GENDER
Group Process: Trends in
Adolescent Gender and Sexuality
• ―Dead-Beat‖ parenting is an occurrence
that is increasing in our society. Discuss
the potential impact that this could have on
adolescent gender identity development
and the types of choices that they make
about dating and sexual expression.
Group Process: Trends in
Adolescent Gender and Sexuality
• As a group, you have been asked to give
insight to parents and teachers on the
issue of what they can do help children
make positive decisions about sex.
• Identify 5 key points that you would
emphasize.
Pubertal Change and Sexuality
• Variations in hormone levels (androgen) have been found to
increase behaviors associated with stereotyped masculine
and feminine behaviors.
– Sexuality and expression, especially in boys
– While associated with sexuality in girls, peer pressure was more
influential to sexual expression
• Gender differences…Nature or Nurture
Social Influences
• Parents tend to place greater restrictions on their
daughters than sons.
• Families with daughters report more conflict with
parents:
– Regarding sex
– Choice of friends
– Curfews
• Parents place different academic expectations on sons
and daughters
Social Cognitive Theory of Gender
• This theory emphasizes that children’s and adolescents’
gender development occurs through observations and
imitation of gender behavior, and through rewards and
punishments and inappropriate behaviors.
– The family. Adolescents with working moms have fewer
stereotypes about gender roles.
– Daughters of employed mothers have higher educational and
occupational aspirations than do daughters of homemakers
(Learning is often diffused through the mom—the type of
initiative that mother possesses has significant impact on
development of children).
– The peer. Adolescents get enormous socialization on gender
roles from their peer groups.
School and Teacher Influences
• Concerning Issues on gender differences:
– Girls’ learning problems are not identified as often as boys’ learning
problems
– Boys are given the lion’s share of attention in schools
– Girls start school testing higher than boys in every academic subject,
yet they graduate from high school scoring lower than boys do in the
SAT exam
– Pressure to achieve is more likely to be heaped on boys than on girls
– Studies have indicated that in classrooms (all grades), males tend to
dominate discussion in groups & open discussions. Especially when
the class is majority male.
• Other studies have purported that females tend to be quite assertive in
classes where females are the majority.
Mass-Media Influences
• Points of concern:
– Media projects females to be concerned mostly about dating,
shopping, and their appearance.
– Attractive girls are shown as airheads and intelligent girls are shown
as unattractive
– Females more likely to be dressed provocatively
• Cognitive Influences:
– Cognitive developmental theory of gender. Children’s gender-typing
occurs after they have developed a concept of gender. Once they
begin to consistently conceive themselves as male or females,
children often organize their world on the basis of gender.
– Gender schema theory. An individuals attention and behavior are
guided by an internal motivation to conform to gender-based
sociocultural standards and stereotypes.
Gender Stereotyping
• Gender stereotyping are broad categories that reflect our impressions
and beliefs about females and males. Are they pervasive in our society
today?
– Males. Dominant, independent, aggressive, achievement oriented, and
enduring
– Females. Nurturant, affiliative, less esteemed, and more helpful in times of
distress
• Sexism. Prejudice and discrimination against an individual because of
her or his sex. Prevalence?
– Sexism on the job? Women on average have lower incomes than men for
the same job task
– Sexism in social expression? Referring to mature women as girls.
– Sexism in education? Women are sometimes given communication that
certain occupations are not for women (i.e., natural science, math, military,
politics). 96% registered nurses are female. No major league baseball
players are female.
Gender Similarities and Differences
Enormous research suggests that cognitive differences
between males and females are insignificant (pp. 327).
• Deborah Tannen distinguishes between rapport talk and
report talk:
– Rapport talk. The language of conversation, establishing
connections, and negotiating relationships.
• Females tend to dominate more in this area. Trait of relationship
building.
– Report talk. Talk tat gives information; public speaking is an
example.
• Males tend to dominate in report talk (public lecturing, telling jokes, story
telling).
PLAY
• Boys tend to play and interact in larger groups and there is
competition and hierarchal ordering (there typically is a
leader). Play involves a goal of winning and there is much
discussion as to who is the best.
– Boys tend to play more aggressively than girls
– More active
– Less likely to regulate their emotions
• Girls tend to play in smaller groups and there tends to be
less competition. Turn taking is often associated with play
and more communication skills through play.
– According to Carol Gilligan, girls are more relationship oriented.
ADOLESCENCE AND
SEXUALITY
COMMON MYTHS ABOUT SEXUALITY
• If intercourse stops before the male ejaculates then pregnancy will not occur.
• If I have intercourse while standing, no one will get pregnant.
• I cannot get pregnant if one of us uses a condom or some form of contraception.
• I cannot get pregnant on the first time of intercourse.
• If I do not discuss sex with my children, perhaps they will not have sex or know
nothing about it.
• Douching is an effective means of contraception.
• My children are not having sex because they are good kids and I raised them to
know better.
• The responsibility for birth control falls in the hands of the female, after all, boys
will be boys.
Important Notes About Sexuality and
Expression
• 80% of adolescents have had intercourse by age 19.
• 80% of males living in the inner-city and in low SES
communities report having had intercourse by age 14.
• Adolescent females report being in love as the main
motivation for sexual behavior.
• Youth engaging in intercourse before age 16 tend to
demonstrate risky behavior including poor use of
contraceptives, excessive drinking, drug use, delinquency,
and school-related problems.
• Risk factors for problems related to sexual activity include
SEC, parenting strategies, modeling sexual behavior,
pregnancy by siblings.
IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT TEENAGE
PREGNANCY
• 30,000 pregnancies occur annually in the us among girls under the age of
15.
• 1 out of 12 unmarried female American teenagers become pregnant each
year; about half of them will carry the pregnancy to term.
• Half of all first pregnancies occur within the first 6 months of becoming
sexually active.
• 6 out of 10 teenage females who have a child before age 17 will be
pregnant again before age 19.
• America’s teenage birth rate is the highest in the Western hemisphere; it is
double the rate of Sweden, and is an astonishing 17 times higher than
Japan.
• 4 out of 10 girls now 14 years old will get pregnant in their teens.
IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT TEENAGE
PREGNANCY
• Adolescent pregnancy and unwed mothers continue to be a serious
problem in the US even though the rate is lower than it was in the 1940’s.
• Adolescent pregnancy rate is 4 times the rate of Western European
countries; even though it has declined by 22%.
• Teen pregnancy currently costs the US more than $7 billion per year.
• About half of all teenage mothers and 75% of unmarried teenage moms
receive welfare within five years of giving birth of their first child.
• 45% of 1st born children and 33% of all children in the US have mothers
who are unmarried, teenagers, or mothers without a high school degree.
• The number of girls who become pregnant between the ages of 15 and 19
years will increase by 2.2 million between 1995 and 2010.
IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT SEXUALITY
AND EXPRESSION
• Over 900,000 adolescents become pregnant annually.
• About 33% of females aged 15 to 17 do not understand
the human fertility cycle.
• 12% of students believe the birth control pill protects
against aids.
• About 25% adolescents believe looking at a person can
enable to identify whether or not someone has AIDS.
Risk Factors For Childbirth Before Age 17
• Health risks of pregnant teens/Infants with LBW.
• Mothers dropping out of school/ Only 50% of mothers
complete school by age 26.
• Children with more behavior difficulties/ Children with
neurological problems.
• Children with lower intelligence scores.
• Children with more illnesses.
• Mothers and infants living in poverty.
• Only 25% of adolescent fathers remain involved.
Adolescents and STDs
• 25% of sexually active adolescents contract an STD every
year. Most common STDs are as follows:
– Gonorrhea. Bacterium; thrives in moist membranes; treated
successfully with antibiotics.
– Syphilis. Bacterium; prefers warm, moist areas; attacks CNS;
treated with antibiotics.
– Chlamydia. Bacterium; infects genitals; highly infectious; 25% if
females become infertile.
– Genital Herpes. Virus; many strains; recurring blisters and sores.
– AIDS. Virus; destroys the immune system; death results from
common illnesses.
SEX and CULTURE
• Forcible sexual behavior and sexual harassment are
unfortunate byproducts of a sensual culture.
• Four key dynamics describe this occurrence:
– Rape. Forced, non-consenting sexual intercourse.
– Date rape. Coercive sexual activity with a know perpetrator.
– Quid pro quo sexual harassment. Forced sexual compliance in
exchange for protection from negative education outcomes.
– Hostile environmental sexual harassment. Forced sexual contact
that negatively impacts work.