Table of Contents
- 1 What does gender identity have to do with?
- 2 How does nature versus nurture contribute to our understanding of gender?
- 3 Why nature and nurture are both important?
- 4 Should children be allowed to choose their gender identity?
- 5 What is gender identity and why is it important?
- 6 Should you force gender roles on your children?
What does gender identity have to do with?
Gender identity is defined as a personal conception of oneself as male or female (or rarely, both or neither). This concept is intimately related to the concept of gender role, which is defined as the outward manifestations of personality that reflect the gender identity.
How does nature versus nurture contribute to our understanding of gender?
In many cases, nature and nurture interact and amplify each other’s effects. For example, once they reach puberty, boys tend to be physically stronger than girls. This is based on nature, or the inherent trait of larger muscles in boys.
How does gender affect the growth and development of a child?
Gender also affects physical growth in infancy. Weight, length, and head circumference are greater in boys than in girls throughout the first year of life (Geary, Pringle, Rodeck, Kingdom, & Hindmarsh, 2003). These growth differences are related to hormonal differences between boys and girls.
Why nature and nurture are both important?
Both Nature and nurture portray different ideas to how a human develops and although there has been a long argument over if nature or nurture are more important. They are used because they ave identical/similar genes and are a good way of seeing how nurture affects them.
Should children be allowed to choose their gender identity?
Yes, children should be allowed to choose which gender they identify with in some cases. Some children are mature and understand the issue of gender identity while others may not. Parents generally know their child’s maturity level and can help them deal with the situation.
How do children make distinctions about gender?
The way that children make distinctions about gender has to do with what they perceive. When children as asked if someone is a boy or a girl, they are going to gender expression and they are saying they have long hair or the type of clothes they are wearing or the activities they participate it. Which leads us to the third component…
What is gender identity and why is it important?
Which leads us to the third component… Gender identity, very simply defined, is a person’s innate sense of their own gender. Gender identity is a term that has been around for a long time yet the majority of us have never pondered this.
Should you force gender roles on your children?
Forcing gender roles and societal stereotypes on your children can be harmful, though it definitely isn’t always. It isn’t hard to give children the choice, though. Let them choose what clothes they like, let them choose what toys they like, let them choose what they want to do and be.