Gender Role Behavior Research Articles

Reproductive Ethics and Family

Reproductive Ethics and Family

Gender-role behaviour and gender identity in girls with classical congenital adrenal hyperplasia

IntroductionGirls with classical congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) are exposed to excess fetal adrenal androgens in-utero, and often born with masculinised genitalia. They are conventionally reared as females, but show more “boyish” gender-role behaviour (GRB) and gender-identity (GI) issues in childhood and adolescence. Male-rearing is also reported mainly due to delayed treatment and/or socio-cultural factors. We compared GRB/GI in girls with CAH with healthy age matched children, and explored for associations with socio-demographic and diagnosis/treatment related factors.MethodsGRB and GI were assessed using the Gender Identity Questionnaire for children (GIQC) in 27 girls with classical CAH at a specialised clinic, and compared with 50 age-matched healthy controls, with exploratory-analysis based on socio-demographic and diagnosis/treatment-related factors.ResultsGirls with CAH had lower total GIQC scores compared to healthy children (3.29 vs. 4.04, p = < 0.001) with lower GRB score (3.39 vs. 4.23, p < 0.001), and tendency for lower GI score (3.19 vs. 3.5, p = 0.08). Exploratory analysis showed no differences based on diagnosis/treatment factors including age, degree of virilisation at diagnosis and surgical procedures. and only subtle changes based on ethnicity and maternal education.Discussion/conclusionGirls with CAH managed at a specialised centre showed more masculinised GRB and tendency for ambiguous GI, which did not vary upon diagnosis/treatment related factors, suggesting that prenatal androgen exposure was the likely contributor. Clinicians should be vigilant about the increased risk of gender-related problems in girls with CAH, irrespective of sociocultural background and despite early treatment.

The transformation of emotional component of gender identity of adolescent girls

The subject of this research is the emotional component of gender identity of adolescent girls. The goal is to determine the specificity of transformation of the emotional component of gender identity of adolescent girls. The author meticulously analyzes the transformation of emotional component of gender identity of adolescent girls. Gender identity implies the internal dynamic structure that integrates separate aspects of personality, associated with perception of oneself as a representative of particular gender and self-regulation of the gender-role behavior. Research methodology is based on the cultural-historical theory of mental development of a person developed by L. S. Vygotsky, age periodization developed by D. B. Elkonin, conceptual positions in the context of studying gender problematic developed by E. P. Ilyin, V. E. Kagan, I. S. Kletsina, N. Y. Flotskaya, and other works.. The empirical basis includes 30 adolescent girls from the nuclear families. The age of respondents from the first to the fourth year of research was 12-13, 14, 15, and 16-17 y.o. respectively. This article is first to theoretically substantiate and provide empirical evidence of the existence of transformation of emotional component of gender identity of girls during their puberty period. The author determines the qualitative characteristics of emotional component of gender identity of girls at early, middle, and later stages of adolescence. The conclusion is made that the emotional component of gender identity of adolescent girls transforms throughout the earlier adolescence to later adolescence. Therefore, at the age of 12-13, teenage girls perceive their mother as exigent, while seeing the father as rather positive. At the age of 14, girls perceive the father as emotionally detached, indifferent, while the attitude towards the mother is unstable and changeable. At the age of 15, the father is perceived as antagonistic and emotionally detached, while the mother is also perceived as antagonistic and indifferent. By the age of 16-17, girls form attitudes towards themselves through the current and future social roles &amp;ndash; daughter, sister, mother, wife.

Gender Matter, Social Phobia and High-Risk Behaviors in Young Medical Students.

Young is one of the most sensitive stages of human life. Social phobia and high-risk behaviors are factors that enhance young crises. This study aimed to determine the relationship between gender role, social phobia and high-risk behaviors among young medical students. In this descriptive correlational study, 400 students were selected by quota sampling method from a medical university in Southeastern Iran. For data collection, the demographic information questionnaire, Gender Trait Index (GTI), Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN), and Iranian Adolescent and Young Risk-Taking Scale (IAYRS) were used. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics including mean and SD and analytic statistics such as Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests using SPSS 25 and p ≤ .05. The mean scores of masculinity and femininity gender roles were 38.98 ± 7.92 and 44.12 ± 7.76, respectively. Also, 70.5% of the students had dominant feminine traits, and the gender identity was high in 58.8% of the students and moderate in 40.2% of them. Social phobia (37.12 ± 12.61) and high-risk behaviors (81.77 ± 26.08) were moderate. A significant inverse relationship was found between masculine traits and social phobia (p <0.001). Another significant inverse relationship was observed between feminine traits and high-risk behaviors (p <0.05). Given the poor relationship between gender role, social phobia and high-risk behaviors, it is essential to conduct further studies to determine the predictors of social phobia and high-risk behaviors in medical students.

Living Up to a Name: Gender Role Behavior Varies With Forename Gender Typicality.

Forenames serve as proxies for gender labels that activate gender stereotypes and gender socialization. Unlike rigid binary gender categories, they differ in the degree to which they are perceived as “masculine” or “feminine.” We examined the novel hypothesis that the ability of a forename to signal gender is associated with gender role behavior in women (n = 215) and men (n = 127; M = 19.32, SD = 2.11) as part of a larger study evaluating forenames used in resume research. Compared to individuals endorsing a “gender-strong” forename, those perceiving their forename as relatively “gender-weak” reported less gender-typical childhood social behavior and a weaker expression of gender-linked personality traits. Our findings suggest that forenames strengthen or weaken gender socialization, gender identification, and so contribute to the variable expression of gender role behavior within binary gender groups.

Issues of gender pedagogy: teaching boys the masculinity (preschool childhood stage)

The article deals with the issues of supporting and developing the gender identity of boys at the stage of preschool childhood. The authors argue that it is possible to form the socially determined ideas about males in boys and to teach them the gender behavior based on these ideas but it should be carried out at the stage of pre-school childhood. The article contains the material of the experiment including specially selected forms, methods and conditions for teaching boys the masculinity at a senior pre-school age. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that the totality of the findings contains a solution to the problem: the special forms and methods of working with preschoolers used in teaching allowed us to form specific features of gender-role behavior at a pre-school age. The theoretical significance is that the study defines the components of gender identity (cognitive, emotional-personal, behavioral) and their content, and identifies the factors that contribute to the development of gender identity in boys. The practical significance of the study lies in the applied orientation of the findings that can be widely employed in the practice of pre-school educational organizations.

ОСОБЕННОСТИ «Я-КОНЦЕПЦИИ» РОССИЙСКИХ ЖЕНЩИН-СОТРУДНИКОВ ПОЛИЦИИ

The article presents data from an empirical study of the features of the “I-concept” of Russian female police officers. An increasing number of women realise themselves in professions traditionally seen as those suitable principally for men, including working in the police. The authors consider the socio-psychological issue of transformation of gender-role behavior and related stereotypes, which contributes to a blurring of the boundaries between male and female in the structure of the psyche of the person, and naturally causes a transformation of the «I-concept» of female police officers. Differences in the cognitive component of the “I-concept” of female police officers and civil women were revealed: women working outside military forces are more likely to think of themselves in an aesthetic and family context, while female police officers imagine themselves in a social and professional context, which is more typical for the “I-concept” of male type. The proportion of female police officers using male-type behavior and strategies to identify themselves “I am a police officer” is significantly larger than the proportion of civilian women who prefer masculine patterns of behavior when identifying with their organization. The cognitive component of the “I-concept” of female police officers is characterized by the pronounced ambivalence in the family and socio-professional spheres. Given the priority of the family sphere in the “I-concept”, professional activity and its effectiveness become a secondary and tertiary concern, or the priority of the police service in the “I-concept” of female police officers assigns only the second and third role to the family sphere. Statistically significant differences were revealed in the structure of self-esteem, self-sympathy and self-acceptance of women of two groups, namely: female police officers are more self-confident, their self-respect is based on faith in themselves and their strength, independence, their reliance on their abilities, skills and capacities manifested against a backdrop of unstable auto-sympathy and a high need for social approval, prevailing focusing on social norms and success criteria. In contrast, civilian women have higher self-esteem, an active life position concerning themselves and society, trust and a positive attitude towards themselves, and awareness of their creative potential for a productive life and activity.

Déterminisme sexuel, différenciation gonadique et identité du genre

The description of the stages of sexual differenciation shows the initial intervention of the sexual chromosomes marked by the appearance of the Y chromosome on which “sex determining region of the Y chromosome” (SRY) is located. A cascade of genes occurs in a precise chronological order and contributes to the differentiation of a primitive gonad towards the anatomical structure of ovary or testis. The testis secretes testosterone, the main androgen, which enables penile development and testicular descent and contributes to the so-called masculine phenotype of the external genitalia. The testis also secretes a peptide hormone, the anti-mullerian hormone (AMH), which prevents the development of the tubes and uterus. This is how a man does not have a uterus. There is a tendency to consider that the absence of the Y chromosome conditions the development of internal genitalia in women and that the absence of testosterone maintains female-type genitalia. The recent identification of genes specific to the maintenance of ovarian architecture, assuring reproductive function, shows that in reality female development takes place through an active process and that the development of the genitals is associated with the production from estrogens by conversion or aromatization of androgens. Several authors have shown that in an individual there can be a discrepancy between somatic reality (sex) and psychic reality (gender role behavior) and thus open up the concept of gender identity. Thus, a number of men and women live at odds with their assigned sex and their gender identity. To date, no pathophysiological, hormonal or molecular support for gender identity disorders or dysphoria has been identified. The demand for care mainly concerns gender reassignment as in transsexuals. Its management is well codified with the establishment of a multidisciplinary consultation for the decision of hormonal and surgical treatment. In other cases, the demand for care is mostly absent. It often remains the consequence of the feeling of rejection of difference and of socio-cultural isolation.

The role of Christianity in gender issues and development in Nigeria

Gender issues permeate all socio-cultural institutions. They condition how people of different genders see themselves, act and relate with each other in any giving situation and time. In Nigeria, the issue of gender is one that affects all facets of human life. It affects personality traits, gender role behaviour, social status, acquisition of property, inheritance, occupation and responsibility in the family, and society. Since most traditional African societies are patriarchal, of which Nigeria is one, it is assumed that the women are subjugated and relegated to the background. This situation has created tension and unhealthy relationship between males and females in Nigerian societies because of the seeming undue advantage the men have over the women. It has also hampered harnessing of women potentials in Nigeria’s developmental process and progress. Christianity as a religion in Nigeria is a dominant force in the lives of men and women. Since its emergence in Nigeria, many people have embraced the religion and its teaching thus changing most of the cultural values of the people. Against this backdrop, this work explored conflicts and challenges associated with gender issues and how Christianity has used some faith-based organisations to address the issue, so as to promote holistic development policy and practices in Nigeria. The methodology used in this article is the phenomenological method of research. It was used so as to provide an objective report on the findings of this research. Contribution: This article advocates for a committed contemporary approach, especially from the Church towards ameliorating the gender disparity in Nigeria and within the Church. Although the context is Nigeria, Christian belief of Jesus Christ as the liberator of humanity emphasised could be applied to other contexts too.

The interplay of cultural expectation, gender role, and communicative behavior

Abstract A number of pragmatic studies have reported on gender variations in compliment-responding linguistic behavior. However, how people of different gender roles react to compliments was rarely compared. The earlier literature reported that men and women’s values and priorities are incompatible, something which can have a significant impact on their reactions to compliments. The present study, therefore, investigates how people of different gender roles pragmalinguistically respond to different kinds of compliments, such as on appearance, ability, possessions, or personality traits. A discourse completion test, designed to elicit people’s compliment-responding patterns under different scenarios, was then distributed to 600 male and female adult informants. The results showed that the respondents’ reactions to compliments were mostly conditioned by their own gender roles. In addition, the male and female participants’ preferential compliment-responding behaviors were manifestations of the social expectations on masculinity and femininity in their particular speech community.

Analysis of Gender Role Behaviors in Accordance with Visual Expression of Disney Animation: Focusing on Female Characters of Mulan, Tangled, Moana, and Frozen 2

Analysis of Gender Role Behaviors in Accordance with Visual Expression of Disney Animation: Focusing on Female Characters of Mulan, Tangled, Moana, and Frozen 2

Switching selves?: The effects of gender role behaviour on women’s work and relationships

ABSTRACT Women early in their career life cycle navigate gender roles and make decisions about their professional and personal lives. These decisions and experiences establish an important foundation for women’s occupational trajectories and may inform career development efforts. Thus, we examined communal and agentic behaviours at work and at home among employed, heterosexual, emerging adult women (N = 182) in the US. Quantitative cluster analyses indicated unique configurations of agentic and communal behaviour among women with implications for women’s job and romantic relationship satisfaction. Results further psychological insight into gender-role-related outcomes in work and life settings and provide material to broadly inform future research and organizational-level and societal-level interventions focused on helping women thrive at work and home.

Identity, Sexuality, and Parenthood in Women with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia.

To explore how women with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) describe their experiences of gender role behavior, psychosexual development, and intimate relationships. CAH results in increased androgen exposure in affected females, and is the most common reason for unclear sex at birth. Women with CAH have been studied to find answers to the role of androgens in psychosexual development. Nevertheless, factors that may account for the variability of outcomes in women with CAH are unclear. This was a qualitative study with 13 Swedish women (aged ≥18years) with CAH. Semi-structured interviews were analyzed using inductive content analysis. Direct quotes of patients' experiences derived from interview transcripts were sorted in categories, subcategories, and according to latent theme. The main categories were "forming identity" and "establishing relationships." Forming identity encompasses that of a girl, a tomboy, and/or a woman. Establishing relationships focuses on intimate relationships, pregnancy, and parenthood. A latent theme was interpreted as "shifting perspectives," with CAH being the main focus of some participants' lives but a side issue for others. These women's experiences are varied and describe shifting perspectives on how much CAH affects their lives. Health care providers can play an important role in helping women with CAH to separate what is caused by the condition and what is not. The long-term goal is to help girls and women to feel in control of their condition across their whole life.

Stereotypes in the Work–Family Interface as an Obstacle to Social Change? Evidence Form a Hungarian Vignette Study

The current study approaches gender in a frame of social and biological dimensions. A vignette study was conducted in Hungary in which we explored people’s perceptions regarding male or female actors behaving in a modern or in a traditional way in a work–family conflict (caring for a sick child). Respondents ( N = 297) evaluated the femininity and masculinity of the actor and the appropriateness of his/her choice. We found that modern gender role behavior triggers approval. Biological sex (male or female actor) and social role of the actor influenced perceptions regarding femininity, but masculinity evaluations were solely based on social role. Thus, our results confirmed the existence of asymmetries in the perceptions of female and male gender role vanguards: modern males are seen similar to traditional females, but similar conflation is not present in the case of modern females. As a consequence, strict gender role expectations toward males work against social changes to a fairer share of family labor.

Manifestations of Aggression in the Adolescent Environment

The article discusses the peculiar features of physical aggression among adolescents and the main motives that encourage them to resort to violence. It is based on the materials obtained by the researchers of the Center for Sociology of Education of the Institute of Education Management of the Russian Academy of Education in the course of an anonymous questionnaire survey of 2983 students in grades 7, 9 and 11 of Moscow schools. The analysis of the influence of gender, age, and social stratification factors reveals motivational dominants that determine the characteristic features of the adolescents’ participation in fights depending on gender and age. Special focus is given to physical aggression in the walls of an educational organization, and namely the prevalence of fights on school grounds and the adolescents’ opinions about their teachers’ reactions to fights between their students. A fairly high level of prevalence of fights among girls indicates a significant deformation of traditional gender-role behaviors in the adolescent subculture. The research results in the conclusion that manifestations of physical aggression are related to both social mechanisms of the adolescent subculture functioning and mental characteristics of adolescence

The adoption of a programme for creative development among young school-age children with regard to considerations of gender

The age- and role-related growth of young school-age children is made possible by psychophysiological processes, among them gender role behaviour. Our research makes it possible to define the correlative link between creativity and lateralisation, which affects the motivation of boys and girls differently. Art therapy with girls showed a very strong prediliction towards independence and risk-taking against a background of middling self-sufficiency. Work with boys demonstrated a negative tendency for dependence on the opinions of others against a background of heightened hopes of success. Participants reacted strongly to the requirement to display the results of their creative art therapy work, and were generally apprehensive of the reaction of others to, and the social validation of, what they had done. This research shows the need to either segregate boys and girls into different groups or set separate tasks for each sex, thus reducing competition. The former experience positive changes in the strength and lability of the nervous system, as well as improved sensitivity.

Gender identification as a subjective, social and psychological reality in the period of adulthood

The article deals with a holistic analysis of the problem of gender identification as a subjective, social and psychological reality in the period of adulthood. In the context of the personal-egalitarian paradigm it is stated that sex-role identification is the leading mechanism of gender identity as a process and results of motivational and value dispositions of the person during period of adulthood. Gender identification plays an important role in the formation of gender self-consciousness of a person, in formation of her/his self-image, and acquiring the requirements for gender-role behavior. Gender identity characterized as being marked by awareness of gender-role cultural standards as well as social and psychological instructions, accepting the traditional or egalitarian modes of behavior, formation of ego-structures in the continuum of masculinity and femininity, by representation of the individual experience of self-knowledge and attitudes to evaluating oneself and others, by agreement and balancing between the real and ideal gender Self. The author’s model of sex-role identification of personality in adulthood is shown. The content of psychological mechanisms and the patterns of functioning of personal gender identity as a subjective, social and psychological reality in adulthood in the context of humanistic, genetic and cognitive psychology are defined. Masculinity and femininity as individual’s attributes are the basic categories in the analysis of sex-role «I» formation. In addition, gender orientations (traditional or egalitarian) are important indicators of individual’s self-identification. Although the practical aspect of the gender identity question is quite «open», however it has a profound inner layer, as it encompasses a lot of unrevealed psychological mechanisms of personal and spiritual development of a human.

Emotional and personality traits of pain perception in women with pain syndrome in endometriosiss

Introduction. This article is devoted to psychological features in patients with pain syndrome in endometriosis and their pain perception. The objective of the study was to identify features of pain syndrome perception, personality traits, emotional features and satisfaction with quality of life in patients with endometriosis. Material and methods . 56 women were examined: 27 patients with endometriosis and 29 women without gynecological diseases. The following psychodiagnostic methods were used: «The McGill Pain Questionnaire», «Visual Analogue Scale», «Giessen test», the test of L. N. Sobchik «Diagnosis of interpersonal relationships», the questionnaire of N. E. Vodopyanova «Assessment of the level of satisfaction with the quality of life», «Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale» (HADS). Results. The results of the study indicated that patients with painful forms of endometriosis were less satisfied with the quality of life in the field of health, emotional and physical comfort. The feminine type of gender-role behavior was identified in self-perception, and the responsibly-magnanimous style prevails in interpersonal relations. The perception of pain was interrelated with interpersonal behavior style. Conclusion. Psychological characteristics of patients with endometriosis must have been taken into account during treatment and rehabilitation, since they affected the subjective perception of pain, could reduce satisfaction with the quality of life and worsen the emotional state.

Preliminary investigation of gender assignment in 46,XY disorders of sex development with severe male undermasculinisation

Objective: To explore the feasibility of gender assignment in 46,XY disorders of sex development (DSD) with severe undermasculinisation mainly based on molecular diagnosis. Methods: A retrospective study of 45 patients of 46, XY DSD with severe undermasculinisation were admitted between November 2015 and October 2018 at Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine. The initial social gender were all female, of whom the external genital manifestations were Prader 0 to 2; the degree of masculinity was scored using external masculinisation score (EMS); the position and development of the gonads were examined by ultrasound, cystoscopy and laparoscopy, also including assessing the development of the Wolffian tube and the Müllerian tube. The level and ratio of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone before and after hCG stimulation were evaluated for the function of Leydig cell and 5α-reductase-2. Gender role scales and sandbox games were used to assess gender role behavior. Genital sensitivity to androgen stimulation was assessed; A panel including 163 genes related to gender development were determined by second-generation sequencing in all 45 patients. Finally, a multidisciplinary team (MDT) makes a gender assignment after a comprehensive analysis mainly based on the molecular etiological diagnosis. Results: Thirty-nine out of 45 patients (87%) had an identifiable genetic etiology, and the remaining 6 (13%) were negative for genetic testing. Forty-five patients had EMS less than or equal to 3 points. Sexual psychological assessment was performed in 39 patients, with male dominance in 24 (62%) and female dominance in 15 (38%). The gender assignment was 23 cases (51%) for male and 19 cases (42%) for female, and 3 cases (7%) were not completely determined. Conclusions: Molecular diagnosis provides a strong basis for appropriate gender assignment of 46, XY DSD children with severe undermasculinisation. Based on molecular diagnosis, each DSD should be analyzed by professional MDT to analyze the clinical symptoms/signs, gonadal development, gonad tumor risk, external genital morphology, sexual psychological assessment, potential fertility opportunities, parental views, Social and cultural factors, etc. make appropriate gender assignment.

Childhood gender-typed behavior and emotional or peer problems: a prospective birth-cohort study.

Retrospective and cross-sectional studies often report associations between childhood gender nonconformity and greater emotional and peer difficulties. This study used the ALSPAC birth cohort to investigate relationships between childhood gender-typed behavior and peer and emotional problems throughout childhood and adolescence. A total of 11,192 participants had at least one measure of parent-rated gender-typed behavior in infancy; 7,049 participants had a measure of child-rated gender-typed behavior at 8.5years. Separate linear mixed regression models were fitted to assess whether parent-rated and child-rated gender-typed behaviors were associated with emotional and peer problems across childhood and adolescence (6-16years old). The effect of adding covariates (self-esteem, abuse, bullying, feeling accepted by peers, and feeling different) on these relationships was assessed. For boys, more gender-nonconforming behavior was associated with greater subsequent emotional and peer problems in childhood and adolescence. Adjusting for self-esteem, relational bullying victimization, feeling different, or feeling accepted by peers reduced some of these associations. In contrast, for girls, more gender-nonconforming behavior was associated with fewer emotional problems in childhood and adolescence. In girls, self-reported gender-nonconforming behavior was also associated with fewer parent-rated peer problems but parent-rated gender-nonconforming behavior was associated with more parent-rated peer problems; this latter association was partly explained by self-esteem, bullying, and abuse victimization. These associations were statistically significant but small. Overall, more female-typical behaviors were generally associated with greater subsequent emotional and peer problems, for both boys and girls. Future studies should investigate factors that reduced these associations, as well as potential negative effects of female-typical behaviors or advantages of male-typical ones. As this was a 14-year longitudinal study, the relationships between gender-role behaviors and emotional/peer problems warrant further research despite the small association sizes.