2. Some Definitions
• Sex—the biological category of male or female;
sexual intercourse
• Gender—cultural, social, and psychological
meanings associated with masculinity or
femininity
• Gender roles—behaviors, attitudes, and
personality traits designated either masculine or
feminine in a given culture
• Gender identity—A person’s psychological sense
of being male or female
• Sexual orientation—direction of a person's
emotional and erotic attractions
3. Gender Related Differences
• Differences do not mean deficiencies
• Overall: men and women more similar than
different
• Three main areas of gender differences
– Personality
– Cognitive abilities
– Sexual attitudes and behaviors
4.
5. Personality Differences
• No significant differences between
men and women have been found on
most characteristics
• Women tend to be more nurturant
than men
• Men tend to be more assertive than
women
6. Cognitive Differences
• No differences for most cognitive abilities
• Verbal, reading, and writing—females
consistently score higher
• Spatial skills—males outscore females on
mentally rotating objects, females score better
on remembering locations of objects
• Math Skills—males score slightly better than
females but the average difference very small
(Georgiou, 2007)
7. Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors
• Reported differences between males
and females in these areas have
become less pronounced since the
1960s
• Recent meta-analyses indicate that
men tend to have more sexual partners,
experience first intercourse at an earlier
age, and masturbate more frequently
than women.
8. Gender Role Development
• Between ages 2-3 years, children can identify
themselves and other children as boys or girls.
The concept of gender or sex, however, is based
more on outward characteristics such as clothing
• Toddler girls tend to play more with dolls and ask
for help more than boys
• Toddler boys tend to play more with trucks and
wagons, and tend to play more actively
• After age 3 years we see consistent gender
differences in preferred toys and activities
9. Social Learning Theory
Gender roles are acquired through the basic
processes of learning, including
reinforcement, punishment, and modeling
10. Some Definitions
• Gender schema theory—the theory that gender-role
development is influenced by the formation of schemas,
or mental representations, of masculinity and femininity
• Intersexed—condition in which a person’s biological sex
is ambiguous, often combining aspects of both male
and female anatomy and/or physiology.
• Transgendered—condition in which a person’s
psychological gender identity conflicts with his or her
biological sex.
• Transsexual—a transgendered person who undergoes
surgery and hormone treatments to physically transform
his or her body into the opposite sex.
11. Gender Schema Theory
An example of how a child forms a schema associated with
gender. A girl is offered a choice of 4 toys to play with.
I am a girl
Toy car
Doll
Orange
Artichoke
Approach
object
Who
for?
Is it relevant
to me?
Avoid/
Forget
Assign to
category and
remember/
Approach
Not
for me
For me
Boys
Girls
12. Gender Identity Disorder
•Persistent discomfort about one’s
physical gender along with the desire
to be a member of the opposite sex
•Previously termed “transsexualism”
•May undergo hormone treatment or
sex-reassignment surgery
13. Human Sexuality
Sexuality both private and public.
The human sexual response cycle
was first mapped by sex research
pioneers William Masters and
Virginia Johnson during the 1950’s
and 1960’s.
14. Human Sexual Response
• Stage 1: Excitement—beginning of sexual
arousal
• Stage 2: Plateau—increased physical
arousal
• Stage 3: Orgasm—male ejaculates, female
vaginal contractions
• Stage 4: Resolution—arousal subsides
15.
16.
17. What Motivates Sexual Behavior
• Necessary for the survival of the
species but not of the individual
• Lower animals motivated by
hormonal changes in the female
• Higher species less influenced by
hormones and more by learning and
environmental influences
18. Sexual Orientation
• Sexual orientation—direction of a person's
emotional and erotic attractions
• Heterosexual—sexual attraction for the opposite
sex
• Homosexual—sexual attraction for the same sex
• Gay—typically used to describe male
homosexuals
• Lesbian—typically used to describe female
homosexuals
• Bisexual—sexual attraction for both sexes
19. Determination of Sexual
Orientation
• Genetics—role suggested by twin
and family studies
• Brain structure—differences found in
hypothalamus of homosexual and
heterosexual men
• Complex issue with no clear answers
20. Some General Findings
• Sexual orientation is an early-emerging, ingrained
aspect of the self that probably does not change
• No consistent relationship between orientation and
childhood experiences (e.g., parenting, abuse,
sexual experience)
• Controversial findings suggest a possible
relationship among prenatal stress, androgens, and
the development of brain systems that play a role in
sexual attraction
21. Sexuality in Adulthood
• Majority of adults (80%) report having none or one sexual
partner in the past year (marriage factor)
• Majority of men ages 18-59 have sex about seven times
per month
• Majority of women ages 18-59 have sex about six times
per month
• Vaginal intercourse is nearly universal as the most widely
practiced sexual activity among heterosexual couples
• 50 percent of older Americans reported sexual activity at
least once per month.
22. Sexual Disorders and Problems
• Sexual dysfunction—consistent disturbance in
sexual desire, arousal, or orgasm that causes
psychological distress and interpersonal
difficulties
• 43% of women and 31% of men report sexual
problems
• Low desire and arousal problems common
among women
• Premature ejaculation and erectile problems
common among men
23. Categories of Sexual Dysfunctions
• Hypoactive sexual desire disorder—
characterized by little or no sexual desire
• Sexual aversion disorder—characterized by
active avoidance of genital sexual contact
because of extreme anxiety, fear, or disgust
• Dysparenia—characterized by genital pain
before, during, or after intercourse
• Male orgasmic disorder—in males, delayed
orgasm during intercourse or the inability to
achieve orgasm during intercourse
24. Categories of Sexual Dysfunctions
• Premature ejaculation—in males, characterized
by orgasm occurring before it is desired, often
immediately or shortly after sexual stimulation or
penetration
• Female orgasmic disorder—in females,
characterized by consistent delays in achieving
orgasm or the inability to achieve orgasm
• Vaginismus—characterized by persistent,
involuntary contractions or spasms of the vaginal
muscles, which result in uncomfortable or painful
intercourse
25. Paraphelia
Any of several forms of nontraditional sexual
behavior where sexual gratification depends on
an unusual experience, object, or fantasy
– Exhibitionism—arousal from exposing one’s
genitals to strangers
– Fetishism—arousal in response to inanimate
objects (shoes, leather)
– Frotteurism—arousal from touching or rubbing
against a non-consenting person, such as in a
bus or subway
26. Sexually Transmitted Diseases
(STD)
• STD—any of several infectious diseases
transmitted through sexual intercourse or other
sexual contact
• Of the 19 million cases of STDs diagnosed
annually in the US, about half are among those
aged 15 to 24
• Many STDs have mild or no symptoms, yet left
untreated can cause serious health problems
27.
28. AIDS Epidemic
• Acquired immune deficiency syndrome—caused by
exchange of bodily fluids (blood, blood products, semen)
containing the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which
attacks and weakens the immune system
• HIV can stay in the body for many years without apparent
symptoms
• As the HIV attacks the immune system, the person
becomes very susceptible to other opportunistic diseases
(pneumonia, cancers)
• Highest risk groups are gay men, IV drug users sharing
needles, and people with multiple sex partners
29. Prevention and Treatment
• There is currently no cure for AIDS, but it can be
treated with complex “drug cocktails,” which
improve quality and duration of life, but have
many side effects and are extremely expensive
• Prevention is possible using condoms, not
engaging in other high risk behaviors such as
sharing needles, and improved blood screening
and infection control in health care settings.
