Gender Development in Children - Research Paper Example

Thesis Statement: According to sources, there are different factors that affect the development of gender of a child. From the moment that the child is born, he is exposed to these factors that shape him to be the person he grows up to be. The media, society, parents, government, educators, and environment are just some of the factors that affect the gender development of a child. Gender Gender is important because from this stems the person’s ability to act out as an adult in the future. According to the Gender and Child Development (World Health Organization, n.d), “the gender roles that a society assigns to its children will have a determining effect on their future: their access to food and education; their labor force participation; their status in relationships; and their physical and psychological health.” Gender is different from sex; the sex of a child is determined when he is born, while the gender is determined as he grows up. “Gender focuses on whether an individual is male or female based on how a person acts. It is related to what people expect from women and men. Sex, on the other hand, is related to a person's body. It has to do with whether an individual is biologically male or female (Myers-Walls, 2010).” Very few cases of wrong sex identification have happened in the past. Meanwhile, the gender of a person can only be known by himself or by those close to him, and this does not need to be printed in any legal document. According to Oswalt (2008), “Kohlberg's theory of gender identity development describes how young children learn to understand their gender, and what being that gender means in their everyday life. Kohlberg theorized that there are 3 stages to this process. Initially, during the early preschool years (ages 3 to 4 years), young children engage in gender labeling. Young children can tell the difference between boys and girls, and will label people accordingly. However, these very young children still believe that gender can change and is not permanent.” Influences on Gender Development of Children Everyone is influenced by society. From the moment each one is exposed to others, he begins to think about how he should act around them in terms of words and characteristics. Another influence that society has on an individual is the development of his gender. Recent studies show that children of age five and up already have an idea of the gender that they belong in, and it is also during this time that they act out to be a boy or girl depending on what they think is appropriate (Gender and Child Development, n.d). Oswalt (2008) also says that “by age 5, children tend to play with ‘gender-specific’ toys…Young boys often play together in larger groups, while young girls tend to play more in pairs and smaller groups.” Some of the stereotypes that the community has are that a little girl should play with dolls and a little boy with trucks or other “masculine” toys. This is in reference to the kind of personality that they need to develop: women being passionate and kind and men being aggressive and strong. The children themselves do not know this during their early days, but when they look up at their models (i.e. parents, guardians, media), they try to act out the role of the one that they consider to be the most similar to them. Little girls tend to take up the actions of their mother, while little boys tend to copy their fathers. Durso (2000) also states that “gender stability is the realization that girls grown up to be women, that they don't grow penises and becomes men, and vice versa. Little boys realize that their penises will not fall off and that they won't grow a vagina and become a woman.” This trend is disrupted when parents do not give their children the right affection that they deserve. For example, a father who wants to have a son and is given a daughter instead would either feel indifferent towards the daughter, or raise her as he would his son. A daughter that is raised in a masculine role most likely develops a boyish gender. The same can be said with a son that is influenced by women throughout his life. When he does not have a male role model to look at, he believes that the women around him should be copied instead. Basically, the presence of a balance between the male and female presence around the child has a big part in shaping his gender. The media is another strong influence that opens the child’s eyes to possibilities. What they see or hear in different media determines what they want to be when they grow up. If they are inclined to watching the television where violence against women is displayed blatantly, and their parents are not there to guide them, they tend to either hate those who hate women or decide to be just like them. As they grow older, children will realize that emotions also play a role in the development of gender. In some countries, the food supply is mostly given to the male gender because they are the ones who protect the group. The same also goes for education. In the past, the girls were not a priority when it came to education because the government prioritized the patriarchal system. Violence, exploitation, labor, and vulnerability to illnesses are just some of the factors that affect the child. When a child is exposed to violence, he is being “righted” into the gender that fits him as either the one inflicting violence, or the one being victimized by it (Gender and Child Development, n.d). Late Gender Development There is no certain age when the gender and sexuality of a child must be finalized. Throughout the course of his life, this can change abruptly depending on his realizations. However, a greater part of the population already has a developed gender and sexuality before they turn ten. Even at infancy, children already display their sexual preferences. As the child grows older, his physical, social, cognitive and social development strengthens or weakens the gender that he has “developed” (Early Childhood Gender Identity and Sexuality, 2008). Meanwhile, some develop their gender during the age of puberty and adolescence (Early Childhood Gender Identity and Sexuality, 2008). Exception to the Rule “Gender is an important mediator of human experiences and the way in which individuals interact with each other and the physical environment (Noppe, n.d)”. No matter how much exploration or exposure is given to the child, there are still some cases wherein the child does not turn out as expected. Even in a family dominated by males, the pressure of conformity does not affect the child and instead, his personal and emotional development shapes him into someone unlike them. This goes against the rule of conformity which says that a child will most likely turn up like his influences. The presence of cases like this makes people think: is the influence of outside factors as strong as the personal code of a child, which he develops as he grows older, or is there a stronger force between the two that outweighs the other? When you think about it, gender is as much as the choice of a child as he grows older as it is the fruit of careful exposure to media and other factors that affects his perception of things. One can say that he can choose to be effeminate due to his past, or due to the nurture given to him by his parents or guardians. Peer pressure also plays a role in gender identification. All throughout his life cycle, he can change his gender when he meets someone or something unexpected. It is not just about conformity; it is also about self-expression. And this is the part of gender identity that is not outweighed by any outside factor in the community. In retrospect, a child is influenced by many factors that affect different levels of thinking. Some are in the cognitive stage, others in the physical, while others target the emotional level. With all these combined, the gender identification of a person is determined, but not because of anything else but because of his personal say in the matter. The influences can only shape him up to identify the beliefs that he will believe in, but this cannot point him to the right direction if he himself does not want to go there. Instead, what happens is that he uses the influences to guide him whether he will follow that path or go the opposite direction. Some find it easy to conform to a gender in his early days, but others find it hard to determine his true gender until he is in his middle age. References Oswalt, Angela. (2008). Early Childhood Gender Identity and Sexuality. Durso, Barb. (2000). Gender Identity. Gender and Child Development. (n.d). World Health Organization. Myers-Walls, Judith. (2010). Gender Development. Noppe, Illene. (n.d). Gender-Role Development- The Development of Sex and Gender. Read More