Discuss the way psychological research enables us to understand the development of gender roles
One interpretation of gender is that it refers to the sociocultural aspect of being male or female, not just the physiological aspects that make up a gender. Every child develops a gender, and with this has to come a gender role, which is a set of expectations that prescribe how males and females should think, act and feel.
Kohlberg’s theory, suggests that people go through three stages in developing an understanding of gender. The first stage is basic gender identity, in which the child realizes he/she is a boy or a girl. The child then has to accept that he/she is a male/female forever, which happens in stage 2, gender stability. Little boys no longer think that are going to grow up to become mums, and little girls no longer think the can be the next superman. The third stage that children go through is called gander constancy. In this stage children recognize that superficial changes in appearance or activities do not alter gender. Even when girls wear jeans or play football, or hen a boy is interested in sewing, or has long hair, the child’s gender remains constant. Kohlberg’s theory is based on Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, and assumes that that as cognition matures, so does the child’s understanding of gender. The stages of Kohlberg’s theory also tie in with Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development.
