Gender Development in Children Essay - 998 Words

There have been many theories and studies in support of the development of gender identity and gender roles. One major theory was the one put forward by Bandura and his social learning theory. Banduras social learning theory states that gender is learnt through direct and indirect reinforcement. The direct reinforcement is influenced by parents and according to the social learning theory gender identity is also reinforced through the beliefs and attitudes that the parents implement within their children through gender stereotypical behaviour. However, gender roles can also be learnt through observation and modelling of behaviour. Although Bandura did devise a theory into the explanation of development of gender identity, he did†¦show more content†¦For example, if a parent encouraging traditional female behaviour by saying to the young girl `Your look pretty in that dress, through these comments they are reinforcing gender appropriate behaviour. The influence of peers is also seen as a form of direct gender reinforcement, under the social learning theory. Again, Bandura did not have any evidence through studies to show that this was the case, so therefore Lamb and Roopnarnine took up the chance into providing empirical evidence through the use of an observational method. They observed a group of nursery schoolchildren and found that the children generally reinforced peers for gender appropriate play by giving them more attention or imitating and they were quick to criticise gender inappropriate play. So whilst having your own behaviour reinforced you are also learning by watching others behaviour being reinforced. These findings support Banduras suggestion and the idea of learning through imitation and modelling is certainly present. According to the social learning theory, the influence of the media in the formation of gender roles and identity is known as being indirectly and vicariously reinforced. It states that we can learn gender appropriate behaviour by learning from others. So by having gender stereotypes portrayed in the media, it has a powerful influence on all of us but especially on children because they are currentlyShow MoreRelatedGender And Gender Development : How Children Perceive And Develop Their Genders1649 Words   |  7 Pagesand their take on how children perceive and develop their genders. The articles explore the ways in which children express themselves and fall into specific gender roles or stereotypes. The manner in which children are gendered and taught to think in gendered terms is looked into as well. This paper also aims to clarify the difference between sex and gender, and the impact that outside forces such as parents, media, school, and society place pressures and rules on how children see themselves and areRead MoreChildren s Gender Development And Family Studies Professional991 Words   |  4 Pagesquestion that is discussed in this paper. 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