Gender Schema Theory

• Background and origins of gender schema

  • Thinking on gender/sex with age - similar to Kohlberg. Children play an active role in constructing their schema
  • Gender schemas are mental representations of concepts in sex and gender - they help us organise and shape behaviour and expect it from others
  • We develop gender schema through experience and we actively seek to add to them
• The start and the search

  • Age 2-3
  • Child establishes their own gender identity and starts seeking out gender-relevant information
  • They seek for and attend to gender-appropriate behaviour, ignoring inconsistent behaviour
  • Distort incoming behaviour to fit their gender schema e.g. remembering lollipop man as a lady
• Growth and completion


  • The gender schema is added to and expanded continually over time
  • By age 6, Martin and Holverson claim children have acquired a fixed stereotypical concept of gender and gender-typical behaviour
• Ingroup and outgroup


  • Children identify with ingroup and increases self-esteem
  • They actively avoid outgroup behaviour
  • This results in elaborate gender schema in place by 8 years old