PSYC 304 Chapter Notes -Prenatal Hormones And Sexual Orientation, Real Sex, Sexual Differentiation
8 Dec 2011
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Schapter 15: gender role development and sex differences. Sex differentiation: the biological process through which physical differences between sexes emerge. Gender role (sex-role stereotype): a pattern or set of behaviours considered appropriate for males or females within a particular culture. Sex typing: the process by which children develop the behaviours and attitudes considered appropriate for their gender: theories of gender-role development and sex differences, evolutionary and biological approaches, evolutionary approaches. One way in which the reproductive roles of males and females differ is in the relative investment each makes to parenting and to mating. For females, each copulation brings with it the possibility of conception and 9 months of pregnancy; thus, females have a large potential investment in each copulation. Males on the other hand, need to invest little more than sperm and the energy required for copulation. So, females have evolved to be choosier about their mates whereas males evolved to focus their efforts largely on mating.
