Gender

• Kohlberg's Cognitive Explanation of Gender

  Kohlberg's Theory
• Kohlberg's Theory


  5/03/24
• Stages of a child's understanding of gender

  1. Child identifies gender

  2. Child understands gender is fixed

  3. Child realises gender remains same over time

  4. Child identifies with own gender and behaves stereotypically
• Kohlberg's Theory


  • A child's mental concept of gender becomes more sophisticated with age
  • Stages of understanding gender run parallel to intellectual development
• Stages of understanding gender are approximate and transition from stage to stage is gradual rather than sudden
• Gender identity


  Child is able to identify and name their own gender
• Gender stability


  Child understands their own gender is fixed and they will be a man/woman when older
• Gender constancy


  Child realises gender remains the same over time and can apply this logic to others
• At first, children can identify others' gender but don't view gender as fixed
• Children begin to identify with people of their own gender and behave in stereotypical ways, seeking out gender appropriate role models to imitate
• Gender schema theory


  Children develop their understanding of gender by actively constructing their own schemas rather than passively observing
• Gender schema


  A generalised representation of what we know in relation to gender and stereotypically gender appropriate behaviours
• Once a child has established their gender identity, from age 2-3 they seek out information that encourages development of their gender schema
• Gender schemas include a wider range of behaviours and personality traits, and provide a framework that directs experience
• By 6-7 years old, children have fixed stereotypical ideas about what's appropriate for their gender, and are likely to remember or disregard information that doesn't fit their existing schema
• Ingroup and outgroup


  Children have better understanding of schemas appropriate to their own gender ingroup, compared to the opposite gender outgroup
• By age 8, children develop elaborate schemas for both genders
• Research supports the key principles of gender schema theory
• Children under 6 are more likely to remember gender-appropriate photographs than photos of gender-inappropriate behaviour
• Changing the gender of a person carrying out an activity supports gender schema theory
• Influence of culture and media on gender roles


  Media reflects and reinforces dominant cultural norms of gender roles
• Cross-cultural research highlights the debate around nature vs nurture in gender-role development
• Gender roles in cultural groups in Papua New Guinea

  • Arapesh and Tchambuli - stereotypically female
  • Mundugumor - stereotypically masculine
  • Tchambuli - women dominant, men passive
• Conclusion - gender roles are culturally determined, the extent to which innate behaviours are expressed is a result of cultural norms
• Cross-cultural research found gender preferences in mate selection - women prefer men who can offer wealth and resources, men prefer youth and physical attractiveness
• Media can reinforce rigid gender stereotypes, e.g. men as independent/ambitious, women as dependent/unambitious
• Seeing people perform gender-appropriate behaviours can strengthen children's beliefs in their own self-efficacy to carry out those behaviours
• Media influence can change people's self-efficacy beliefs about their ability to perform gender-stereotyped tasks