The document defines key terms related to gender: sex refers to biological categories of male and female, gender refers to culturally constructed distinctions between femininity and masculinity, gender stereotypes are widely held beliefs about abilities and traits, and gender differences are actual disparities between the sexes. Research supports cognitive differences like females performing better at verbal tests and males at math/visual-spatial tests. Research also supports behavioral differences like males being more aggressive and females being more sensitive to cues and susceptible to persuasion. The document discusses how children learn gender roles through processes like operant conditioning, observational learning, and self-socialization. Parents, schools, and media influence children to follow traditional gender roles.

1. Natasha M. Delgado ENGL 3102-150 Dr. Vicente Define the following terms:1. Sex – refers to the biologically based categories of male and female2. Gender – refers to culturally constructed distinctions between femininity and masculinity. 3. Gender stereotypes – are widely held beliefs about males’ and females’ abilities, personality traits, and social behavior.4. Gender differences – are actual disparities between the sexes in typical behavior or average ability.Comprehension Questions
Understanding Gender Differences
1. What is the distinction between a gender stereotype and a gender difference? The distinction between a gender stereotype and a gender difference is that the first is a held belief and the second refers to actual disparities between the sexes. 2. What cognitive gender differences do research support? Research supports the following gender differences: first, females perform better than males in verbal tests; second, males show an advantage in tests of mathematical ability; third, males score higher than females in visual-spatial ability. 3. What behavioral (social) differences do research support? Research supports the existence of three social differences: first, males tend to be more aggressive than females; second, females are more sensitive than males to subtle nonverbal cues; third, females appear to be more susceptible to persuasion and conforming to group pressure than males are. 4. What do the research results say about individual people? The research results say nothing about individual people. It only compares trends in a group of people and not the actual abilities or behavior of an individual. 5. What is socialization? What are gender roles? Socialization is the acquisition of the norms and behavior expected of people in a particular society. Gender roles are expectations about what is appropriate behavior for each sex. 6. What are the three key processes though which children learn their gender roles? Give an example of how each works. The three key processes through which children learn their gender roles are: operant conditioning, observational learning, and self-socialization. An example of operant conditioning is when a boy that gets hurts and doesn’t cry is rewarded with an approving smile or ice-cream. This reinforces his tendency to “act like a man” and suppress emotional displays. An example of observational learning is when a young girl imitates the behavior of her mother, older sister, or female peers or when a boy imitates his father or other male role models. An example of self-socialization is when children get involved in their own socialization and work diligently to discover the rules that are supposed to govern their behavior. 7. How do parents, schools, and the media each influence boys and girls to follow their respective traditional roles? As children grow, parents encourage them to play with different types of toys according to their gender. Also, household chores and leisure activities tend to depend on sex. In school, the books that children use to learn to read influence their ideas about what is suitable behavior for males and females. Males have been portrayed as heroic, clever, and adventurous in these books, while females have been shown doing domestic chores. As they progress through the school system, they are often channeled in careers considered appropriate for their sex. Media content influences boys and girls to follow traditional gender roles. Television shows have traditionally depicted men and woman in highly stereotypic ways. Women are often portrayed as submissive, passive, and emotional, whereas men are more likely to be portrayed as independent, assertive, and competent. Even commercials contribute to the socialization of gender roles. Women are routinely shown worrying about trivial domestic matters.