FREE ESSAY ON GENDER IDENTITY AND STEREOTYPING

GENDER IDENTITY AND STEREOTYPING

Research paper on Gender Identity and Stereotyping.
Introduction and Background
This research group was assigned the topic of Gender Identity and Stereotyping. As a
group we discussed why we chose this topic and how it affects us in our lives. We first
has to come up with the definition of gender. However before the definition is given
there needs to be some explanation of some termonlogy. Most people think gender is the
sex that we were assigned at birth. Upon further study this research group found that
gender is more of a psychological process that children go through to acquire the
characteristics of male or female in their prescribed cultures.(Child Development third
addition)
Gender Stereotyping is the expectation or belief that individuals within a certain
culture hold about the behaviors that are characteristics of male or female in their
given culture. As a research group we talked about how gender stereotyping can influence
a childs development. This research group also talked about what types of stereotyping
might affect the child's development and who has the most affect on a child's gender
development. (Child Development third addition)
As a group we came up with some questions about gender stereotyping that we discussed and
that we wanted to research. The group came up with one question about gender stereotyping
that we wanted to research the question is How Preschool and Kindergarten aged children
are influenced by gender stereo typing in their development. The question was divided
into seven parts. They include: How parents influence a child, how peers influence a
child, how books influence a child, how toys influence a child, and how television and
siblings influence a child's development.
This research project Involved a questionnaire that was given out haphazardly to various
individuals within the groups community. The questionnaire was responded to by fifty
individuals, all of which responded to it and gave it back. We took the answers and
compiled them and started our research from the answers that were given.(Delores,
Cynthia, research paper)