18.10 Chapter 10: Sexuality and Gender

show what you know

1. c. Sexuality
2. b. into a male.
3. Klinefelter’s syndrome
4. Answers may vary. Differences of sex development can be traced to irregularities in the 23rd pair of chromosomes, also referred to as the sex chromosomes. The 23rd pair provides the specific instructions for the zygote to develop into a female or male (the biological sex of the individual). However, the creation of the 23rd pair does not always follow the expected pattern of XX or XY. In some cases, genetic abnormalities will lead to differences of sex development (for example, too many sex chromosomes, or one is missing). In other cases, the sex chromosomes are normal, but the developing fetus does not respond to hormones in a typical way. See Infographic 10.1.

1. d. Gender
2. c. gender role
3. gender schemas
4. Transgender refers to the mismatch between a person’s gender assigned at birth and his or her gender identity. Some transgender people try to resolve the resulting discontent through medical interventions. A transsexual person seeks or undergoes a social transition to an alternative gender by making changes to his or her body through sex reassignment surgery and/or medical treatment.

1. a. excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution.
2. evolutionary
3. Because monozygotic twins share 100% of their genetic make-up, we expect them to share more genetically influenced characteristics than dizygotic twins, who only share about 50% of their genes. Using twins, researchers explored the impact of genes and environment on same-sex sexual behavior. Monozygotic twins were moderately more likely than dizygotic twins to have the same sexual orientation. They found men and women differ in terms of the heritability of same-sex sexual behavior (34–39% for men, 18–19% for women). These studies highlight that the influence of the environment is substantial with regard to same-sex sexual behavior.
4. Sexual orientation
5. b. Some brain structures, such as the hypothalamus, have differences that correlate to sexual orientation.

1. c. desire, arousal, orgasm, and pain.
2. Answers may vary, but could include biological factors (for example, age-related changes to physiology, hormonal changes, physical exhaustion), psychological factors (for example, balancing the stressors related to raising a family and working, raising young children), and social factors (for example, finding alone time to be together, feeling slightly jealous of friends who do not have small children at home, media influences).

1. a. Syphilis; gonorrhea
2. sexual scripts
3. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is spread through the transfer of bodily fluids (blood, semen, vaginal fluid, or breast milk) and eventually causes the breakdown of the immune system. Although HIV often does not show up on blood tests for up to 6 months after infection occurs, it eventually progresses to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), which generally results in a severely compromised immune system. A weakened immune system makes the body much more susceptible to opportunistic infections caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi, and this vulnerability increases as the disease progresses.

1. b. Sex; Gender
2. a. 23rd pair of chromosomes
3. d. hormones
4. a. sex; sexuality
5. d. gender roles.
6. c. observational learning
7. a. excitement
8. c. transsexual
9. b. mothers develop an anti-male antibody while pregnant.
10. d. men and women experience a similar pattern or cycle.
11. b. erectile disorder.
12. a. Human immunodeficiency virus; acquired immune deficiency syndrome
13. c. have a lower risk of acquiring an STI than those who don’t know of this activity.
14. a. sexual scripts
15. d. Paraphilia
16. Answers will vary, but might include the following. Explain to potential participants that they will remain anonymous and their responses will be confidential. You might also explain that the study has been approved by an Institutional Review Board, which ensures ethical studies. To help convince them that their participation is worthwhile and that they should be honest, you could remind the participants that because our knowledge of sexual behavior is often limited to self-reporting, their answers will be analyzed as reflective of the population.
17. Gender refers to the dimension of masculinity and femininity based on social, cultural, and psychological characteristics. It is often used in reference to the cultural roles that distinguish males and females. We generally learn gender roles by observing other people’s behavior and by internalizing cultural beliefs about what is appropriate for men and women.
18. In general, the purpose of sex is to reproduce and ensure the survival of the species. To a certain extent, the more children we have, the higher the probability that our genes will outlast us. Evolutionary psychologists might suggest that extramarital sex could support these goals. Men will want to be with a woman (or women) who can bear many children, so men might be motivated to accomplish this through extramarital activities. For a female, involvement in extramarital sex might be more likely if her mate is not fertile. Or, she might seek out an extramarital experience with someone who has more material resources than her mate.
19. Difficulties related to sexual activity can be divided into four, sometimes overlapping categories: desire, arousal, orgasm, and pain. Problems associated with desire must be persistent to be considered a dysfunction. When an individual has the desire to engage in sexual behavior, but the body does not cooperate, an arousal problem exists. Difficulties with orgasm may include reduced orgasmic intensity and the inability to reach orgasm. Problems associated with pain are more frequently reported by women, and may also be associated with reduced desire and arousal.
20. Answers will vary. See TABLE 10.6.