Gender & Sexuality Development
Learning Objectives
- Differentiate between gender and sex
- Explain gender identity development through middle childhood and adolescence
- Compare and contrast the biological, cognitive, and social perspective on gender identity development
- Explain sexual identity development through middle childhood and adolescence
- Explain the development of gender stereotype and factors contributing to gender stereotype through middle childhood and adolescence
Gender refers to the social, psychological, cultural, and behavioral traits associated with being male, female, or another gender identity. As children’s identity develops, their understanding of their own gender identity also changes. It is important to note that gender is a socially constructed term. As such, we do not born with understanding of gender identity or perceptions of what is “typical” and “atypical” of a specific gender. As children entered school system and as their sexuality develops, their understanding of gender as a category and their own gender identity also goes through changes. Family, social media, and peers all played an important role in this development as well as their attitude towards their own gender and other genders. We will explore the different theories on the development of gender and sexual identity, how we form gender stereotype and what influences the development of our gender stereotype in this chapter.
