PSYC336 Exam 1: Gender Socialization - Infancy and Childhood

What is Gender Socialization?

• Socialization:

  • The process by which society conveys to the individuals its expectations for their behavior, values, and beliefs.

• Gender Socialization:

  • The process by which society conveys to the individual its expectations for their behavior, values, and beliefs in accordance with their gender & the individual internalizes these expectations

Four Key Socialization Agents

1. Parents/Caregivers

2. Peers

3. School

4. Toys/Media

Parents/Caregivers

First source of information about gender

Four types of parental/caregiver influence:

1. Shaping: Parents choices regarding activities for their children. These choices often align with gendered expectations.

2. Modeling: Parents often exhibit behaviors that align with gender norms. Children may imitate these behaviors.

3. Differential Treatment: Parents may reinforce behaviors that align with gendered expectations and punish behaviors that do not. These behaviors often differ for different gendered siblings

4. Direct Instruction: Parents may explicitly teach gendered expectations to their children through direct communication

Peers

• Children spend most of their time with same gendered peers 

• Only spend around 10% of time with peers who do not share gender identity 

• Children learn what types of behavior are expected from them through their interactions with their peers. 

School

• Teachers 

  • Respond to students differently based on gender 

  • Have different expectations for students based on gender 

    • Some studies suggest teachers believe girls work harder but boys are naturally smarter 

    • Hidden curriculum 

Toys/Media

Movies/TV, books, toys, and advertisements can reinforce gender stereotypes

Why Should We Care?

• For all children: 

  • Limits opportunities to develop or express full personality 

  • Early knowledge of stereotypes increases gender rigidity 

• For girls specifically: 

  • Overvaluing of physical appearance & undervaluing of skills, interests, and personality 

  • Self-esteem associated with congruency to gender traits as early as school-age 

What Can We Do?

• Check our biases

• Consider the ways in which we treat ourselves, as well as infants/children of

different genders

• Think about how we conform to stereotypical gender norms (example:

chores)

• Expose children of all genders to different kinds of media/toys

• Intervene when people make false (& sometimes demeaning) comments

about different genders

• Encourage children of all genders to express feelings

• Make it clear that children can defy stereotypes of their gender

• Conduct research and inform policy, marketing, media, etc.