protective• … … …

Sociobiology Animal model

ReductionisticAll social behaviours

• Examples

Negative views of both women and menTo maximize reproductive fitness

Not Proven

Social /Structural /Cultural

Two part theory:

1) Power and Status

2) Social roles and jobs

Power and Status Differences between female and male gender roles

because of male power and status … … … ... … …

This should disappear if equal status

How can we ‘test’ this? By an example of a time when there was equal status.

“Many Tender Ties” … ..

Social roles and jobs

Division of Labour

Power and status differences arise (in part) because men and women do different work

Men have control over resources, better jobs, more money

Women work in the home or home or nurturant related jobs

• … … …

• … … …

• results of study -all but family money

vicious circle• Expect gender differences because we

observe men and women tend to do different things

• React negatively when behaviours don’t fulfil stereotypical differences

• Study by Cejka and Eagley(1999) on page 77

– How does this support the vicious circle argument?

Social Learning

1) Rewarded for “gender-appropriate” and punished for “gender-inappropriate” behaviour

Examples

2) Imitating same-gender behaviour

Modeling behaviour

Children watch and imitate the behaviour of other people of their own gender

Symbolic models (media)

Criticisms (1) Often parents treat both girls and boys in a

similar fashion Encourage independenceDiscourage aggression

YET!!! WHY? (2) Modelling

Studies show that young children copy from both female and male models

Cognitive Developmental Stage theory

Children are, in the main responsible for their own gender-typing shaping

Learn this concept in the same way as other stage theories (e.g., --- --- --- - - - - - - )

Stage 1 – awareness that two sexes exist and of belonging to one of them

Stage 2 – Understanding that gender does not change over time

Stage 3 – gender remains unchanged across situations and behaviours

Gender constancy – between age 3 and 5

Children’s basic gender identity guides their behaviour

• like things consistent with own gender identity

• More wary of “other gender” things

Criticisms Theory predicts

a young girl must establish a FIRM gender identity before she can show a preference for female activities.

a young boy must establish a FIRM gender identity before he can show a preference for male activities.

Must know she is a girl BEFORE she prefers dolls to trucks. Must know he is a boy BEFORE he prefers trucks to dolls

BUT!

Gender identity usually is not acquired until approx age three Yet, boys can act stereotypically masculine and girls

stereotypically feminine YOUNGER than three

Gender Schema Theory

A blend of Social Learning and Cognitive Developmental theories

Children use gender as a cognitive organizing principle…in order to structure and guide their perceptions of reality (Bem, Matlin, p 60).

C-D - own cognitive processing

S-L - Gender typing is a learned phenomenon

Learn society’s expectations and definitions of being male and being female

Children choose only the dimensions or attributes applicable to their own gender

Males weak………………………..strong Females nurturant……………………non-nurturant

Learn to evaluate own adequacy in terms of gender schema

Parents should Eliminate gender stereotypes

from behaviour, books

Social interactional theories

Importance of interactions with others

Continues past childhoodOne’s expectations and perceptions

of other’s evaluations can influence behaviour and self-concept

Self-fulfilling prophecy

Research What is good research?

… ...

what is bad research? … … Example -

When good research goes bad.

Gender related Research WHAT IS ASKED

HOW IT IS ASKED - • Example -

Stuckless, N. (2001), A simple lesson in item validity: Qualitative data informing quantitative data. Brief report. Traumatic Stress Points, 15 (2), 1-2

HOW THE RESEARCH IS CONDUCTED

TYPE OF STUDY• Experiment?• Correlation?

EXPERIMENTOR EXPECTATIONS

THE RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS • WHO? – examples• WHY?

Gender related research

INTERPRETATIONLOOK FOR DIFFERENCES

MAY MISS SIMILARITIES

Significance

Effect Size

Chapter FourGender similarities and differencesPrint the on-line file, leaving space to

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