II. Gender and Other Identities

Powell pages 3-16

Remember: Sex vs. Gender

• Sex??– Biological property of individuals– Sexual characteristics

• Gender??– psychological and social ramifications of

being male or female– Girly, macho, emotional, dominate…

General Theory

• Men and women differ in nature so should their roles in society

• Comes from:– Women’s capacity to bear children

Question

• If general theory is correct, how do men and women differ beyond child bearing?

• Should humans of the male (female) sex (biological) be forced to “act” as the male (female) gender (psychological)?– Time Magazine “His name is Aurora” 09/19/00

How do we examine gender?

• Examination?

• Questions?

• Set up a Model of gender…

Model

• What is this?

Uni-dimensional Model of Gender

• Two extremes – Male (more masculine)– Female (more feminine)

– What about “tom boys”?

Problems with “simple” model

• Leads to continuation of sex segregation• Society really have high degrees of

androcentrism (characterized by masculine interests or point of view)– Male seen as dominate gender

• Gender shift with WWII• Thus uni-dimensional model is outgrown

Earliest references to Male vs. Female Worth

• Book of Leviticus, where it is stated “the value of a woman shall be assessed as three fifths the value of a man” (27: 1-7).

Biodimensional Model(Sandra Bem pages 155-162)

• Gender composed of two independent dimensions

Bio-dimensional Model cont.

• Masculine and Feminine are independent of biological sex

• Remember Gender is psychological while sex is biological (distinct)

• Uni-dimensional model had sex and gender defining the same aspects of a person

Gender-Role Identity

• The degree a person has male and female traits

• A person with both male and female traits is said to be androgynous

• Remember --- PSYCHOLOGICAL NOT PHYSICAL

How measure?

• Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI)• Categorizes people as to their gender role

orientation• Categorized as male or female if large

differences occur between the male and female scores

• Categorized as androgynous if the male and female scores are balanced

• Three distinct categories!!

Your Personal Qualities

• “The measure of psychological androgyny”– Sandra Bem

• Includes views from society of desirable behavior for men/women.

In-Class Activity #6

• Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI)• CONFIDENTIAL worksheet• Given 40 characteristics rate (1 to 7) each as to

how it describes your general behavior1 = never or almost never true7 = always or almost always true

• Really think about each characteristic pertains to you

BSRI Calculations

• What we want to find is if a person’s masculine attributes differs significantly from his/her feminine attributes

• Sum each column• REMEMBER—if your numbers are high

for the “other” gender it doesn’t mean you are any less of a man/woman. DON’T FREAK OUT!!

BSRI Rating

• Androgyny Score = Column 2 – Column 1• Androgyny Score * 2.322 = BSRI Rating

– t-ratio can be estimated by 2.322

• Range –278.64 to +278.64• -278.64 = high masculine characteristics• +278.64 = high feminine characteristics• My score = 9.288 => Androgynous with more

feminine characteristics (because it is positive)

Findings

• On average most of the population cluster around the 0 mark

• Found to be a more accurate assessment of leadership than male or female alone

Is the Bio-dimensional model broad enough?

• Many researches argue No…

• Multi-dimensional model really necessary where separate frameworks exist for attitudes, sexual orientations, gender identity and personality traits.

Are the definitions of male and female gender correct?

• Some argue definition is too narrow

• Why?

• Too many have sex (biological) linked connotations

Do more positive things happen to men?

• Research has shown more positive outcomes are associated with being male and TASK ORIENTED OUTCOMES (when asked what can you do)

• Less distinction is made with INTERPERSONAL OUTCOMES (show me what you can do)

Are we clear on

Sex and Gender?

When do we use Sex vs. Gender?

• Sex – To access others perceptions or attitudes towards a target person or group– Visually looking a person or how others view

someone (outside)

• Gender – To access an individuals aspirations, motives, attitudes, and personality– How you see yourself (inside)

Now want to expand this understanding to other races

and cultures• Gender is easy to examine• People differ within genders as well as within

races and cultures• Research on “other races” are predominately

on white/black differences• Minorities are usually defined as anyone

other than the white male – This is really a large group

Is Race and Gender really important?

• Much emphasis within society on treating people equal

• Is all this hype helping or increasing the problem?

Advertisements• Advertisements convey messages about the

roles that women and men play in the workplace as well as in society.

• Several stereotypes of women’s roles occur regularly– Women’s place is in the home– Women are sex objects– Women need protection

Advertisements cont.

• Men have stereotypes as well– Ready to drink beer (“this bud’s for you” only has men

drinking the beer…the women serve it, but the men drink it)

• Women’s jeans advertisements emphasize looking good

• Men’s jeans advertisements emphasize being an individual, comfortable, and getting the job done

Advertisement cont.

• Why the difference?

• What about the addition of race and culture?

• Are advertisements influential??– Top advertisements of the century…

Can you name them??• You deserve a break today

– McDonalds• Tastes great, less filling

– Miller Lite• We try harder

– Avis• Good to the last drop

– Maxwell House• Mmm mm good

– Campbell Soup• Look, Ma!! No Cavities

– Crest• Melts in your mouth not in your hands

– M&ms• Breakfast of champions

– Wheaties