Sex and gender

Sex and gender

1. Biological theory

   • Ignores Idea that gender roles may be learnt
   • Chromosomes lead to gonads which produce hormones, they affect the brain which affects our behaviour
     • Chromosomes - Men:XY Women:XX
     • Main Hormone - Men: Testosterone Women: Oestrogen

2. Alternative theory - Freud

   • Argued we had underlying and instinctive behaviour which causes our behaviour
     • Our libido is the drive within us that dictates our gender behaviour
   • At age of 4 child enters the phallic stage of development
     • Oedipus for boys and Electra for girls
     • Libido develops desire for opposite sex
       • Fear same sex parent finding out and taking drastic action against them
         • Boys fear father will castrate them (removal of penis)
           • Girls think they have already been castrated and suffer penis envy, feel less than boys
         • To deal with fear/anxiety they identify with same sex parent and start copying their actions to try and replace them to gain gratification from opposite sex parent

3. Core study -Diamond & Sigmundson

   • 1965 twins born called Bruce & Brian
     • During routine circumcision at 8 months old Bruce had penis burnt off
       • Money advised family To bring Bruce up as a female, at 17 months old Bruce had his testes removed to stop male hormones
         • Started taking female hormones
         • Still showed masculine behaviour and features
           • Age 13 discovered truth from parents and stopped taking female hormones and hatred to act more like a boy
             • Had sex operation to become a male again and got married and adopted wife's kids
               • Committed suicide at ages of 38 in 2004

4. Applications

   • Psychologists have founds boys have better maths & science skills and girls better language & social
     • Boy /girl classes
       • Different teaching styles
     • Enter text here
     • Make 1:1 more available
     • Find out students best learning styles