Kohlberg's theory: cognitive explanations

• Kohlberg's cognitive-developmental theory of gender is based on the understanding that gender runs parallel to intellectual development as the child matures biologically
• what are the 3 stages of gender development according to Kohlberg?

  1. Gender identity
  2. Gender stability
  3. gender constancy
• Explain the Kohlberg's 1st stage of gender: gender identity:

  Around the age of 2

  • able to correctly identify themselves as boy or girl

  Around the age of 3

  • most children can identify other people as male or female
• How in-depth is a child's understanding of gender during the gender identity stage?

  limited and doesn't stretch beyond basic labelling

  • not aware that sex is permanent
• Explain Kohlberg's 2nd stage of gender: gender stability

  At age 4

  • the realisation that they will always stay the same gender
  • children at this age cannot apply this logic to other people and can often confused by external changes in appearance
• Explain Kohlberg's 3rd stage of gender: Gender constancy:

  age of 6

  • recognises that gender becomes constant and constant across time and situations
  • this understanding is applied to others
  • may still regard changes in appearance unusual
• During gender constancy, children begin to seek out gender-appropriate role models
• Slaby and Frey (1975) support the sequences of stages

  children were presented with split-screen images of males and females doing the same tasks,

  • younger children spent roughly the same amount of time watching both sexes
  • children the the gender consistency stage spent longer looking at the model with the same sex as them
• Munroe et al research into Kohlberg's theory

  cross-culture evidence of Kohlberg's theory in countries like Kenya, Samoa and Nepal
• Kohlberg's theory: Methodological issues 


  developed using interviews with children who were as young as 2 or 3

  • very young children lack the vocabulary required to express their understanding
  • such children may have complex ideas about gender but they are unable to express them
• Kohlberg's theory compared to SLT

  SLT places more emphasis on external influences on the child's development.

  • evidence suggests that boys have much less flexible concepts of genre roles than females and boys show greater resistance to opposite-sex activities

  These differences are likely to have a social/cultural origin and are difficult to explain with the cognitive-developmental theory