Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

K E Y T E R M S 
gender p. 343
gender roles p. 343
sexism p. 343
gender schema p. 354
 
Module 32 
Gender and Sex 
355
R E C A P / E V A L U A T E / R E T H I N K
R E C A P 
What are the major differences between male and female gen-
der roles?
• Gender is the perception of being male or female. 
Gender roles are the expectations, defi ned by society, of 
what is appropriate behavior for men and women. When 
gender roles refl ect favoritism toward one sex, they lead 
to stereotyping and produce sexism. (p. 343)
• The gender-role stereotype for men suggests that they 
are endowed with competence-related traits, whereas 
women are seen in terms of their capacity for warmth 
and expressiveness. Actual sex differences are much less 
clear and of smaller magnitude than the stereotypes 
would suggest. The differences that do exist are pro-
duced by a combination of biological and environmental 
factors. (p. 344)
• Biological causes of sex difference are refl ected by evi-
dence suggesting a possible difference in brain structure 
and functioning between men and women and may be 
associated with differential exposure to hormones before 
birth. (p. 350)
• An evolutionary approach explains gender differences in 
terms of different male-female concerns regarding the in-
heritance of genes and the need for child rearing, but this 
approach is highly controversial. (p. 351)
• Socialization experiences produce gender schemas, men-
tal frameworks that organize and guide a child’s under-
standing of information relevant to gender. (p. 353)
E VA LU AT E
1.
are sets of societal expectations about what is 
appropriate behavior for men and women.