The Formation and Development of Gender Roles: Cultural Variations and Psychological Theories
This discussion explores the complex formation and development of gender roles, examining both social learning theory and gender schema theory. It highlights the significance of cultural variations in shaping gender identities, moving beyond biological determinism. Key studies, such as those by Bandura and Mead, reveal how societal norms and cultural expectations influence perceptions of masculinity and femininity. Additionally, evidence from experiments like Baby X and insights into gender policing emphasize the role of cognitive and social factors in gender role formation. Understanding these dynamics is essential for analyzing contemporary gender issues.
The Formation and Development of Gender Roles: Cultural Variations and Psychological Theories
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Presentation Transcript
Q 7-8: Discuss the formation and development of gender roles (and explain cultural variations) Identity Development
Introduction • Background • Gender-social and psychological characteristics associated with being male or female • Role- social and behavioral norms • Biology- xx (female) or xy (male) chromosomes; sex hormones released during prenatal development • Money (1972)- claimed that children are gender neutral at birth but refuted with David Reimer story • Thesis-Social learning theory and Gender schema theory help to explain gender identity, but there are limitations to both theories
Social Learning TheoryBandura (1977) • Gender roles are learned through observation of same-sex models, reinforcement & modeling • Evidence • Smith (1978)- Baby X experiment- adults treated child according to perception of gender • Sroufe (1993)- 10 year olds who behaved in gender-stereotyped way were more popular • Limitations- passive; doesn’t explain variation in level of conformity to gender role stereotypes
Gender schema theory • Gender schema- ideas abut what is appropriate behavior for males and females • Categorization (ingroup) and stereotypes • Evidence • Martin & Halvorson (1983)- 5 and 6 year olds distorted memories that were inconsistent with gender roles • Fagot (1985)- gender policing enforced stereotypes • Limitations-focus on cognitive factors ignores social and cultural factors
Cultural variations • Goffman (1977)- predicted that gender roles will shift as societies become more equal • Mead (1935)- compared gender roles in 3 New Guinea tribes; roles not related to biology, but cultural expectations