Models of gender

1
Models of gender

• Bipolar model
• More feminine less masculine
• Bidimensional model
• Androgyny
• Orthogonal model
• Oblique model

2
Traditional Western traits

• Traditional masculinity
• Alone Independent, disciplined, stoical
• Active Aggressive, assertive, competitive
• Bold Leading, innovative, confident, courageous
• Focussed Task-oriented, outer-directed
• Logical Objective, analytic, rational,
  unsentimental, emotionally controlled

3
Traditional traits...

• Traditional femininity
• Related Cooperative, trusting, interpersonal
• Subordinate Reliant, supportive, yielding
• Subjective Inward, intuitive, emotionally fluid
• Giving Empathic, sensitive, nurturing, creative
• Cautious Fragile, future-oriented
• Passive Receptive, reactive

4
Theories about the existence of gender roles

• Biological and evolutionary necessity
• Reproductive roles
• Division of labor
• Structural differences
• Lateralization and specialization
• Socialization differences
• Parents, teachers, peers, media

5
Development of gender roles

• Biological theories?
• Sociobiology and evolutionary psychology
• Behavior genetics
• Within your family, you see how different you are
  from your siblings.
• Outside your family, you see how similar you are
  to your siblings.
• Psychoanalytic view
• Gender conflict and identification

6
More views on gender role development

• Observational learning
• Modeling
• Social reinforcement
• Cognitive development
• Gender schemas
• Social constructs emphasize differences
• Consequences of growing up gendered

7
Are gender stereotypes breaking down?

• What do you think of metrosexuals?
• What is the role of the church (or should we say
  churches ) in relation to gender roles and
  stereotypes?
• What should real women be like?
• What should real men be like?
• How important is it to be gender-typical?
• How do you react to people who violate gender
  characteristics?
• Are all gender characteristics equally mutable?

8
Learning sexual scripts What ought we
to do?

• Who, what, when, where, how, why
• Cultural scenarios
• Interpersonal scripts
• Intrapsychic or personal scripts

9
Writing cultural scenarios and scripts

• The Rough Riders, a boys club at a suburban high
  school, which gives points to its members for
  engaging in sexual activity
• Mamas Posse, a sorority at State U which
  establishes status based on sexual encounters
  with high status men
• A Christian family with three teenaged daughters

10
Choice theory and sexual decisions

• Goals, resources, and cost-benefits analysis
• What are the goals?
• What are the resources?
• What are the costs?
• Choice theory Rational analysis, satisficing, or
  maximizing?
• Optimal foraging theory
• Delay cost and discounting the future

11
The context Social networks

• Scenarios and scripts
• Principles of relationships
• Discussing the range of scripts
• Writing your own script
• By stages
• Identify principles
• Connect to your values and goals
• Make it specific
• Review it frequently and re-commit

12
Sexual expression through the life cycle

• Infancy
• Childhood
• Adolescence and cultural influence
• Adulthood
• Older adulthood

13
Sexuality in infancy

• Sexual response systems
• Maternal hormones may affect girls and boys
• Sexual exploration and play

14
Sexual exploration in childhood

• Continued exploration and self-pleasuring
• Masturbation
• Sex play with others
• Imitative sexual expression
• Parents role Channel and educate
• Start a script When, who, what
• Teach names of body parts, context for sexual
  expression

15
What are the changes of puberty?

• Primary sex characteristics
• Secondary sex characteristics

16
Primary sex characteristics

• Increased hormone production
• Female cyclicity
• Growth of genitals
• Fertility
• Menarche vs. ovulation
• First ejaculation vs. mature sperm

17
Secondary sex characteristics

• Female
• Appearance of pubic and axillary hair
• Increase amount and size of body hair
• Thickening of scalp hair
• Larynx changes Range lowers a fifth
• Skeletal changes hips and pelvis
• Breast development in 3 stages
• Fat redistribution
• Lubrication Skenes Bartholins glands

18
Secondary sex characteristics

• Male
• Appearance of pubic and axillary hair
• Increase amount and size of body hair
• Patterning of scalp hair
• Larynx changes Range lowers an octave
• Skeletal changes hips and shoulders
• Breast development in 1 stage
• Muscles harden
• Ejaculation and lubrication (Cowpers glands)

19
Sexual experimenting in adolescence

• Impact of puberty on sexual interest
• Hormonal activation effects
• Social effects of secondary sex characteristics
• Masturbation, fantasy, and sexual stimulus
  learning
• Sexual activity
• Sexual health education
• Sexual orientation Actions and decisions

20
Adult sexuality

• The relationship context
• Variations in sexual activity
• Sex in the context of singleness
• Never-marrieds
• Separated/divorced/widowed

21
Sex in older adults

• Frequency may decline, duration increases
• Benefits of experience
• Effects of health changes
• Hormone replacement therapies
• Societys attitudes and ignorance

22
Puberty onset in 17,077 girls (Herman-Giddens,
1997)
23
Intercourse by age 19
Kinsey, 1948/53 Zelnick Kantner, 1980 Forest
Singh, 1990 Sonenstein et al, 1991 CDC, 1996 (by
senior year of high school)
24
Choice theory

• Rational choice Rate a potential partner or
  script on each of several characteristics that
  are important to you, and sum the ratings.
  Highest score wins.
• Elimination by aspects (Tversky, 1972) Start
  with most important dimension, and eliminate
  those who score low. Proceed to next most
  important dimension, and so on, until only one
  option remains. May eliminate the best choice
  overall.

25
More choice theory

• Satisficing (Simon, 1955) Set a cutoff at the
  minimum acceptable standard for each
  dimension/characteristic. Reject options if any
  values are below the cutoff. May miss the best
  choice overall.