Definitions
- Gender Identity: Self-perception as male, female, or a third category.
- Gender Roles: Societal expectations for behavior based on gender.
- Gender Constancy: Recognition that gender is stable over time and situations.
- Gender Socialization: Process of internalizing norms for gender-appropriate behavior.
Empirical Studies
Study 1: Kohlberg (1966)
- Aim: To propose stages of gender identity development.
- Method: Theoretical framework based on observations and interviews.
- Procedure: Kohlberg outlined stages: gender labeling, gender stability, and gender consistency (achieved by ages 5–7).
- Results: Gender constancy is the trigger for identity development.
- Conclusion: Gender identity evolves through cognitive processes.
Study 2: Slaby and Frey (1975)
- Aim: To investigate attention to same-sex models.
- Method: Correlational study using interviews and visual fixation tracking.
- Procedure: Children with high and low gender constancy were shown films with male and female models.
- Results: High gender constancy children focused more on same-sex models.
- Conclusion: Gender constancy drives selective attention and identity formation.
