Sex-role stereotypes

• Define sex-role stereotypes.


  Sex-role stereotypes refer to a set of shared ideas about what behaviours/characteristics are appropriate for males and females.

  E.g. there is a sex-role stereotype that women should take on more domestic and childrearing roles while men should go to work.

  These sex-role stereotypes are generally shard by members of a society.
• Outline research into sex-role stereotypes.

  Social learning theorists propose that these can develop when children observe and imitate sex-stereotypical behaviours from their same-sex parent.

  E.g. girls may observe and imitate their mother taking on cooking and cleaning roles in the house while boys may observe and later imitate the father going out to work.
• Outline research into sex-role stereotypes.


  The gender schema theory proposes that sex-role stereotypes can develop when individuals have formed rigid gender schemas and so will only engage in activities expected of their own gender.

  E.g. a boy may have the rigid gender schema that dolls are for girls and so refuses to play with them, thus reinforcing the sex-role stereotype that girls should be more nurturing and take on childrearing roles.
• Evaluate research into sex-role stereotypes. 


  A researcher observed children playing at home with their parents and found that they would be reinforced/punished for different behaviours. E.g. boys were encouraged to play with toy bricks and discouraged from playing with dolls. Meanwhile, girls were encouraged to play with dolls and were discouraged from engaging in rough play. This is a strength because it supports the existence of sex-role stereotypes and how they are shared by parents.
• Evaluate research into sex-role stereotypes.


  This is because the media can be seen to display rigid sex-role stereotypes e.g .through toy adverts whereby boys are typically playing with combat-type toys while girls are typically playing with dolls. In addition, at school, boys and girls are encouraged to play different sports i.e. boys are encouraged to play contact sports such as rugby while girls are encouraged to play non-contact sports such as netball. This is a strength because together, this shows how the media and schools reinforce the existence of sex-role stereotypes.
• Evaluate research into sex-role stereotypes.


  Can have negative implications on women. E.g. due to the sex-role stereotype that women should take on more childrearing and domestic roles, they may have their career opportunities limited. This is a limitation as it means women feel pressured into staying at home and, in turn, this increases the gender pay gap.
• Evaluate research into sex-role stereotypes.


  Lack temporal validity. This is because many parents now raise their children in less sex-stereotypical ways e.g. by buying gender neutral clothing or allowing them to play with toys typically associated with the opposite sex. This is a limitation because it means that sex- role stereotypes may be less common and influential as they once were. Therefore questions credibility.