Question

What is the difference between sex and gender?

Describe the development of gender awareness in young children, focusing on explanations offered by the major developmental theories.

Which theory do you agree with most? Why?

Have gender roles changed over time? How?

Answer 1

• The difference between Sex and gender- sex is considered as biological aspect (the reproductive system of an individual), whereas gender is social aspect. (the role of an individual on the basis of reproductive system)
• Development of gender awareness in young children- there are four major theories which explain the development of gender awareness in young children.
• 1- Psychoanalytic theory- (by Freud and Erikson)- Freud conceptualized that in the age 3-5, children get attract with opposite sex of parent, after this phase they feel guilt about this feeling, and they start spending more time with the same sex parent.
• Erikson worked on the basis of Freud's theory and he extended his theory by adding some different concepts, he called this stage "identity vs role confusion". he believed that this stage develops the concept of self identity and children get aware about their gender roles.
• 2- Cognitive development theory- (by Kohlberg)- according to this theory children use their cognition and they recognize their same se and they start immitate them. By immitating their elders they become aware about their gender.
• 3- Social learning theory- This theory emphasized that children learn to act according to their gender through observation and award and punishment.
• 4- Gender- schema theory- This theory suggest that children's own thought process encourage their gender role, and they organize the information which get get from their surrounding, this schema helps them to become aware aboout their gender role.
• I agree with the cognitive theory, because it explains the cognitive process for the awareness, without this process it can not be possible to understand any concept, however gender- schema theory also explains the concept as well.
• Through the time as everything is getting change, gender role is also changing over the time. before some decades the role of male and female was very diverse and it was mostly fixed, that any particular type of work should be done by the particular sex. but in present both sex are doing same work motly, this is not no major discrimination in the role of both gender, however some cultures still discrimate both gender.