Atypical Prenatal Differentiation | Психология взаимоотношений

Thus far we have considered only typical prenatal differentiation. However, much of what is known about the impact of biological sex differentiation on the development of gender identities comes from studies of atypical differentiation.

We have seen that the differentiation of internal and external sex structures occurs under the influence of biological cues. When these signals deviate from normal patterns, the result can be ambiguous biological sex. A person with ambiguous or contradictory sex characteristics is sometimes called a hermaphrodite (her-MAF-roh-dite), a term derived from the mythical Greek deity Hermaphroditus, who was thought to possess biological attributes of both sexes. It is becoming more common to refer to such people as intersexed rather than as hermaphroditic (Gurney, 2007). intersexed

When discussing the condition of being intersexed, it is important to distinguish a term applied to people who possess between true hermaphrodites and pseudohermaphrodites. True hermaphrodites, who have ЬюЬдюЫ attributes °f b°th sexes.

both ovarian and testicular tissue in their bodies, are exceedingly rare (Gurney, 2007).

Their external genitals are often a mixture of female and male structures. Pseudohermaphrodites are much more common, occurring with an approximate frequency of 1 in

Gender Issues

Turner’s syndrome

A rare condition, characterized by the presence of one unmatched X chromosome (XO), in which affected individuals have normal female external genitals but their internal reproductive structures do not develop fully.

every 2,000 births (Colapinto, 2000). These individuals also possess ambiguous internal and external reproductive anatomy, but unlike true hermaphrodites, pseudohermaphrodites are born with gonads that match their chromosomal sex. Studies of pseudohermaphrodites have helped to clarify the relative roles of biology and social learning in the formation of gender identity. This intersex condition can occur because of an atypical combination of sex chromosomes or as a result of prenatal hormonal irregularities. In this section, we consider evidence from five varieties of pseudohermaphrodites, summarized in ■ Table 5.3.