Gender Identity and Roles

Scholars have developed different theories of gender development. One of the most studied theories of gender development is social learning theory. According to Bandura (1977), children learn behaviors based on the power of immediate situation and observable characteristics. The development also notes that children learn their gender roles in two ways; children receive rewards or punishments for specific gender roles, and kids learn through watching and imitating the behaviors of grownups. The theorist believed that children try to copy the same sex parent. The approach does not believe that children are under any pressure of guilt or anxiety over a supposed attraction to the other-sex parent (Bandura, 1977). 

The theory, however, is based on stereotypes by society. For example, the parents, media, and schools encourage children to do appropriate sex-typed activities. Parents feed their children with the traditional roles of the various sexes in the families. The society through the media portrays the traditional roles for males and female. The learning institutions teach young people to gender roles stereotypes (Bandura, 1977). Social learning theory, therefore, stereotypes the gender roles and the children learn through observation. 

The reason for choosing this theory is the fact that it is easy and I can relate to it. The social learning theory is not, and it creates a picture of how gender separation happens including the roles that are attached to each sex. Since the ancient times of human development, the female and male genders have always had specific roles as painted by society. The male gender was supposed to provide and protect their families while the females were expected to take care of the home chores. The children learned from their parents. For example, girls were supposed to help their mum while boys were supposed to follow and support their dad. From such environments, the children would learn from the particular genders, and the roles would become habits and eventually behaviors. The simplicity aspect of the theory is the reason I choose the approach and the fact that it is easy to prove and relate to. 

Stereotypes developed by the social learning theory remind me of my childhood. My dad was always watching TV or reading a newspaper in the evening when mum was busy cooking in the kitchen. I learned that men are not supposed to go into the kitchen and dad always said that it was the female sanctuary. Girls were supposed to learn from their mums since the house chores were left to mum including cleaning the house and clothes. Dad would engage in robust activities such as roof repairing, maintaining leaking taps and going for sporting activities. That way I found myself attracted to the things dad was doing and my sister was always with mum. 

As a result of the difference in the makeup between the male and female genders, people develop different behavioral characteristics. For example because of the motherly role of the females they develop loving and gentle characters. From my childhood, I learned that there are gender-typed behaviors. The table below includes the gender-typed behaviors of the two genders. 

According to Biegel (2018), g ender identity is the individual sense of one's gender. Gender identity does not always conform to with the sex assigned at birth, but at times it can correlate. It is independent and separate from sexual orientation and the gender assigned at birth. Besides the biological factors, gender identity is highly influenced by a person’s immediate environment. People learn how to act, behave, dress, and other natural traits from the people that are close to them. The culture view people that are biologically identified with one gender but behavior wise act indicative of the other as harmful and deviant (Bandura, 1977). It is the main reason why society influences gender identity, and it is explained through gender schemas. Gender schemers refer to associative mental networks that create a link of specific characteristics to either gender (Blakemore, Berenbaum and Liben, 2009). A real-life example: one time a male friend of mine came to school wearing a dress while we were in the lower class. He became the laughing stock until his parent decided to transfer him to a private school. Society does not expect boys to wear dresses as they are feminine. 

Human culture defines the roles of the genders in any given society ( Biegel, 2018) . Men in any community are supposed to undertake the task of providing for the family. Women in any society have the responsibility of bearing children and taking care of the kids until they grow-up. Culture defines gender roles through concepts and idea. For example, the culture expects women to become wives are bear and rear children. In every society, women take care of their kids. 

Through the process of culture influencing gender characteristics and roles, the concept of stereotyping is born ( Biegel, 2018) . For example, women are always stereotyped to be subordinated to the men. Wives are supposed to respect and serve their husband. 

References  

Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory . Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 

Biegel, S. (2018). The right to be out: Sexual orientation and gender identity in America's public schools . U of Minnesota Press. 

Blakemore, J. E. O., Berenbaum, S. A., & Liben, L. S. (2009). Gender development . New York: Psychology Press.