Gender identity is a private idea on how an individual identifies either as a male or female, some may also identify as both or neither. Gender identity is essentially self-identified, this is resulted by the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, i.e. induced by biological and social factors. Gender identity is a powerful aspect of self-concept that is formed in early childhoods and is very resistant to change in most adults, (Lips, 2001: 54).
Gender identity steadily develops in levels with age. It has been shown that from as early as 9-12 months, children have the capability to distinguish people by gender, they react to pictures of faces of males and females differently, (Brooks-Gunn, J., & Lewis, M. 1979). By 2 years of age, children
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The social learning theory of gender development understands that parents, media and culture act as socialising agents – as they explicitly teach children the significance of gender appropriate behaviour. Parents contribute towards gender development as they positively reinforce (reward) children when a gender-appropriate act is carried out therefore increasing the likelihood of that specific behaviour being repeated again (Lewis, 1975). Stereotyped gender behaviour is outwardly expressed in media and this creates a guide for appropriate behaviours, children learn and observe these through vicarious reinforcement (Gunter, 1986). Culture also influence gender mannerisms and also portray gender stereotypes, for example, western societies acquire a stereotypical concept which believes that men are aggressive and competitive whereas women and expressive and cooperative. Therefore, it can be argued that gender identity is not inherent but in fact it is manipulated by social and cultural environments, (Argosy University, …show more content…
One problem with the biological approach in explaining gender identity is that it is very deterministic. All behaviours are assumed to be innate and out of conscious control and the influence of free will is disregarded. Thus, the biological explanation lacks external reliability. The biological explanation has also been heavily critiqued by Durkin (1995), who highlighted that if sex differences are due to biological factors, they would be evident before social understandings begin. Children do not acknowledge sex differences until they have reached the social stage, this is primarily due to style of parent’s rearing practices which impacts how the child chooses to identify in terms of gender. The theory therefore should consider other factors before settling on a fixed concept.
There are also limitations regarding the social explanations for gender identity. One problem with this particular theory is that it is a reductionist approach. The social theory does not think about the influence of biological factors and only focus on the impact if situational factors as it fails to provide a holistic view on gender identity, this results in the social theory lacking in internal validity. Also, psychological critics have debated that the social theory does not explain learning styles and processes can change with
In today’s society, it can be argued that the choice of being male or female is up to others more than you. A child’s appearance, beliefs and emotions are controlled until they have completely understood what they were “born to be.” In the article Learning to Be Gendered, Penelope Eckert and Sally McConnell- Ginet speaks out on how we are influenced to differentiate ourselves through gender. It starts with our parents, creating our appearances, names and behaviors and distinguishing them into a male or female thing. Eventually, we grow to continue this action on our own by watching our peers. From personal experience, a child cannot freely choose the gender that suits them best unless our society approves.
In the stage of gender stability children are able to indicate that a gender remains the same throughout time and therefore, children start to realise that they will be male or female for the rest of their lives. Nevertheless, their understanding of gender i...
When discussing the meaning of gender identity, each and every person has a different view and perception. Most times, these views are instilled upon them throughout their childhood whether they are fully aware of it or not. As a result, some children feel forced to conform to the stereotypical gender roles and identities defined by society. For me, however, that was never a problem.
The children, who were 4-10 years old, and adults were then asked what characteristics the child would have at age 10 in each of the given scenarios (Taylor 1558). This study was different from previous studies in that it does not ask the children to explain the origins of gender differences, but encourages them to view how they picture the outcomes of a scenario where biological and social factors conflict with each other (Taylor 1558). One hundred sixty children participated in this study, where eighty were assigned to the opposite sex environment scenario and eighty were assigned to the same sex environment scenario (Taylor 1559). Additionally, 32 college students participated in the study through completing a questionnaire (Taylor 1559). Children were tested in isolation by a female experimenter, who told two stories, one with a female character and the other with a male character (Taylor 1559). The children were then asked a set of questions about approximately 20 properties of the character, of a gender-neutral name, would have when he or she turned age 10 (Taylor 1559). Twelve properties related to stereotypes, while four questions related to biological properties; and in addition to those, the children were also asked about four “environmental control” items, which evaluated the children’s memory of the stories (Taylor
Pink is for girls and blue is for boys. Isn’t that a stereotype we deal with from the time we escape the womb? Gender is part of our social structure, just as race and class are. When applied to Camara Phyllis Jones ' article, "The Gardener 's Tale," men are the red flowers and women are the pink. From the moment of birth, men and women are put into different pots. (UK essays,2015). For decades Psychologist have been conducting experiments to determine what has an effect on a person’s gender identity. Their conclusions show that biological influences, environmental influences, social learning theory and gender schema theory all have some type of effect on gender identity. There are many sides to Nature vs. Nurture, specifically when it comes to gender identity. However, both sides discussed here agree that nature and
Gender identity is considered to be a spectrum of beliefs and emotions rather than the traditional sense of a dichotomy of male and female (Eagly, 2013). Identifying with a specific gender does not happen at birth. Children up to age four often do not identify with a specific gender. Toddlers do not identify themselves as a boy or girl at this stage of their lives; being a male or female does not matter to them at this stage of their lives. This indifference gives way to gender rigidity in early childhood (about ages 4–7), when both boys and girls strictly enforce gender rules (Kerr, & Multon, 2015).
When relating whether gender identity is acquired or ascribed one can say that acquired as we are not born to know whether we are male or female, rather, through social interactions we are able to form an identity of the ‘Self’. Some individuals whether being male or female may say that their gender identity is different to what society views them as. A female that has grown up being the only female amongst six children may view themselves as male as their social interactions have mainly been with
While our current society has become more accepting of other genders that do not conform to the typical male and female genders it holds, it is still quite persistent in that act of gendering certain items, behaviours and attributes as feminine or masculine. This gendering occurs even before birth with events such as the baby shower where the baby 's sex is revealed, but it is mostly recognizable in the toys advertised and sold to children. Burack states that, “ gender socialization is the process of interaction through which we learn the gender norms of our culture and acquire a sense of ourselves and feminine, masculine or even androgynous”, children therefore experience the effects of gender socialization from their toys and the society they grow up in and often keep the mindset that they have learned throughout their lives (Gender Socialization).
Without a doubt, many truly believe that one 's biological sex is invariably tied to specific gender characteristics, as if these qualities are encoded in X and Y chromosomes. The inability to consider gender characteristics as distinct from biological sex is rooted in the fact that from birth, a child is socialized into the gender role that is paired with their biological sex. Of course, these gender roles may differ from culture to culture, but what remains constant is the early process of socializing a child into a restrictive gender role based on whether they are male or female. Crespi (2014) elaborates on this phenomenon by explaining that gender polarization has segmented men and wome...
Society today suggest that revealing the “gender” or “sex” of a child from the moment of conception forward is a necessity. But, in all actuality to some this is an invasion of their privacy and beliefs. Many believe that raising a child gender specific is not important to their upbringing or to their growth and development. Gender is defined with several different meanings such as the behavioral, cultural or psychological traits typically associated with the one sex. The sex of an individual, male or female, based on reproductive anatomy (the category to which an individual is assigned on the basis of sex) and the personal traits or personality that we attach to being male or female. Sex is defined as the biological distinctions determined by our genitalia.
One theoretical approach into gender-role identification is the social learning theory. Bandura (1973) pioneered work on gender development. The social learning theory contends that gender roles are heavily determined by environmental factors (Bandura,1986; Bandura and Bussey, 2004; Bussey and Bandura, 1999 in Brannon, L. 2008) and most importantly they are learnt. One way in which children may come to acquire their targeted gender roles is through operant conditioning (in Brannon, L. 2008). Skinner (1970, in Brannon, L. 2008) stressed the importance of reinforcement and punishment in children. For instance, if a child finds that by behaving in a certain way e.g. a boy who plays with car toys receives approval from his parents, they are more likely to repeat this behaviour. However, if a girl is found to be jumping or behaving in an erratic manner she will receive disapproval from her parents hence not repeat the behaviour (in Brannon, L. 2008). A vast amount of studies have demonstrated and partially blamed parents for acting in a gendered stereotypical manner. According to Wood, Desmaratis and Gugula, (2002 in Brannon, L 2008) parents encourage and provide toys that are associated with the child’s gender and therefore treat children differently.
Over the years, psychologists and psychiatrists have discovered a great gender disparity between young girls and young boys. While most agree that gender identification is revealed at birth, this issue is constantly exploited through the use of various tests and practices such as the “Machover Figure-Drawing Test”. In this test, the child is asked to draw a person a sheet of paper. Later, the child is evaluated based on the gender he or she had drawn. Furthermore, this particular exercise is supposed to reflect their gender identity.
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.
Even though it is not often that someone tries to segregate themselves from a gender physically, people distinguish genders and almost segregate themselves from the features of the opposite gender. Society always chooses to apply gender aspects into individuals. As mentioned by Barbara Risman and Georgiann Davis (2013: pp737), “Babies assigned to male category are encouraged to engage in masculine behaviours, offered boy-appropriate toys, rewarded for playing with them, and punished for acting in girlish ways” this shows that society forces gender features on individuals. This similarly also applies to girls who are raised in a feminine way. It is up to the society how both genders get characterised and how they are differentiated by
At a tender age both girls and boys grow up with perceptions in their minds about what it means to be a girl or a boy. This has also engraved limitation...