Gender Differences In Child Development Research

What is gender, and how is it represented in our society? Gender is defined as the sense of being male or female (Feldman, 2016). However, gender differs from sex in that, sex refers to the physical characteristics that differentiate males and females (Feldman, 2016). There are certain products that individuals are drawn to or automatically attached through societal norms. For instance, a woman may automatically go into a store and go directly to the clothing and shoe department. In contrast, a male may walk in to the same store and be drawn directly to the sporting goods section. But, how are these schemes implemented into child development? An example of this can be seen in the “Toys” section in most stores. For this assignment,

One of these perspectives is the biological perspective. This perspective suggests that the presence of certain types of hormones or the differences in the structure of the male and female brain attributes to differences in males and females (Feldman, 2016). Another reason for these differences could be due to the fact that children learn and relate to gender and gender expectations through observations of other individuals; this approach is called social learning (Steeves, 2015.) For example, a young girl may see her mother cleaning and cooking, so she may think that is a typical task of all females. This type of example is referred to as identification. In this process, children attempt to be similar to their same-sex parents, and through this, they contract their parent’s attitudes and values (Feldman, 2016). This is all instilled in the psychoanalytic perspective on gender

Gender stereotypes tend to develop early on in life; preschool-age children develop ideas on stereotypes and gender expectations. Because children at this age are so easily influenced, certain implications could affect a child’s development and ideas of gender in a negative way. Children develop gender schema, which is a cognitive framework that separates and organizes information pertaining to the specific gender (Feldman, 2016). For example, boys are shown favor when they excel at sports, while girls are often celebrated for their academics. This example can even be seen in the toys section at Wal-Mart; the “Boys” aisle was filled with many more balls, gloves, and bats than the “Girls” aisle. While the “Girls” aisle did include some of these items, it was filled with a larger book and puzzle selection. While the books aren’t necessarily challenging material now, they may promote a start to a successful academic career for young girls. In this example, if the boys and girls are celebrated for each of these aspects now, they may not be as inclined to be participate in the opposing aspect. In other words, the children may feel limited to what they can achieve. While this is my own opinion, I believe that minute details like this could have a greater toll on one’s development and success than many