Origins of Gender

1. GENDER

2. ESSENTIAL QUESTION
& LEARNING OUTCOMES
• Essential Question: How do humans develop
gender identities and expressions?
• Learning Outcomes
• We are learning how our nature & nurture contribute to our
gender identities.
• We are going to be able to apply what we have learned so
far to answer a real world question.
• We are learning this because it will help us explore the
formation of our identities and perception of self.

3. SEX & GENDER
SEX
• Biological differences
between males and
females.
• Chromosomes (female
XX, male XY),
reproductive organs
(ovaries, testes),
hormones (estrogen,
testosterone).
GENDER
• The cultural differences
expected of men and
women according to
their sex.

4. GENDER IDENTITY & EXPRESSION
GENDER IDENTITY
Your internal
knowledge of your
gender – for
example, your
knowledge that
you’re a man, a
woman, or another
gender.
GENDER EXPRESSION
How a person
presents their
gender on the
outside, often
through behavior,
clothing, hairstyle,
voice or body
characteristics.

5. THEORIES ON THE
ORIGINS OF GENDER
• Today, we will explore different theories that help us
explain how humans form their gender identities.
• Some Theories…
• Evolutionary Theory
• Biological Theory
• Social Learning Theory

6. NATURE:
EVOLUTIONARY THEORY
• Our behavior is shaped by behaviors that make us most
likely to reproduce and allow our genes to continue.
• Men & Women have faced different evolutionary
challenges, which have resulted in gender differences.
• Men are competitive and aggressive because it helps
attract a mate & provide for their child.
• Women are caring & nurturing because the need to raise a
child and care for a man that will support them.

7. CRITICISM OF
EVOLUTIONARY THEORY
• There are differences in gender roles between cultures.
Why would this be?
• As cultures change, so do the gender roles within it.
• Humans show individual differences in gender
roles/identities/expressions.

8. NATURE:
BIOLOGICAL THEORY
• Biological differences in the brains and bodies lead to
differences in behavior.
• Assumes that there are no differences between gender
and sex.

9. BIOLOGICAL THEORY
EVIDENCE
• Men and women do generally have minor differences in
the brain.
• For example, women have more activity in both sides of
the brain when engaging in language tasks while men rely
on their right side.

10. BIOLOGICAL STUDIES
• Method: Young (1995) performed an experiment where they
gave extra doses of testosteroneto female rats when they
were young.
• Findings: The researchers found that testosterone filled
females demonstrated more aggressive behavior that was
more similar to typical male rats.
• Conclusions: Elevated testosterone impacts the behavior of
rats.

11. NURTURE: SOCIAL LEARNING
THEORY
• Gender roles are leaned through the observation of same-
sex models and direct tuition.
• Same Sex Models: Humans look towards people that are
similar to them to learn how to behave. They then imitate
these behaviors.
• Direct Tuition: Acceptable gender behavior is rewarded by
significant others and gender inappropriate behavior is
discouraged.

12. SAME SEX MODELS

13. DIRECT TUITION

14. DEVELOPMENT OF
GENDER IDENTITIES
• By the time children are 2 years old, they generally can
identify whether they are female or male with certainty.
• By the time children are 4-5 years old, their gender
identities become rigid. These perceptions can remain for
years.
• Children on Gender Roles

15. PERSONAL RESPONSE
QUESTION
• Based on your own experiences and
your understanding of psychology,
which of the theories do you think most
impacted your development of gender
identity & expression? Are you able to
answer that question? Why or why not?
• To what extent does nature and/or
nurture impact our development of
gender identity & expression?

16. TAKE AWAY POINTS
• It is not possible to pinpoint any particular cause of
gender identities or expressions. We are a complex mix of
biological, social, and evolutionary processes. In short,
every person has multiple factors that will impact their
gender identities and expressions. There is no right or
wrong in this process, it is simply something that happens
to each of us.
• Because of this complexity, it is important to understand &
respect the experiences of transgender, non-binary, and
all other people who identify or express their genders
along the gender spectrum.

17. THE GENDER SPECTRUM

18. TRANSGENDER
Transgender is a broad term that can be used to describe
people whose gender identity is different from the gender
they were thought to be when they were born. “Trans” is
often used as shorthand for transgender.
To treat a transgender person with respect, you treat them
according to their gender identity, not their sex at birth. So,
someone who lives as a woman today is called a transgender
woman and should be referred to as “she” and “her.”
A transgender man lives as a man today and should be
referred to as “he” and “him.”

19. • Describe the person in the photograph. Just make note of what you see; don’t
draw any conclusions.
• What do you imagine the person in the photo is thinking about and feeling?
• What feelings do you have when you look at the photo?
• What does this photo reveal about identities?

20. • Describe the person in the photograph. Just make note of what you see; don’t
draw any conclusions.
• What do you imagine the person in the photo is thinking about and feeling?
• What feelings do you have when you look at the photo?
• What does this photo reveal about identities?

21. UNDERSTANDING THE
TRANSGENDER EXPERIENCE
• Complete your 3, 2, 1 chart by listing…
• 3 new things that you have learned.
• 2 ways that the transgender community can be
respected and supported.
• 1 question that you have about this topic.
• An Introduction to Transgender People
• A Transgender Teen Shares a Powerful Message
• Beyond the Gender Binary