Gender differences and social implications

Sociology - Gender & Sexuality

GENDER and SEXUALITY ISSUES

Define and distinguish sex and gender:

Sex refers to the range of physical and physiological elements of the biology of sexual relations. Gender refers to the learned elements of the social and psychological elements of sexual relations. To illustrate the difference, the distinction between male and female from a sexual perspective is that males are sexually attracted to females and vice versa. Males are physiologically designed to impregnate females through sexual intercourse while females are physiologically designed to bear children produced through sexual reproduction.

According to that view, males are not sexually attracted to or romantically interested in other males and females are not sexually attracted to or romantically interested in other females. However, gender does not always coincide with sexuality or sexual orientation. For example, many individuals are not sexually attracted to members of the opposite sex. Instead, they are sexually attracted to and romantically interested in members of the same sex. Furthermore, gender encompasses a much broader range of human behavioral variation than strictly sexual issues. Specifically, while gender identity issues are most commonly related to the distinction between heterosexual and homosexual orientation, certain individuals maintain a completely heterosexual sexual orientation, but still identify with the opposite gender. Typically, a male might be sexually attracted to females exclusively, but consider himself to be female, despite his biologically determined gender assignment. 2. Explain Gender Schema theory and its effect on sex-based behavioral characteristics.

Gender Schema Theory describes the extent to which human gender-based social behavior is determined by the prevailing norms and expectations within human societies.

For example, within a given society, the beliefs about what attitudes and behaviors are associated with masculinity and femininity play a crucial role in shaping the development of those corresponding characteristics in the personal development of the individual.

In one society, providing food for the family, primarily through farming and foraging might be a social role associated with females. In that case, females would naturally come to identify with this responsibility through the socialization process. In another society, providing food for the family, (whether through farming or hunting), might be a social role associated with males. In that case, males would naturally come to identify with this responsibility through the socialization process.

Likewise, if specific attributes or behaviors are associated with one gender or the other in society, part of the socialization process includes the development of a personal identity of the individual that corresponds to those social expectations. For example, in many societies, males are expected to be strong, protective, independent, and logical; females, meanwhile, are expected to be weak, vulnerable, dependent, and emotional.

According to the gender schema analysis, young children begin to absorb these social messages and expectations very early and continue to develop personal characteristics based as much on these social influences as on any element of biological gender assignment.

3. Explain Social learning theory and its effect on sex-based behavioral characteristics.

Social Learning Theory suggests that many aspects of individual psychological development and orientation are determined by the influence of external society. More specifically, whereas certain components of human behavior are hard wired, many other components are learned from exposure to others in society. According to this view, the individual learns by watching others, starting in early childhood. By adulthood, those expectations transmitted through social learning are completely internalized by the individual and not perceived as matters that one learns from others.

By imitating adult role models and emulating behaviors expected of males and females in society, the developing individual learns what it means to be a male or female in that particular society. For example, if male role models and authority figures model aggressive or belligerent mannerisms in self-expression, male children absorb their exposure to these displays of masculinity and eventually come to identify with and exhibit those characteristics themselves. Similarly, if female role models and authority figures model passive or accommodating behaviors, female children come to identify with and exhibit those behaviors, instead.

In general, social learning applies to the entire spectrum of human behavior. In particular, with respect to sexuality, social learning in many societies includes the expectation that males will pursue sexual activity indiscriminately or "recreationally" whereas females learn that they are expected to be much more discriminating about sexuality and not to pursue sex for recreational purposes, but only in connection with long-term relationships.

4. List one cognitive differences between men and women that seems most likely due to biological factors and one cognitive difference that seems most likely due to environmental factors. According to psychologists, females demonstrate a much better ability to interpret facial expressions than males. This is thought to be one example of how biological evolution influences elements of human behavior. Evolutionary theorists believe that natural selection favored human females who were better able to understand the needs of their infants, especially before they could communicate directly. Therefore, females evolved better awareness of what facial expressions mean.