Toward a redefinition of sex and gender.

Abstract

This article discusses issues associated with the study of sex differences by psychologists. The author discusses definitions of sex as a subject variable and as a stimulus variable. The term gender is introduced for those characteristics and traits socioculturally considered appropriate to males and females. The rationale for this addition to the psychological vocabulary is that the term sex implies biological mechanisms. Differences between females and males that are merely descriptive are frequently assumed to have biological origins. The present terminology facilitates biologically determinist models of sex differences which make it less likely that environmental sources of such differences will be explored.The author examines the area of sex differences in cerebral laterality to illustrate this process. In contrast, research on gender is more concerned with the sociocultural factors that contribute to sex differences.The author suggests that differential use of the term sex indicates different paradigms for the examination of sex differences and that psychological terminology should reflect this distinction.

Compatibility of basic social perceptions determines perceived attractiveness

“…One straightforward measure of an individual's fit with their gender role is their degree of femininity or masculinity or gender typicality. Evaluative social judgments, such as attractiveness, should therefore reflect the congruence (or lack thereof) between one's biological sex and the level of perceived gender [i.e., masculinity/femininity (24,25)]. From this perspective, perceived attractiveness can be conceptualized as the product of proximal cognitive mechanisms that integrate physical cues that are bound to sex and gender.…”

Sex differences in emotion: Expression, experience, and physiology.

“…Some studies explicitly examine sex 1 differences in emotional response, whereas others report sex differences secondary to other find-1 Some authors have argued for distinguishing the terms sex and gender (e.g., Unger, 1979), often based on notions about causality. However, Deaux (1993) and others (e.g., Lewine, 1994) have argued that the terms should be distinguished without assumptions about underlying etiology.…”

Full number: Volume 6, Number 2 / Número completo: Volumen 6, Número 2

“…En 1979 se publica un estudio que propone utilizar el término género como forma de eliminar la tendencia al reduccionismo de orden biológico ampliando el concepto a una perspectiva de índole psicosexual y psicobioló-gica que incorpora las investigaciones, cada vez más numerosas, sobre causas y repercusiones del stress en los seres humanos (Unger, 1979).…”