Transcript Gender - Introduction to Human Behavior

Gender
Complete this sentence…
A positive aspect of being female is ...
A positive aspect of being male is ...
A negative aspect of being female is ...
A negative aspect of being male is ...
Females are rewarded for being ...
Males are rewarded for being ...
Females are disadvantaged because of ...
Males are disadvantaged because of …
What is Gender?
• The behavioral and psychological traits
considered appropriate for males and
females
– Examples?
Gender roles:
– The specific behaviors and attitudes that a
society establishes for men and women.
How do we learn our roles?
• Socialization!
– Especially when we are young….
Which did Santa
bring YOU for
Christmas?
Ever heard this little ditty?
What are little boys made of?
What are little boys made of?
Frogs and snails,
And puppy tails,
That’s what little boys are made of.
What are little girls made of?
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice,
And all that is nice,
That’s what little girls are made of.
Gender Norms
Gender Norm: What OUR society tells us we SHOULD
look and act like…
– the overt expression of attitudes that indicate to others
the degree of your “maleness” or “femaleness”…
Transgender
The precise definition for transgender remains in flux, but
includes:
• "Of, relating to, or designating a person whose identity
does not conform to conventional notions of male or
female gender roles, but combines or moves between
these."
• "People who were assigned a sex, usually at birth and
based on their genitals, but who feel that this is a false
or incomplete description of themselves."
• "Non-identification with, or non-presentation as, the
sex (and assumed gender) one was assigned at birth."
Gender Norm Violation Examples
Norm: men pay for dinner/date
Violation: woman pays for dinner/date
Norm: men open car door
Violation: woman opens door for man
Norm: men smoke cigars
Violation: woman smokes cigar
Norm: women wear make up
Violation: man wears make up
Norm: women make dinner
Violation: man makes dinner
Norm: women stay home and raise children
Violation: man stays home and raises children
Others you can think of?
Can gender norms change?
Example?
What is the problem with
gender norms?
Gender Stereotypes
Gender Stereotypes
Problems for American Kids?
How are gender stereotypes problematic?
• “I’m not smart like Steve Jobs, therefore, I’m a
failure.
• “I’m not pretty like Scarlett Johanson, therefore
I’ll never get a date.”
• “I’m not as skinny as Taylor Swift… so I’m fat.”
• “I’m not ripped like Channing Tatum…so I’m a
wuss”
Creates false, negative beliefs about self.
Gives kids reasons to bully… “You’re different”
What is Morality?
mo·ral·i·ty/məralətē/
Noun: Principles concerning the distinction
between right and wrong or good and bad
behavior.
Moral Code: A system of Morality
– Ex: The Golden Rule
Morality
• Morality describes the principles that govern
behavior.
• Without these principles societies cannot
survive
• In today's world, morality is frequently linked
to religion, but everyone adheres to a moral
doctrine of some kind.
Why do we need it?
• Morality is important on three levels.
• C.S. Lewis defines them as:
(1) to ensure fair play and harmony between
individuals;
(2) to help make us good people in order to have
a good society; and
(3) to keep us in a good relationship with the
power that created us.
Let’s RefLect on ouR own
MoRaLs…
• Morality is an ambiguous and often
immensely difficult thing to wrap our heads
around.
• More often than not, we recognize a kind of
“Moral Ambiguity” common to the human
experience.
– a complex situation that will often involve an
apparent mental conflict between moral
imperatives, in which to obey one would result in
transgressing another
Let’s RefLect on ouR own
MoRaLs…
• PLEASE NOTE:
– Indecision in the face of moral ambiguity does not
make you immoral.
– It makes you human.
– We all struggle from time to time. Moral absolutes
are convenient, but seldom seen in our lives.
• What would you do if….
1. You pass someone in the street who is in
severe need and you are able to help them at
little cost to yourself. Do you help?
….Not too tricky, here.
2. You have a brother. You know that someone
has been seriously injured as a result of
criminal activity undertaken by him. You live in
a country where the police and legal system
are generally trustworthy. Do you inform them
of your brother's crime?
3. You are able to help some people, but you can
only do so by harming other people. The number
of people harmed will always be 10 % of those
helped. When considering whether it is morally
justified to help does the actual number of
people involved make any difference?
For example, does it make a difference if you
are helping ten people by harming one person
rather than helping 100,000 people by harming
10,000 people?
5. You own an unoccupied property. You are
contacted by a refugee group which
desperately needs somewhere to house a
person seeking asylum who is being unjustly
persecuted in a foreign country. Your
anonymity is assured. You have every reason
to believe that no harm will come to your
property. Are you morally obliged to allow
them to use your property?
6. You can save the lives of ten innocent people
by killing one other innocent person. Are you
morally obliged to do so?