Sex, Gender and Androgyny

Gender – Gender Development

In this course, Dr Christine McKnight (Cardiff Metropolitan University) explores gender development and dysphoria. In the first lecture, we think about sex, gender, and androgyny, as well as gender stereotypes. In the second lecture, we think about the roles of hormones and chromosomes, and the consequences of atypical hormone patterns. In the third lecture, we think about cognitive and psychodynamic explanations of gender, including theories from Piaget, Kohlberg, and Freud. Next, we think about the role of social learning theory in gender development. In the fifth and final lecture, we think about atypical gender, including the links between gender dysphoria and non-binary gender identities.

Sex, Gender and Androgyny

In this lecture, we think about sex, gender and androgyny, focusing in particular on: (i) the biological nature of the term ‘sex’, based on chromosomes and gene expression, compared to gender, which is an internal perception of the self; (ii) gender dysphoria, as a result of an individual’s sex and gender not being in accordance; (iii) gender stereotypes, including women being the gender which cares for children and shows more compassion; (iv) Robert Stoller’s coining of the term ‘gender identity’ in 1964; (v) androgyny, as a descriptive term for someone who displays both masculine and feminine traits; (vi) the Bem Sex-Role Inventory, which is designed to assess a participant’s masculinity, femininity and androgyny.