Sex-role stereotypes

• Define sex-role stereotypes into 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

  Sex-role stereotypes refer to a set of shared ideas about what behaviours/characteristics are appropriate for males and females. E.g. there are sex-role stereotypes that women should take on more domestic and childrearing roles while men should go to work.

  work.
• Outline research into sex-role stereotypes - Social learning theorists

  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.
• Strength of research into sex-role stereotypes - supporting evidence from family studies

  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. Therefore adds credibility.
• Sex-role stereotypes - supporting evidence within the media and schools

  media can be seen to display rigid sex-role stereotypes-through toy adverts whereby boys are typically playing with combat-type toys while girls are typically playing with dolls. at school, boys and girls are encouraged to play different sports - boys play contact sports-rugby while girls play non-contact sports-netball. strength because this shows how the media and schools reinforce the existence of sex-role stereotypes whereby boys are expected to be aggressive while girls are expected to be more nurturing. + cred.
• Limitation of sex-role stereotypes is that they can have negative implication on women

  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. Therefore questions credibility.
• Limitation is that research into sex-role stereotypes

  may lack temporary 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.