The Psychology of Sex and Gender

Jennifer K. Bosson is a professor of psychology at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. The middle of three daughters raised in Yorktown Heights, New York, she attended Wesleyan University and the University of Wisconsin–Madison as an undergraduate, and earned her PhD in social psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 2000. Jennifer became interested in gender and feminism at a young age, and has been studying sex and gender as a social psychologist for the past 20 years. Her primary research interests include gender roles, stereotypes, sexism, and sexual prejudice. She lives in Tampa, Florida, with her spouse, Dave, and their dog, Alvin. Camille E. Buckner is a professor of psychology at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia, who earned a PhD in social and personality psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1997 and a BA in psychology and French from Rice University in 1991. They regularly teach courses on research design, cultural psychology, and gender psychology, and their research interests include stereotypes, discrimination, and best practices in teaching and learning. Camille has been living with Long COVID since March of 2020 and uses creative writing (poetry) as a means of processing the trauma of complex chronic illness. They live with their family and a very cat-like dog named Mei Mei in Northern Virginia.Joseph A. Vandello grew up as the second of three children in a small town in Iowa. He received his BS from the University of Iowa in 1994 and his PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2000. In 2002, he joined the Psychology Department at the University of South Florida. His culturally homogenous (i.e., White, middle-class) upbringing fed a curiosity about understanding the diversity of the human experience outside of his small corner of the world and led him to study social psychology as a career. He has broad research interests in understanding manhood and masculinity, aggression, honor, underdogs, interracial interactions, and moral judgments.

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorsUNIT I • FOUNDATIONSCHAPTER 1 • Introducing Sex and GenderIntroducing Sex and GenderHow Do We Explain Central Concepts in the Psychology of Sex and Gender?What Makes Sex and Gender So Complicated?How Have Gender Movements Shaped History?About This BookCHAPTER 2 • Studying Sex and GenderStudying Sex and GenderWhat Is the Meaning of Difference?What Is Science?What Are the Primary Methods Used in Sex and Gender Research?How Do We Draw Conclusions From Multiple Studies?What Are Some Biases Common in Sex and Gender Research?How Do We Address Challenges in Sex and Gender Research?UNIT II • BECOMING GENDERED: BIOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL FACTORSCHAPTER 3 • The Nature and Nurture of Sex and GenderThe Nature and Nurture of Sex and GenderNature Versus Nurture or Nature and Nurture?How Do Nature and Nurture Shape Sex Differentiation?How Do Nature and Nurture Shape Sex Assignment and Gender Identity?What Do Sex Differences in Brain Structure Reveal?How Do Theories of Sex Differences Account for Nature and Nurture?CHAPTER 4 • Gender DevelopmentGender DevelopmentHow Central Are Sex and Gender in Early Development?What Are the Major Theoretical Approaches to Gender Development?What Are the Experiences of Gender-Nonconforming Children?How Do Sex and Gender Shape Development in Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood?How Do Sex and Gender Shape Development in Middle and Late Adulthood?UNIT III • STEREOTYPES, DISCRIMINATION, AND POWERCHAPTER 5 • The Contents and Origins of Gender StereotypesThe Contents and Origins of Gender StereotypesWhat Are the Contents and Structure of Gender Stereotypes?Where Do Gender Stereotypes Come From?What Are Some Consequences of Gender Stereotyping?Are Gender Stereotypes Accurate?So How Universal Are Gender Stereotypes, Really?CHAPTER 6 • Power, Sexism, and DiscriminationPower, Sexism, and DiscriminationHow Do Power and Privilege Relate to Sex and Gender?What Is Sexism, and Why Does It Persist?What Is Gender Discrimination?How Can We Resist and Reduce Gender Discrimination?UNIT IV • COGNITION, EMOTION, AND COMMUNICATIONCHAPTER 7 • Cognitive Abilities and AptitudesCognitive Abilities and AptitudesWhat Is Cognitive Ability?What Are the Sex Differences and Similarities in Cognitive Abilities?How Do Individual Differences and Context Influence Cognitive Performance?How Do Sex and Gender Relate to Outcomes in School and STEM Fields?CHAPTER 8 • Language, Communication, and EmotionLanguage, Communication, and EmotionHow Do Gender-Related Words Influence Social Perception?What Roles Do Sex and Gender Play in Verbal Communication?What Roles Do Sex and Gender Play in Nonverbal Communication?How Do Sex and Gender Shape the Experience, Expression, and Identification of Emotions?UNIT V • SEXUALITY, RELATIONSHIPS, AND WORKCHAPTER 9 • Sexual Orientation and SexualitySexual Orientation and SexualityHow Do Understandings of Sexuality and Sexual OrientationDiffer Across Time and Culture?What Is Sexual Orientation?How Does Sexual Orientation Develop?Why Do People Differ in Sexual Orientation?How Do Sex and Gender Contribute to the Experience of Sexuality?How Does Sexuality Change Over the Life Course?CHAPTER 10 • Interpersonal RelationshipsInterpersonal RelationshipsWhat Roles Do Sex and Gender Play in Social Networks and Friendships?What Roles Do Sex and Gender Play in Interpersonal Attraction?What Is the Nature of Marriage—Past and Present?What Roles Do Sex and Gender Play in Committed Relationships?What Roles Do Sex and Gender Play in Parenting and Family Relationships?CHAPTER 11 • Work and HomeWork and HomeHow Have Work and Home Labor Divisions Changed?How Do People Divide Housework and Childcare at Home?How Does Gender Operate in the Workplace?How Can We Explain the Gender Wage Gap?How Do Work and Family Roles Interact?UNIT VI • HEALTH AND WELL-BEINGCHAPTER 12 • Gender and Physical HealthGender and Physical HealthHow Have Understandings of Health and Longevity Changed Over Time?How Do Biological Factors Shape Sex Differences in Health?How Do Social Factors Contribute to Sex Disparities in Health?How Do Multiple Systems of Discrimination Shape Health and Health Care?What Do We Know About Sex-Specific Health Issues?CHAPTER 13 • Gender and Psychological HealthGender and Psychological HealthHow Are Mental Illnesses Defined, Classified, and Conceptualized?What Contributes to Sex Differences in Internalizing Disorders?What Contributes to Sex Differences in Externalizing Disorders?What Roles Do Sex and Gender Play in Eating and Body Image Disorders?How Do LGBTQ Statuses Relate to Mental Health?What Roles Do Sex and Gender Play in Mental Health Help-Seeking?What Roles Do Sex and Gender Play in Happiness and Well-Being?CHAPTER 14 • Aggression and ViolenceAggression and ViolenceAre There Sex Differences in Aggression?What Are the Major Forms of Gender-Based Aggression and Violence?What Explains Gender-Based Aggression and Violence?What Is the Relationship Between Pornography and Sexual Aggression?UNIT VII • SUMMARY AND REFLECTIONCHAPTER 15 • Gender Past, Present, and FutureGender Past, Present, and FutureGender Past: Where Were We (in the 19th and 20th Centuries)?Gender Present: Where Are We Now (in the 21st Century)?Gender Future: Where Are We Going?Revisiting Our Challenge to You: Critical ThinkingGlossaryReferencesSubject IndexAuthor Index