1. Gender
and
Sexuality
PowerPoint®
Presentation
by Jim Foley
Chapter 5

2. Gender Development
Gender refers to the physical, social, and
behavioral characteristics that are culturally
associated with male and female roles and
identity.
Some of these traits may be genetic differences;
other role differences may be nurtured by culture.

3. Gender differences and similarities
Similarities:
 45 out of 46 genes
are unisex
 Same body and
brain structures and
functions
 Similar levels of
Intelligence, knowle
dge, happiness
Compared to men, women (as a
group, on average):
• Start puberty 2 years sooner
• Live 5 years longer
• Have 70% more fat
• Have 40% less muscle
• Are 5 inches shorter
• Express more emotion
• Are more vulnerable to
anxiety, depression
• Are less prone to autism, alcohol
dependence, ADHD, antisocial
personality, and suicide

4. Differences Between Genders
Biological:
women enter
puberty
earlier, live
longer, and
have more fat
and less
muscle
Mental and Behavioral Health:
 women are more likely to have
depression, anxiety, or eating
disorders
 men are more likely to have
autism, ADHD, and antisocial
personality disorder

5. Average/Group differences do not
predict individual comparisons
In this example related to self-esteem, the difference
between groups is small compared to differences
within each gender.
This means: many
women rate higher
than the average
man, in self esteem
and other measures.

6. Gender and Aggression
 Men behave more
aggressively than
women, and are more
likely to behave in
ways that harm
others
 This difference applies
to physical aggression
rather than verbal or
relational aggression.
 And yet violent acts by
women do
occur, including acts of
terrorism. Bombing in Russia by
female suicide bombers

7. Gender and Social Power
 In a variety of
cultures, men have
attributes and
reputations that help
them attain more social
power (positions
controlling more people
and resources) than
women do.
 Men tend to interact in
more dominating ways
than women. Men
often speak opinions
rather than offering
support and inviting
input as women do.

8. Gender and Social Connection: Play
 When boys play, the focus
tends to be on the activity.
 Male play is more competitive.
 Men tend to dictate how the
playtime will proceed.
 When women play, the focus
tends to be on connection and
conversation.
 Female play is more social.
 Girls tend to invite feedback.
Are these differences due to nature or nurture?

9. Gender and Social Communication
Women communicate
more than men:
 more time with
friends
 more text messages
 longer phone calls
However, men and
women speak about the
same number of words
per day. What fills in the
extra time on those
longer phone calls?
Maybe….
listening?
Men and women use communication differently.
 Women seek input and
explore relationships.
 Women speak about
people and feelings.
 Men state their
opinions and solutions .
 Men speak about things
and actions.

10. Gender and Social Connectedness
 Both men and women
turn to women when
they want someone
to talk to, seeking the
“tend and befriend”
response or better
listening.
 In general, women
change roommates
more often.
 Women tend to have
stronger ties to
friends and family.
 Women are often
more involved with
religion.

11. The Biology of Gender
What biologically makes us
male or female?
 It begins with whether our
23rd pair of chromosomes
looks like XX (female) or
Xy (male).
 Testes develop, and at
seven weeks, the testes
produce a flood of
testosterone.
 Hormones then guide the
development of external
sex organs.
Brain Differences
 During the fourth and
fifth month of
pregnancy, sex
hormones bathe the
fetal brain.
 In adulthood, women
have thicker areas in a
part of the frontal lobes
that help with verbal
fluency.
 There are also
differences in the
amygdala, hippocampus
, and ratio of cell bodies
to axons.

12. Adolescent Physical/Sexual
Development and differences
Puberty is the time of sexual
maturation (becoming physically
able to reproduce).
During puberty, increased sex
hormones lead to:
 primary and secondary sex
characteristics.
 some changes in mood and
behavior.
Height changes are an early
sign of puberty.
 Because girls begin puberty
sooner than boys, girls briefly
overtake boys in height.

13. Primary Sex Characteristics: Reproductive organs
Secondary Sex Characteristics: body hair, changing voice
Puberty
Timing
The sequence of sexual
maturation is
predictable, but the time of
onset varies from person to
person.
Maturing early can have
social advantages and also
increased expectations
and risks.

14. Variations in Sexual Development
Intersex Individuals
 Some people develop with a combination of male
and female physical characteristics, despite being
genetically male or female. This can lead to
controversies of sex typing in athletic competition.
 In cases where males had genitalia that were
underformed, absent, or accidentally
removed, attempts to raise them as females often
did not work out well psychosocially.
 David “Brenda” Reimer case: After his genitalia
were accidentally damaged, then removed, he was
raised as a female, though he showed male
behaviors. As an adult, he learned the truth, lived
as a man, got married, but eventually committed
suicide.

15. Gender Roles:
The Influence of Culture
Does culture define which behaviors fill a gender role?
Or do the roles affect culture?
Gender role: the behaviors
expected of people related to
their identity as men and
women
Gender identity: one’s sense of
whether one is male and
female, including a sense of what it
means to be that gender
Gender roles and culture: Expectations may vary
 Gender roles have simplified, yet constrained, choices for
men and women.
 In the past century, women have been gaining more options
for participation in workplaces and politics.
In North American
societies, men have
been providers, women
were caretakers
In some societies, men
and women share more
in child rearing and
accumulating resources

16. Culture Influence
on Gender Role Development
 Social learning theory: we learn gender role
behavior by imitation, and by rewards and
punishments that shape our behavior
 Gender schemas: the cognitive frameworks for
developing concepts of “male” and “female”;
these frameworks guide our observations
 Gender typing: the instinct which drives some
children to fit into traditional gender roles

17. Variations in Sexual Identity
Breaking free of gender roles
 Transgendered people have a sense of sexual identity
(sense of being male or female) or gender expression
(behaviors and appearance that express gender
identity) that is different from what is culturally typical
for the biological sex/gender they were born with.
 Transsexual people act on this sense of difference by
living as a member of the opposite sex, often with
hormonal and surgical interventions that support this
gender reassignment.

18. Hormones and Sexual Behavior
 Hormones such as estrogens
(female sex hormones) and also in
testosterone (male sex hormones)
guide the physical development of
sex characteristics and behaviors.
 During ovulation, women show a
rise in both sex hormones.
 As this happens, sexual desire rises
in women and also in the men
around them (whose testosterone
level rises).
 Low levels of testosterone can
reduce sexual motivation.
 Sex hormone levels fall with age
(menopause), drugs, or surgery.

19. The Sexual Response Cycle
Beginning in the late 1950s, William Masters and
Virginia Johnson observed sexual arousal and orgasm to
learn about the typical pattern of human response to
sexual stimulation. Their findings:
Phase Physiological Response
Excitement
Genitals fill with blood and lubricate, ready for
intercourse; breathing and pulse become rapid
Plateau The changes related to excitement reach a peak
Orgasm Contractions all over the body; sexual release
Resolution
Enlarged genitals release blood; male goes
through refractory phase, women resolve slower

20. Sexual Response Disorders
Some people have a variation or impairment in some phase
of the sexual response cycle.
These variations are sometimes distressful or problematic
enough to be seen as disorders:
premature ejaculation
erectile dysfunction
low sexual desire
lack of orgasm response
These can
improve with
behavioral
therapy, other
psychotherapy,
and/or
medication.

21. The Psychology of Sex
Like hunger, sexual desire is a function of biological factors, internal
drives, external and imagined stimuli, and cultural expectations.

22. Imagined Stimuli
 The brain is involved in
sexuality; people with no
genital sensation (e.g.
spinal cord injuries) can
feel sexual desire.
 The brain also contains
dreams, memories, and
fantasies that stimulate
sexual desire.
 Fantasies are not just a
replacement for sexual
activity; they often
accompany sex.
The Effect of External Stimuli
All effects of external stimuli on
sexual behavior are more
common in men than in women.
The short-term effect of
exposure to images of nudity
and sexuality increases sexual
arousal and desire.
Possible dangers include:
 the distortion of our ideas of
what is appropriate and
effective for mutual sexual
satisfaction.
 the habit of finding sexual
response through idealized
images may lead to
decreased sexual response to
real-life sexual partners.

23. Sexual intercourse
rates, and age of first
intercourse, vary
widely among
cultures, families, and
historical periods.
How can we tell it isn’t
just a function of
biology?
Adolescent Sexual Activity
Adolescents often begin to engage in sexual activity, including
intercourse. This may be related to basic drives but is mostly a
function of social environment.
Sexual activity includes risks
that may be magnified in
adolescence such as:
pregnancy while still in school.
sexually transmitted infections.

24. Teen Pregnancy and
Contraception
American teens have higher rates of pregnancy and
abortion than European teens. Possible reasons
include:
 inadequate communication about birth control with
parents and sexual partners.
 guilt about sex may make American teens less likely
to plan for it and use contraception.
 alcohol use may make impulsive sex more likely and
impair decision making.
 media portrayals in the United States make
unprotected sex look common and free from
consequences.

25. Sexually Transmitted Infections
 Unlike the risk of pregnancy, the risk of STIs
multiplies and spreads, and condoms do not offer
sufficient protection for STIs like herpes.
 Sex and bad math: Herb has sex with 9 people, each
of whom has 9 other partners who each have sex
with 9 people. To how many people could his STI
spread?
511
(Laura Brannon and Timothy Brock study estimate)

26. Participation in
abstinence education
programs, even when
randomly assigned to
participate
High intelligence test
scores, thinking of
consequences, and
focusing on future
achievement
Strong religious
beliefs and
involvement
Presence of father in
the home
Participation in
activity helping
others, even when
randomly assigned to
participate
Factors Correlating with Sexual Restraint

27. Sexual Orientation
 Sexual orientation refers
to one’s preferences as an
object of sexual
attraction.
 This attraction may not
necessarily result in sexual
activity, but may exist in
the form of
desires, interests, infatuati
ons, and fantasies.
 “Identity” as either
heterosexual, bisexual, or
exclusively
homosexual, emerges in
puberty.
Sexual Orientation
Statistics
How many people are
exclusively homosexual?
Based on a compilation of
surveys:
 3 percent of men and
1-2 percent of women.
Are the surveys missing
anyone?
 These surveys protected
anonymity, BUT they
defined sexual
preference as sexual
activity. Many do not
act on their preference.

28. Sexual Orientation
and Mental Health
 Forty years
ago, homosexuality was
considered a
psychological disorder.
 Having a homosexual
orientation in today’s
society still puts one at
risk for anxiety and mood
disorders because of the
stress of discrimination
and isolation, and the
difficulty in finding
satisfying and loving
relationships.

29. Origins of Sexual Orientation
 Theories suggesting that
sexual preference is related to
parenting behaviors or
childhood abuse are not
supported by evidence.
 Differences appear to begin at
birth. This could be genetic, or
it could be caused by
exposure to hormones or
antigens in the womb.
 The fraternal birth order
effect: being born after a
brother increases the
likelihood of being gay.
Cause or Effect? The
brain and other
differences in sexual
orientation
 Heterosexual men have a
certain cell cluster in the
hypothalamus that, on
average, is larger than in
gay men and in women.
 Gay men are more likely
than straight men to be
poets, fiction
writers, artists, and
musicians.

30. Biological and Behavioral Differences
Associated with Sexual Preference

31. Biological Differences
Associated with Sexual Preference

32. Genetics and Homosexuality
 In fruit flies, a difference in one gene
determined sexual orientation and behavior.
 Homosexuality seems to run in families and
among identical twins, but still emerges
spontaneously, even in one of a pair of twins.
 Genes related to homosexuality could be
passed on by siblings or by people not living
exclusively according to their sexual
orientation.
Homosexuality and Gender
 Hormones that affect gender may also affect sexual orientation.
 In mammals, female fetuses exposed to extra testosterone, and
male fetuses exposed to low levels of testosterone, often grow
up with:
 bodies, brains, and faces with traits of the opposite sex.
 the sexual attraction expected of the opposite sex to one’s
own sex.

33. Sexual
Orientation:
Acceptance
 Whatever the level of evidence accumulates that
sexual orientation becomes part of one’s identity
because of biology:
it is possible to accept another person’s sexual
orientation and behavior.
 This acceptance seems to be growing, at least in the
acceptance of homosexual life commitment in the
form of marriage.

34. Gender Differences in Sexuality:
An Evolutionary Perspective
• Generally, men think more than women about
sex, and men are more likely to think that casual sex
is acceptable.
• Why might natural selection have resulted in greater
male promiscuity?
An evolutionary psychologist’s answer:
For women, a trait of
promiscuity would not greatly
increase the number of
babies, and it would have
greater survival costs
(pregnancy, once a life-
threatening condition).
Men who had the trait of
promiscuity were more likely to
have their genes continue, and
even spread, in the next
generation. And there is little
cost to spreading extra genes.

35. Natural Selection and
Mating Preferences
Men seek women with a
fuller figure…
to make sure they are
not too young or too old
to have children?
Women seek males with
loyal behavior and
physical/social power and
resources…
in order to ensure the
survival of the mother’s
offspring?
Q: How would evolutionary psychology explain
why males and females have different preferences
for sexual partners?

36. Critiquing the Evolutionary Perspective on
Gender Differences in Sexuality
Are males and
female really so
different in their
mating choices?
Isn’t much of gender
behavior a function
of culture?
How do you explain
homosexuality?
Differences are less in
cultures that move to
gender equality.
Yes, though genetics
may be part of the
picture.
Guesses such as
population control
or misplaced
instincts are
unproven and seem
forced.