gender schema theory

• what are gender schema's?


  organised mental structures that contain our understanding of the attributes and behaviours that are appropriate for males and females
• gender schemas are likely to direct a child's behaviour such as preference for playing with same sex peers or toys
• MARTIN and HALVERSON suggest that gender identity is an outcome of children actively structuring their own experiences, rather than passive learning through observing and imitating
• MARTIN and HALVERSON believe that children start learning about gender appropriate behaviour before constancy is achieved
• basic gender identity is sufficient for a child to identify him/ herself as a boy/ girl and take interest in behaviours that are gender appropriate
• in-group schemas are used as a template to learn the roles and expectations about the child's own gender group
• what are in-group schemas?


  those that are about the sex that the child identifies with
• what are out-group schemas?


  those that are about the opposite sex to the child
• out-group schemas will be recognies as inconsistent with the child's in-group
• girls only focus on feminine schemas and boys on masculine schemas but by age 6, they learnt he out-group schema
• schemas become more complex as the child matures and explores the world around them
• as their schemas become more complex, they're able to understand and shape gender behaviour
• MARTIN and LITTLE found that children under the age of 4 showed strong stereotypical views of what boys and girls were permitted to do
• BRADBARD et al told 4 year olds that certain gender neutral objects were either boy or girl items and found that children took more interest in toys labelled as in-group

  • reflecting the theory's expectations that they would pay more attention to gender in-group consistent information at a young age