Evidence suggests that by the age of two a child’s choice of toys is masculine or feminine. For instance a girl would choose a doll and a boy a toy car. Sometime between the age of two and three they can categorise toys into masculine or feminine and these categories influence their choice of toy.
So by the age of three they understand which toys are for boys and which are for girls. When then do children start to categorise themselves and others into gender categories?
Children between the age of two and three are able to categorise themselves as boys or girls. They also display gender appropriate behaviour, that is traits suitable to masculinity and femininity in a particular culture. This self-categorisation tends to result in a preference for same gender peers.
It seems then that by the age of three children can categorise themselves and others into male or female and objects into masculine or feminine. So how does the model of gender categories that children posses differ from the adult version?
Gender categorisations by children under the age of five tend to have distinct characteristics. They are simplified representations of the typical characteristics associated with a category. These categories are rigid and inflexible with simple in out rules, you are either part of one group or not. They are naively certain about gender. Because of this they make mistakes believing that a girl can become an uncle or a boy an aunt. They can also be fooled by context, if a man dresses as a woman for a fancy dress party. Children can believe that he has changed into a woman.
Research carried out by (BEM 1989) suggests that children’s gender categorisation is less influenced by biological knowledge as they don’t have this knowledge. A group of children under five years old were shown pictures of naked toddlers only half of them could distinguish between boys and girls using biological knowledge (genitalia). The half that could distinguish between boys and girls using biological knowledge were not swayed into changing their choice of gender category when shown the same toddlers in opposite gender cloths or hair styles. However the half without the biological knowledge took their gender cues from clothing and hairstyle.
So early gender categorisation seems to depend on the social and cultural experiences of each individual child.
From the age of five up children learn that gender identity remains the same as they get older. Their gender categorisations become more flexible, adaptive and more reliable. They are actively maintained and reconstructed for the rest of their lives. They learn that there are multiple gender identities; masculinities and femininities as apposed to just masculine or feminine.
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Part B: TO WHAT EXTENT HAVE CHANGING GENDER IDENTITIES AFFECTED THE PERFORMANCE OF GIRLS AND BOYS AT SCHOOL IN THE CONTEMPORARY UK?
Over the last few years it appears that boys seem to be underachieving at school. In fact according to statistics it seems that girls are generally achieving more and higher GCSE levels than boys. Statistics gathered by the Observer in January 1998 showed that between 1992 and 1997 the overall GCSE pass at grades A to C on five or more subjects was on the increase. However more girls were achieving these grades than boys. This same trend was shown in the Maths Science and English subjects, with girls consistently outperforming boys in English.
Does this mean that girls are becoming more intelligent than boys?
Certain cognitive tests have been constructed that show men and women have distinct problem solving abilities. They show that women tend to be better at verbal tests and mathematical calculations. While men tend to do better at spatial tests and mathematical reasoning. However it is difficult to prove natural ability because different lifestyle factors cannot be excluded, social and cultural upbringing can have an influence on the results.
At school are boys and girls treated differently?
When children arrive at school they all have different interests, attitudes and behaviour. Developed from their social and cultural interaction with the world, as they know it. These interests tend to perpetuate within school. So according to their background and upbringing they would feel comfortable with certain school activities. If children are comfortable with an activity they will have confidence in pursuing it. On the other hand if the activity is at odds with their interest they are likely to feel uncomfortable with it and display less confidence. For instance in the past boys have had more experience with scientific or mechanical apparatus outside of school so inside school they feel comfortable using similar equipment in science lessons. More comfortable than girls do, so they tend to dominate the use of the equipment, making girls feel less confidant at science subjects. So science subjects would tend to be considered masculine.
Teachers tend to intervene or not intervene according to a child’s confidence in a certain subject. Unfortunately a lack of confidence tends to be interpreted as a lack of ability, especially in girls in a science subject. This feeling of comfort or confidence or lack of it leads boys and girls to choose and engage in certain school activities or on the other hand choose not to engage in certain activities. So school teachers tend to respond to pre-school gender identities and attitudes by rewarding and reinforcing confidence taking this as a sign of ability and intelligence.
This lack of interest in science subjects for girls seems to be changing. Some recent evidence even suggests that boys feel it is not cool to excel, it could even be considered feminine, hence the term girlie swat. Reading seems to be considered feminine which could explain why girls excel at English.
What social and cultural changes have occurred recently that could cause a performance increase in girls?
The issue of gender inequality was raised by feminists between 1960-1970. They were worried that girls were considered inferior in school and were prepared for a secondary caring and serving role in life.
Also recent changes in the social structure and labour markets have made more opportunities available for women. There are also more two income families now.
So it is not that girls are becoming more intelligent or boys becoming less intelligent. There have been social and cultural changes recognising that women can contribute as much as men. With more families having two incomes, children are growing up realising that bringing home an income is not a masculine trait. With more electronic hardware such as VCR’s and computers being readily available in the home, boys and girls have equal access to these and thus become familiar and confident in their use. So they are confident in the use of similar equipment at school. The social attitude of the girl as the homemaker and the boy as the breadwinner is changing. So the playing field has been levelled so to speak. It’s not so much a question of what a boy or girl can or cannot do anymore. They now have a choice so it is now what a girl or boy chooses to do and girls are choosing science subjects.
