Early Childhood Gender Role Research

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At birth, gender is assigned. The child is announced boy or girl. How this announcement dictates the child’s life from that point on is determined by parental influence in a home setting, then reinforced by the child’s environment outside of the home (Witt, 1997). There are numerous examples of “appropriate” gender roles according to American society. This paper will first explore the home and the impact that parental influence has. Next, the focus will turn to early childhood, predominantly focused in a social setting (ex: daycare, elementary school). Lastly, attention will be turned to the negative implications gender roles have on developing children and how more gender neutrality can have positive impacts on self-esteem.
When looking at …show more content…
Adorning the baby’s room in pink or blue, buying gender specific clothes, toys, and having different expectations about the baby’s behavior (Thorne, 1993). Upon entering the world, their parent’s teach them what behavior, in relation to the child’s gender, is considered correct. There is an overwhelming amount of evidence to suggest that parents are the main influence when it comes to a child’s understanding and acceptance of gender roles (eg: Kingsburry & Coplan (2012); Fagot & Hagan (1991); Garside & Klimes-Dougan …show more content…
In a study done by Zosuls, et al., which looked at toy preference in small children, researchers found that “gender typed preferences” with toys gradually increased with age as children started to understand gender roles more: between 17 and 21 months, girls preferred to play with a doll and boys preferred to play with a truck (2009). It may not seem that what toy a child plays with would have any drastic effect on their future. The problem is, is that different types of toys teach different abilities to developing children which can in turn develop into stereotypical masculine and feminine roles in their future (Campenni, 1999). The important information to take away is that the toys parents provide for a child or what parents allow their children to play with sends a direct message to the child of how they should represent their
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