Gender and Sexuality. Some Definitions Sex—the biological category of male or female; sexual intercourse Gender—cultural, social, and psychological meanings.

Gender and Sexuality

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

Gender Related Differences• Gender-role stereotypes are the beliefs and

expectations people hold about the characteristics and behaviors of each sex

• The differences between men and women are average differences, not absolute differences.

• Knowing that a gender difference exists in no way explains what caused that difference.

• Differences do not mean deficiencies• Three main areas of gender differences

– Personality– Cognitive abilities– Sexual attitudes and behaviors

Personality Differences

• No significant differences between men and women on most characteristics

• Women tend to be more nurturant than men

• Men tend to be more assertive than women

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

Males & Females differ in their memory abilities. See the video from NBC News.

“His” and “Her” Brains? Male and female brains are much more alike than

they are dissimilar

Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors

• Reported differences between males and females in these areas have become less pronounced since the 1960s

• Some differences did emerge in meta-analysis of 170 studies. Compared to women, men…– tend to have more sexual partners, – experience first intercourse at an earlier age,– masturbate more frequently than women.

Are women really more emotional than men?

• Research findings suggest that men and women differ little in their experience of emotions.

• However, women more easily express their emotions and display more emotional awareness.

• The expression of emotions is strongly determined by culturally determined display rules.

• In the United States and many other cultures, women are allowed a wider range of emotional expressiveness and responsiveness than men.

Men, Women, & Conflict:

Bridging the Gender Gap

Communication & Conflict• Researchers have found that men and

women communicate differently when dealing with problems, emotional issues, and interpersonal conflict – Women often become the “emotion managers”

and “care-takers of intimacy” in close relationships.

– During emotional conflicts, men are more likely than women to experience flooding—feeling overwhelmed by their own emotions

– When men experience flooding, they typically go into the stonewalling mode—which frustrates and angers women, who react by flooding

Breaking the Cycle• Suggestions for breaking the vicious

circle of flooding-stonewalling-flooding include the following: – Be aware of gender differences

– Call a time-out if you are feeling overwhelmed

– Focus on constructive thoughts during the time-out

– Keep the focus on maintaining the relationship