The biological theory tells us that genes determine a person’s gender. Klinefelters syndrome supports the biological approach as a person with this type of syndrome, where the individual has a XXY chromosome, will suffer from lack of body hair and underdeveloped genitals. Turners syndrome is when a woman is born with XO chromosomes which result in them having short bodies. However, some individuals are born with XY chromosomes and as they grow up, realise that their gender is female. Therefore there is reason to believe that genes may not affect gender development that much as there are a lot of people nowadays who are transgender.
The role of genes in gender development is down to the sex chromosome, which can be made up of two types: X and Y. The combination will determine ones sex; XY for a male and XX for a female. There is usually a direct link between an individual's sex chromosome and their external and internal genitalia – for example, an XX sex chromosome typically causes the development of a vagina and ovaries, whereas an XY sex chromosome typically causes the development of a penis and testes. Chromosomes initially determine a person's sex, but most gender development is a result of hormones. These are produced both prenatally and in adolescence (puberty).
Discuss the biosocial approach to gender dysphoria (24 marks) Discuss the biosocial approach to gender dysphoria (24 marks) Gender dysphoria is defined as a mental disorder in which people are uncomfortable with their gender. The biosocial approach to gender development takes into consideration both biological and social influences on gender identity and emphasises the differences between nature and nurture. The theory proposes that chromosomal and hormone differences in males and females affect gender identity prior to birth but, from birth onwards, social factors also play a crucial role; once children are labelled as a boy or a girl (based on their genitals) they are raised and treated differently. Femininity and masculinity therefore develops partially because of the release of pre-natalhormones and partially because of social factors. The biosocial approach explains gender dysphoria as a disorder which is caused by an interaction between biological and psychosocial factors.
Gender roles are the behaviours that society teach us as appropriate for boys and girls. These are based on gender stereotypes, which are “assumptions made about the characteristics of each gender, such as physical appearance, physical abilities, attitudes, interests or occupations.” (Gooden and Gooden, 2001). This essay will define and discuss gender and its significance throughout early childhood. Gender socialisation will be related to throughout this discussion as the effects of the family, the school, the media and the peer group on gender socialisation will also be looked at. To conclude the essay, statistics and studies will be discussed with relation to gender role socialisation.
Can parts of gender stereotype be biological? Can we link this to how children develop the ability to communicate and how they use it at a young age? There are many researchers discussing whether language acquisition between men and women are indeed different and many believe that its caused by gender bias among our society. The general concept is that we are not born with gender, but that gender is something we perform or learn to do. However, there is evidence to show that even at a young age, boys and girls that learn how to communicate, will learn at different speeds and will struggle with different aspects of learning how to communicate.
For example, masculinity femininity and the male and female anatomy are factors that determine gender identity. Hermaphrodites are individuals who are born with ovarian and testicular tissue, resulting in having a testicle and an ovary. Hermaphrodites are labeled as male or female at birth, so the gender identity and gender role are determined as soon as a newborn in born, known as the sex assignment. However, intersexual individuals are known to have testicles or ovaries, but do not result in having both. Intersexual individuals show either testes or ovaries of one sex, but external genitalia show sexual organs of the other sex.
The evolutionary approach argues that gender role division is a consequence of the adaptation to the challenges and circumstances faced by our ancestors. This suggests that the role differences we observe are more a product of our biological inheritance and evolution than social factors acting on our behavior. As evolutionary theory is a biological approach to gender development, it suggests that our genes have coded aspects of human behavior because they were or are adaptive. However a debate to this approach is the nature vs. nurture approach, nature supporting the evolutionary approach being that we have evolved through survival and adaptation to the situations and therefore passing on the adaptive genes of the survivors. Nurture on the other hand is a view, is a view proposed by the social approach suggesting that behavior is affected by socialization and environment.
Gender development starts at conception, it is from this point forward that one is treated as male or female (WebMD, 2011) . At conception a female embryo has the XX chromosome while the male embryo has the XY chromosome. Those who suffer with a gender identity crisis may possess either the XX or XY chromosome but in fact identify with as well as exhibit traits of the opposite sex. One's sense of gender and one's anatomical sex are two distinct elements: each developing at different times in different parts of the body (Kaneshiro, 2011) . According to Nevid (2008) in his book, Psychology: Concepts and Applications, the biggest argument related to gender identity is the nature versus nurture, the role played by hereditary and environmental factors as well as their relationship to gender identity.
Generally it is widely accepted across the board that early gender socialisation is one of the most important issues in early childhood, as it is affecting both boys and girls. The foundations for stereotypes in gender roles are laid through early gender socialization (Yelland 1998). It must be noted that, early gender socialisation starts at birth and the process is one of learning cultural roles in accordance with one's sex. Many studies have shown that parents treat daughter’s and son’s differently (Jacklin, DiPietro, & Maccoby; Woolett, White, & Lyon; and Parke & O'Leary, in Hargreaves & Colley, 1986; Snow, Jacklin, & Maccoby, 1983; Power, 1981). One study indicates that parents have differential expectations of sons and daughters as early as 24 hours after birth (Rubin, Provenzano, & Luria, 1974).
Socio- biologists argue that biology, meaning our genetic make up; shapes the behavior of the individual and in turn also determines social in-equalities such as gender inequalities present in society. Socio- biologists believe that the sex a person is born, categorizes them into the way society will perceive and treat them, this theory is known as biological determinism(O’ Shaughnessy and Stadler, 2006). Socio- constructionists believe however that ‘gender is a social distinction between men and women (Germov & Poole, 2007) and you are not born a woman or a man but rather female or male and develop into either a woman or a man due to society and its structures .Social ideologies such as gender hierarchy, culture, order and institutions are said to contribute to gender inequality, not the sex of the person as thought by socio-biologists. Prior to the feminist movement in Australia in the 1970’s, the word ‘gender’ did not exist; there was very much a socio-biologists view present in society at this time. This meant there was great masses of gender inequality present in Australia, males and females role’s in society were given to them based on a whole range of other differences: ‘bodily strength and speed, physical skills (men have mechanical skills and women are good at homemaking work i.e.