Learned Gender Roles

Persuasive Essay # 27211

Gender and Sexuality
Psychology > Behaviorism
Psychology > Child and Adolescent
Psychology > Social

This paper studies theories surrounding the ways in which children learn gender roles.

1,625 words () | 4 sources | APA | 2001 Canada

Paper Summary:

Could the way we treat our children have an effect on how they think, look, and act? The paper brings in research in which psychologists analyze the behavior of infants to learn whether or not gender roles are created or stem from something biological. The writer looks at examples from items in any store that are geared towards boys and girls. The paper attempts to prove that we are possibly responsible for these stereotypes.

From the Paper:

"The reasoning for gender differences is not always clear. It may have been human nature to label infants in order to better interact with them. It might be a way of dividing society into groups. There does not seem to be one clear reason for the labeling, but one thing is certain, there is a division. We treat children differently depending on their sex. Boys engage in rough and tumble play while girls often mimic the actions of their mother in the home, like cooking and cleaning and looking after the baby. These examples are not always what happens, but are believed to be the norm. Boys follow the example set for them by their father and girls in turn follow the example set for them by their mother."