Sex and Gender Development in Children

Sex and Gender Development in Children

The concepts of sex and gender begin to develop from an early age. The book has suggested different theories that attempt to explain the two concepts. One of the most notable approaches is Bandura’s social learning theory. Instead of studying animals and applying on how humans behave and relate with others to humans, Bandura argued that humanslearn by utilizing innate cognitive abilities to imitate others. As children grow up, they are assigned responsibilities based on gender, as determined by their sex. Boys are expected to have “masculine” traits, while girls would have “feminine” traits. Although genetics predetermine some traits, the role socialization plays in this can not be understated. Communities such as the Eskimo taught boys to build houses while girls were not (Crain, p236). The ability to learn from socialization and imitations helps shape the behavior and conduct of children up to their adulthood. Children can gain values such as altruism from adults. In one experiment, children who observed an adult donate to the less fortunate learned to emulate his by giving more than children who did not watch his altruistic behavior. After two months, the experiment was redone without the generous adult, and the group that had seen him donate still donated more money than the other group suggesting that values such as altruism can be learned through observation and imitation (Crain, p237). As children grow up, they are expected to act like other members of their gender as they observe them throughout their lives.

The concepts of sex and gender begin to develop from an early age. The book has suggested different theories that attempt to explain the two concepts. One of the most notable approaches is Bandura’s social learning theory. Instead of studying animals and applying on how humans behave and relate with others to humans, Bandura argued that humanslearn by utilizing innate cognitive abilities to imitate others. As children grow up, they are assigned responsibilities based on gender, as determined by their sex. Boys are expected to have “masculine” traits, while girls would have “feminine” traits. Although genetics predetermine some traits, the role socialization plays in this can not be understated. Communities such as the Eskimo taught boys to build houses while girls were not (Crain, p236). The ability to learn from socialization and imitations helps shape the behavior and conduct of children up to their adulthood. Children can gain values such as altruism from adults. In one experiment, children who observed an adult donate to the less fortunate learned to emulate his by giving more than children who did not watch his altruistic behavior. After two months, the experiment was redone without the generous adult, and the group that had seen him donate still donated more money than the other group suggesting that values such as altruism can be learned through observation and imitation (Crain, p237). As children grow up, they are expected to act like other members of their gender as they observe them throughout their lives.

Works Cited

Crain, William C. Theories of development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1980.