Theories Of Gender Development

It would seem that gender is simple to understand. When most people think of gender they think of the basic characteristics of being male or female but Gender Theory calls for more than just thinking about gender in a way that has only two categories. When talking about theories of gender it requires a separation of sex and gender. One must reject the stereotypical attributes that are associated with belonging to a certain sex. This essay will identify and define four approaches to gender development under the biological, interpersonal, critical and cultural theoretical approaches to gender. I will then specify the one that I believe is most valid.

Throughout the years there have been numerous major theories proposed to explain gender development.

Psychodynamic theories put a focus on the family/caregiver relationships which is female dominated. It is through the interactions with our family or caregivers that we build our identity. For males, this theory suggest they must find a way to separate themselves from the identities of their caregiver so that they can establish their own independence. The psychological theories of gender development include the social learning theory and the cognitive development theory. According to the social learning theory, children learn masculine and feminine behavior through imitation and validation. Children imitate their family members and things like television and video games. Their behavior is then validated by an authoritative figure or a positive (or negative) type of reinforcement. According to a study by Diane Ehrenhart (2011), children are not molded by their parents to become transgender or nonconforming, it is rather part of their true-self which they inherit at childbirth. When the child discloses their true gender identity to their family, reactions vary and can lead to psychological distress for the child, siblings, and parent(s). When reactions to gender nonconformity are negative, parents either have a hard time breaking from the beliefs of traditional gender or transcend the cultural norms and move into a transformational style of parenting. Cognitive

These links are simply culturally constructed. Critical theories reject the idea that masculinity is the dominant and femininity is the subordinate. There should be no hierarchical relationship placing males “on top” or “above” females. Also, sexual orientation has no connection with gender identification meaning gay men are not more feminine than straight men and lesbians are not more masculine than straight women. One of three key theories under the critical theories of gender is the standpoint theory, first, this theory is about the different ways we experience situations. Perception is key, have you ever been on a date and he’s having a great time, and you’re ready to call it a night? Second, the standpoint theory focuses on experiences we’ve lived, our own lives are significant sources of "expertise." One could say that women are more understanding of life and how it works because we interact in the male dominated workforce as well as our homes which is not so dominated by men. So women understand both the workforce and the household better than men