GENDER DIFFERENCES

Gender Differences in Characteristics that Men and Women Emphasize in Ads

Gender Differences in Characteristics that Men and Women Emphasize in Ads

Introduction

From how men and women, and girls and boys, differ from each other has been the focus of much study in developmental psychology. Numerous newspaper and magazines articles on the topic of gender differences attest to their importance outside developmental psychology as well. Gender refers to the societal, social, and behavioural ways that are associated with being male or female. This entry considers issues pertinent to the study of gender differences, examines gender differences and their causes from a variety of theoretical perspectives, and concludes with the social and evolutionary implications of these differences. Gender has been conceptualized as a “diffuse” status characteristic. Specifically, in Western society, and perhaps in most nations, men and their roles are ascribed more respect, honor, and importance (Berger, Fisek, Norman, & Zelditch, 1977; Carli, 1991; Meeker & Wetzel-O'Neill, 1985; Ridgeway & Diekema, 1992; Wagner & Berger, 1997). Eagly (1987, 1997) acknowledges this state of affairs in her social role theory and goes on to propose that the existing gendered division of labour within society is the root cause of sex differences in behaviour. Specifically, people make inferences about the correspondence between the gender-linked actions performed by men and women and their inner dispositions (Eagly & Karau, 2002) such that gender acts as a marker for the social role that adults fill. By virtue of their exposure to the traditional social roles of women and men, people learn and eventually express the behavioural tendencies that they have observed and come to believe are desirable for each sex (Eagly, 1987). In effect, they have been provided with scripts for their behaviours that in turn influence their attitudes, behaviours, and expectations throughout their lives.

Gender Differences in the Characteristics Men and Women Emphasise

Women continue to be identified by their body, their relationships, their beauty and highlight are those who possess these qualities, although they lack little training and low intelligence or acuity for a given task (Hatala 1999).

For its part, the man is adapting to new social changes that the woman is already generating more consistent with the housework and the new role of working women and the consequences it generates, but for the average male has evolved and continues to behave in the same way those two centuries ago (Myers 1999).

In men it continues to value the family head, looks his manhood, forgetting about their feelings, their errors are normal, and sexual lapses are products of their masculinity. However, the inclusion of gay media world is easing some of these qualities, but may also be another stereotype.

Psychology Evolutionary Theory

Evolutionary psychology attempts to describe and explain the evolution of behaviour over the life of the individual. The main theories to explain this process are those of Piaget and Vygotsky.

The main idea of ??Piaget's theory is that we must await the development of intelligence to make learning possible. This is made ??possible by two basic and ...