In Chapter 2 we reviewed general theories of sexuality, and the debates there centered on how much of human sexuality is programmed through our genes and physiology, and how much is influenced by culture and environment. Gender role theory struggles with the same issues, and different theorists take different positions. Social learning theorists believe that we learn gender roles almost entirely from our environment, whereas cognitive development theorists believe that children go through a set series of stages that correspond to certain beliefs and attitudes about gender. Earlier in this chapter we discussed biological gender differences. Here we will talk about evolutionary, social learning, cognitive development, gender schema, and gender hierarchy theories.
When a baby is born, he or she possesses no knowledge and few instinctual behaviors. But by the time the child is about 3 or 4, he or she can usually talk, feed him — or herself, interact with adults, describe objects, and use correct facial expressions and body language. The child also typically exhibits a wide range of behaviors that are appropriate to his or her gender. The process whereby this infant who knows nothing becomes a toddler who has the basic skills for functioning in society is called socialization.
As we saw in the last chapter, different types of sexual socialization occur at different ages and levels of development. The same is true of gender role socialization, which is closely related to sexual socialization. Many boys dress and act like other boys and play with traditionally male toys (guns, trucks); whereas many girls insist on wearing dresses and express a desire to do traditionally “female” things, such as playing with dolls and cooking toys. Is this behavior innate, or are gender stereotypes still getting through to these children through television and in playing with their peers? The answer depends on which theory of gender role development you accept.