The biosocial approach

Created by: dominique_jlsxx
Created on: 31-01-16 17:32


	The biosocial approach
	Advantages Eagly and Wood (1999) re-examined the data from Buss' study of 37 cultures and suggested that the pattern of sex differences can be just as well explained by social roles. Buss' evidence showed that in all cultures women seek men with resources, while men prefer younger, physically attractive women. Given that women generally have less earning capacity it is no wonder, universally, women seek with resources. Along with resources, men have power and dominance. Men want younger women, not because of their fertility but because they will be more obedient. Eagly and Wood supported this identification of power as the root of mate choice by re-analysing Buss' data using the Gender Empowerment Measure to identify which cultures had greater or less gender equality. They found that when women had a higher status and male-female division of labour was less pronounced, sex differences in mating preferences become less pronounced. This further suggests that social roles are the driving force in psychological sex differences. Research studies have found that social factors do influence psychological gender differences. For example, Williams found that children in a Canadian town with access to multiple TV channels had more strong sex type views than children in towns with one or no TV channels. Thus supports social role theory as it suggests that social influences rather than physical differences determine psychological sex differences.	Disadvantages Luxen (2007) argues that evolutionary theory can explain this and provides a simpler theory which is preferable for a number of reasons, such as... selective pressure-> Luxen argues that behaviour is at least as important as physical characterism and therefore selective pressure would act directly on behaviour to create psychological as well as physical sex differences.
	Evaluation The approach taken by Eagly and Wood is a social constructionist one, an approach which suggests that much of human behaviour is an invention or outcome of a particular society or culture. There is no objective reality, such as a real difference between men and women- or if there is one, it is not really relevant. According to this approach, behaviours are best understood in terms on the social context in which they occur. Real world application- In the last 100 years the feminist movement has succeeded in bringing about great changes in opportunities for women in the UK. The evolutionary approach has been seen as a driving force against gender equality since it might be seen to imply that sex differences are innate and cannot be changed by altering social context. The value of the social role approach is that it supports the feminist view that changes in social roles will lead to changes in psychological differences between men and women.

The biosocial approach

Advantages

Eagly and Wood (1999) re-examined the data from Buss' study of 37 cultures and suggested that the pattern of sex differences can be just as well explained by social roles. Buss' evidence showed that in all cultures women seek men with resources, while men prefer younger, physically attractive women. Given that women generally have less earning capacity it is no wonder, universally, women seek with resources. Along with resources, men have power and dominance. Men want younger women, not because of their fertility but because they will be more obedient.
Eagly and Wood supported this identification of power as the root of mate choice by re-analysing Buss' data using the Gender Empowerment Measure to identify which cultures had greater or less gender equality. They found that when women had a higher status and male-female division of labour was less pronounced, sex differences in mating preferences become less pronounced. This further suggests that social roles are the driving force in psychological sex differences.
Research studies have found that social factors do influence psychological gender differences. For example, Williams found that children in a Canadian town with access to multiple TV channels had more strong sex type views than children in towns with one or no TV channels. Thus supports social role theory as it suggests that social influences rather than physical differences determine psychological sex differences.

Disadvantages

Luxen (2007) argues that evolutionary theory can explain this and provides a simpler theory which is preferable for a number of reasons, such as... selective pressure-> Luxen argues that behaviour is at least as important as physical characterism and therefore selective pressure would act directly on behaviour to create psychological as well as physical sex differences.

Evaluation

The approach taken by Eagly and Wood is a social constructionist one, an approach which suggests that much of human behaviour is an invention or outcome of a particular society or culture. There is no objective reality, such as a real difference between men and women- or if there is one, it is not really relevant. According to this approach, behaviours are best understood in terms on the social context in which they occur. Real world application- In the last 100 years the feminist movement has succeeded in bringing about great changes in opportunities for women in the UK. The evolutionary approach has been seen as a driving force against gender equality since it might be seen to imply that sex differences are innate and cannot be changed by altering social context. The value of the social role approach is that it supports the feminist view that changes in social roles will lead to changes in psychological differences between men and women.

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The biosocial approach