Essay On Gender Identity

Gender Identity

Children begin to form concepts of gender around the age of 2. By the age of 3 children know if they are boy or girl. It isn’t until somewhere between 3 and 5 when children begin to understand what it means to be either male or female. Once they are aware of their gender children begin to develop stereotypes that they apply to themselves and others. They do this in an attempt to understand and give meaning to their own identities. The preschool years are a critical time to explore and enhance gender stereotypes in a positive manner with children. Between the ages of 5 and 7 stereotypes have been rigidly defined in a child’s brain. Negative stereotypes can limit potential growth and development in a child. They will impact self-esteem and ultimately, academic performance. The long-term effects are most apparent in the adolescence age. (Aina, Cameron 2011)

Developing a Positive Gender Identity

The well known developmental psychologist, Jean Piaget, described children as active learners who use interactions with their environment to construct and understanding of the world around them. Like in everything else, children in early childhood learn through play. After they can label themselves as boy or girl they begin to show a preference for gender-typed activities and materials. According to Lev Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist, Adults promote this learning by role-modeling behavior, assisting with challenging tasks, and passing along cultural meanings to objects and events. All of these are components of gender development.

Denying the existence of stereotyped perceptions succeeds only in perpetuating and manifesting gender-based polarization of children’s behavior. To help children become more open-minded, we must ...

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...ritically evaluated for gender biases. But, rather than eliminating all books that produce gender biases it is possible to guide children in discussions to recognize the stereotypes and to increase independent critical thinking and perceptions of gender.

Perception of Parents

In a study conducted with mothers and fathers of children aged 3 to 5, children’s perceptions of parental approval were found out of alignment with the parents’ self described attitudes. Most paretns demonstrated non-stereotypical attitudes on the parent questionnaires about their reactions to their children’s cross-gender play. The children, however, indicated that their parents would not approve of cross-gender choices. This study revealed a large discrepancy between the attitudes that parents publicly profess and the subtle messages that their children perceive from them. (Aina, Cameron, 15)