Gendered Identities_Childhood and Adolescence (lecture 5)

Gendered Identities: Childhood and Adolescence

Page 1

• Introduction to the concept of gendered identities during childhood and adolescence, examining how social and environmental factors influence gender development.

Page 2: Social Learning/Social Cognitive Theory

• Reinforcement

  • Positive reinforcement: Adding something good to encourage behavior replication.

  • Negative reinforcement: Removing something bad to promote certain behaviors.

  • Punishment: Adding something undesirable to decrease behavior.

• Imitation: Learning behaviors by observing others.

• Observational learning: Learning by watching and modeling behaviors, which can reduce gender typing.

Page 3: Cognitive Developmental Theory

• Gender typing and identity develop from children’s cognitive structuring of their world.

• Based on Jean Piaget’s stages of cognitive development.

• Gender constancy: Understanding that gender is a stable characteristic typically achieved by ages 6-7.

Page 4: Tomboys

• Common in middle childhood; girls rejecting traditional female roles.

• Tomboy behavior lacks equivalent for boys, highlighting a gender disparity.

• As girls mature, they become aware of societal gender discrimination.

Page 5: Gender Schema Theory

• Gender schema: Cognitive frameworks that help process gender-related information.

• Formed early in life; informs the construction of gender identity.

• Core gender identity typically established by age 3.

• Children learn societal attributes of males and females, leading to selective attention and memory regarding gender roles.

Page 6: Parental Influences

• Gender reveal parties expose children to gender schemas pre-birth.

• Cultural preference for boys can result in practices like female infanticide or gender-selective abortion.

• Estimated 115-200 million women missing due to son preference.

• Parental interaction often varies by child’s gender; same-sex couple children display less gender typing.

Page 7: Peer Influences

• Gender segregation: Children prefer to play with same-gender peers, starting around ages 2-3.

• Gender-typed play styles become pronounced:

  • All-boy groups tend to emphasize competition and dominance.

  • Relational aggression: Harmful social manipulation to damage relationships, similar in impact to physical aggression. Boys exhibit more physical aggression, but there are no consistent gender differences in relational aggression.

Page 8: Gendered Environments

• Parents utilize gender schemas when choosing toys, games, and clothing.

• Gendered preferences for toys emerge during preschool and elementary years; boys more often reject opposite-gender toys.

• Marketing strategies often gender-neutral items (e.g., bicycles) end up being marketed differently.

Page 9: Girl toys vs boy toys: The experiment

• Brief mention of an experiment pertaining to gendered toy preference and perception.

Page 10: Media Influence

• Impact of TV, movies, commercials, books, and video games on gender perceptions.

• Video games recognized for their sexist depictions.

• Study shows that girls ages 5-8 exposed to Barbie reported lower body satisfaction compared to those exposed to Emme dolls or no dolls, highlighting the effects of sexualization.

Page 11: Insider Perspectives

• Mention of insider viewpoints likely discussing emotional or narrative aspects of gender issues.

Page 12: Puberty/Adolescence

• Increased concern among girls regarding body image during puberty.

• Influencing factors include thin-is-better ideologies and peer pressure.

• White girls report lower body satisfaction relative to other ethnicities.

• Onset of menstruation can lead to feelings of shame and stigma.

• Gender intensification: Increased societal pressures to conform to gender roles during this stage.

• Early maturation in girls correlates with negative mental health outcomes.

Page 13: Vulnerabilities of Adolescence

• Self-silencing: Girls may suppress their thoughts and feelings to fit in with peers.

• Relational authenticity: The ability to be oneself in social situations can be compromised.

• Changes in self-esteem: Discrepancies between genders in self-esteem emerge, particularly worsened by physical appearance pressures, with particular increases in middle and high school.

• The experience of bullying and sexual harassment varies by gender, with boys often viewing sexual attention as positive and girls finding it frightening or embarrassing.

Page 14: Cultural Representation

• Notable quote regarding Catherine Hardwicke's directorial approach, followed by mentions of pop culture series and themes related to adolescent experiences.