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Gender stereotypes and the relationship between masculinity and femininity: a developmental analysis.
1Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville 32611.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|September 1, 1991
Summary
Children’s reliance on gender stereotypes remains stable, but their use of individual information and negative associations with masculinity and femininity increase with age. This suggests a developmental shift in gender perception.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Understanding how children and adolescents perceive gender is crucial for developmental and social psychology.
- Previous research indicates varying reliance on stereotypes versus individuating information in social judgments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate developmental changes in the use of gender stereotypes and individuating information.
- To examine how the perceived association between masculinity and femininity evolves with age.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 491 participants from kindergarten to college.
- Participants were presented with gender-typed and counter-stereotypical information about individuals and asked to make social judgments.
Main Results:
- Reliance on gender labels as judgment cues remained stable across age groups.
- The use of individuating information, especially masculine attributes, increased with participants' age.
- The perceived association between masculinity and femininity became increasingly negative with age.
Conclusions:
- Gender perception shifts developmentally, moving from dualistic to potentially unidimensional constructs.
- While gender label reliance is constant, older individuals integrate more individuating information, reflecting cognitive maturation.