Outline and evaluate kohlberg’s theory of gender development PDF

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Outline and evaluate Kohlberg’s theory of gender development (16 marks) Kohlberg’s cognitive-developmental theory is based on the idea that a child’s understanding of gender (including what counts as appropriate gender roles, behaviours and attitudes) becomes more sophisticated with age. Around the age of 2, children are able to identify themselves as a boy or a girl – gender identity. At 3, most children are able to identify other people as male or female, and can correctly respond to questions such as ‘Which one of these is like you?’, if shown a picture of a man or woman. However, children of this age group aren’t aware that sex is permanent. At age 4, children acquire gender stability where the child understands that their own gender is fixed and that they will either be male or female when they are older. However, they cannot apply this logic to other situations and are confused by external changes in appearance – may describe a man with long hair as a woman. Gender constancy appears in the final stage of development (stage 3) – aged 6, children recognise that gender remains constant and consistent over time and situations. They are no longer fooled by changes in outward appearance. Gender constancy is also significant in that children of this age begin to seek out gender appropriate role models to identify with and imitate. 

Gender constancy is also significant as children this age begin to seek out genderappropriate role models to identify with and imitate. Links to SLT, though SLT states these processes can occur at any age rather than age 6.

Kohlberg’s theory was developed using interviews with children who were, in some cases, as young as two or three. Although the questions asked were tailored towards the particular age group he was dealing with, Kohlberg may not have acknowledged that very young children lack the vocabulary required to express their understanding. Such children may have relatively complex ideas about gender but do not possess the verbal ability to articulate these.

Therefore, what they express does not truly represent their understanding.

Kohlberg’s theory is undermined by the observation that many children begin to demonstrate gender-appropriate behaviour before gender constancy is achieved. Bussey and Bandura (1992) found that children as young as 4 reported ‘feeling good’ about playing with gender appropriate toys and ‘bad’ about doing the opposite.

This contradicts what Kohlberg would predict, but may support gender schema theory, which suggests that children begin to absorb gender-appropriate information as soon as they identify themselves as either male or female.

In a study by Ronald Slaby and Fey (1975) children were presented with split-screen images of males and females performing the same tasks.

Younger children spent roughly the same amount of time watching both sexes. Children in the gender constancy stage, however, spent longer looking at the model who was the same sex as them. This would suggest that Kohlberg was correct in his assumption that children who have acquired constancy will actively seek gender-appropriate models....