VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY,

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HANOI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

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MID-TERM
Introduction to Sociology
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Name: k

Student ID: k

Class:
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 ASSIGNMENT
Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can
correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various
biological determinants of sex are congruent, and consistent with the individual's gender
identity. Gender expression typically reflects a person's gender identity, but this is not always
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the case. While a person may express behaviors, attitudes, and appearances consistent with a
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particular gender role, such expression may not necessarily reflect their gender identity.
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In most societies, there is a basic division between gender attributes assigned to males
and females, a gender binary to which most people adhere and which includes expectations of
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masculinity and femininity in all aspects of sex and gender: biological sex, gender identity, and
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gender expression. Some people do not identify with some, or all, of the aspects of gender
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assigned to their biological sex; some of those people are transgender, non-binary, or
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genderqueer. Some societies have third gender categories. k k k k k k

Although the formation of gender identity is not completely understood, many factors k k k

have been suggested as influencing its development. In particular, the extent to which it is
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determined by socialization versus innate factors is an ongoing debate in psychology, known as

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"nature versus nurture". Both factors are thought to play a role. Biological factors that
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influence gender identity include pre- and post-natal hormone levels.

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Social factors which may influence gender identity include ideas regarding gender roles
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conveyed by family, authority figures, mass media, and other influential people in a child's life.
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When children are raised by individuals who adhere to stringent gender roles, they are more
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likely to behave in the same way, matching their gender identity with the corresponding
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stereotypical gender patterns. Language also plays a role: children, while learning a language,
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learn to separate masculine and feminine characteristics and subconsciously adjust their own
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behavior to these predetermined roles. The social learning theory posits that children
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furthermore develop their gender identity through observing and imitating gender-linked
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behaviors, and then being rewarded or punished for behaving that way, thus being shaped by
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the people surrounding them through trying to imitate and follow them. Large-scale twin
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studies suggest that rather than shared environmental factors, which have a negligible role, the
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development of both transgender and cisgender gender identities is due to innate genetic
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factors, with a small potential influence of unique environmental factors.

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1
 There are many reasons the believe that the family is the most important agent of
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socialisation. The family is a primary agent of socialisation, it is responsible for the basic skill
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that are learnt to be a functional member society e.g. communication, mobility, right from
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wrong. One could argue that at a young age the family is the most dominant agent of
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socialisation and thus has a direct influence on ones gender Identity. Talcott Parsons suggests
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that the family is the most important agent of socialisation as he argued that the norms and
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values are learnt first and foremost from the family.

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The children are socialised into their gender roles and hence in their gender identities
by the family in four ways. The first of these ways is Manipulation. This consists of parents (or k k k k k k k k k k k k

other family members) encouraging behaviour that is seen as the norm for the child’s gender
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and discouraging behaviour that is not considered the norm e.g. congratulating a boy for
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completing an obstacle course but discouraging a girl from attempting the obstacle course. The
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second method described by Oakley is Canalisation. This comprises of parents channelling the
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child’s interests into activities that are considered the norm for their gender e.g. encouraging
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girls to do ballet and encouraging boys to play football. The third of Oakley’s methods was
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Verbal Appellations. This involves giving children nicknames or pet names that are
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appropriate for their gender e.g. little angel for girls and little monster for boys. The final of
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Oakley’s methods was Different Activities. This is when parents or family members encourage
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children to involve themselves in different activities e.g. girls staying inside to help their
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mothers cook and boys are more likely to be given permission to roam outdoors. These
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methods identified by Ann Oakley describe how the family can be considered the most
important influence on gender identity as it shows that children can be socialised into their
gender identity by the family from a young age.
School is an important arena in which one can act out one’s gender identity and affirm
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one’s masculinity or femininity and thus affirm one’s gender identity. Sociological research
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shows that there is pressure in school to conform to traditional gender identities. If one is a boy,
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one is often expected to display aspects of traditional masculinity such as enjoying sport and
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being competitive; and if a male student displays traditionally feminine traits they are
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criticised. Similarly, girls who act masculine may be subject ridicule. This handout looks at
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ways in which traditional gender identities are reinforced in school.

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As children grow and develop over the years, their gender identity and development
can be influenced by gender bias in books. Such biases and stereotypes limit the development

2
of a child. Positive behavior, gender roles, and better self-concept, in children, are influenced
by books that are not gender-biased. By the time children are entering preschool or k k k k k k k k k

kindergarten, they have a general understanding of male and female gender and have
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internalized some basic schemas regarding the roles and appearances of each. These schemas
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have been mostly furnished by parental interaction, media exposure, and underlying biological
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factors (e.g. inherent aggressiveness, sexual orientation), though some children may also learn
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from limited social interaction with individuals outside the family. However, these early
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conceptions of gender roles undergo radical change when the child enters school. Here, the
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child will encounter a wide variety of approaches to gender, assimilating new information into
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their existing structures and accommodating their own outlook to fit new individuals,
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institutional demands, and novel social situations. This process of socialization is differentiated
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between gender, and general trends in the social constructs of elementary age children reflect
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the organization of gender within the family and society at large.

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One way of evaluating gender roles in school children is to dissect the popularity
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hierarchies that they construct and inhabit. Many studies have done just this, and significant
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differences are evident between genders. Athletic prowess is by far the most significant factor
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in popularity among boys, and one study even reported that the most popular male at each
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school they observed was the best athlete. Those who are not athletically inclined can still
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attain moderate levels of popularity by merely adopting an interest in sports, while boys who
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are neither athletically inclined nor interested in sports are commonly harassed and victimized
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by their more popular peers. For example, Kostas 2021 has argued that boys who are not
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interested in football or other masculine sports and do not embody certain characteristics
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around which masculinity is constructed (e.g. sporting prowess, speed, emotional and physical
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strength)are seen as effeminate by their classmates and subjected to exclusionary practices

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such as name calling (e.g. ‘poofs’, ‘sissies’, and ‘gays’). This might be seen as an extension of
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the rough and aggressive play that boys seek at a young age.Boys can also become popular by
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wearing "cool" clothes and possessing trendy gadgets, although this is a much more important
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factor among girls. Socioeconomic status, which contributes greatly to a child's ability to
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obtain cool products, is considered one of the most important factors in a girl's popularity at
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school. Daughters of affluent parents are able to afford the expensive makeup and accessories
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that allow them to mimic societal standards of superficial beauty, making them more attractive
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to boys and more popular.

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3
 The role of academic achievement in determining popularity also differs considerably
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between gender; in the first few years of school, scholastic success correlates positively with
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the popularity of boys. However, as boys near adolescence, doing well in school is often
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viewed as a source of shame and an indication of femininity. Additionally, disregard for

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authority and an attitude of disobedience is common among popular boys. Among girls,
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academic achievement has little correlation with popularity at all. Girls are more likely to value
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effort over inherent ability, while the opposite is true for boys. Both genders place a value on
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social intelligence, with children more skilled at mature interaction with peers and adults
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generally being more popular. k k k

Ex: 80% of transgender adults report knowing they were “different” as early as
elementary school. 96% report realizing they were transgender before adulthood.On average,
gender diverse individuals were 15 years old before they had the vocabulary to understand and
communicate their gender identity.Gender diverse students often report feeling unsafe at k k k k k k k k

school, avoiding gender specific spaces (e.g., restrooms), and experiencing harassment at
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school.Students indicate that they rarely report discriminatory incidents, and those who do feel
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unprotected.Gender diverse students experiencing gender-related stressors at school are more k k k k k k k k k k

likely be absent, have lower GPAs, report higher levels of depression, engage in substance use
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and risky behaviors, and be at an elevated risk for suicide.Some students may live in their
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affirmed gender identity with peers at school, but not at home, or vice versa.
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From an early age, children are interested in and responsive to their peers, and they
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form meaningful relationships with them. As children spend more time interacting with their
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peers, they have opportunities to socialize one another by encouraging or discouraging

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particular behaviours, by modeling or by creating norms that guide children’s behaviours.

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Gender is salient to young children’s own identities and perceptions of others and they
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socialize each other’s gendered behaviours. This might happen directly. For example, one child
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might tell another child that a particular activity is appropriate for one gender or the other (e.g.,
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“Dolls are for girls” or “No boys allowed in our fort”). Or, it can happen indirectly. For
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example, the more time children spend time with peers the more similar they become to one
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another in interests, behaviours, and interactional styles.

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To illustrate this, researchers studying U.S. children have found that the more time boys
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spend playing with other boys, the more boy-like they become. In other words, boys who play
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frequently with other boys become more active, more dominant, and more aggressive.
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4
Similarly, girls who frequently play with other girls engage in behaviours that are more typical
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of girls. And, this happens in a fairly short period of time – over the course of just a few
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months. For example, in the fall of the school year, researchers observed few and small
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differences in the play behaviours of boys and girls. But by the end of the school year a few
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months later, boys and girls were noticeably more different and more gender-typed in their
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play activity and behaviour. This was related to the amount of time they spent playing with
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same-sex peers; the more they did so in the fall, the more gender-typed they were in the
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spring.6
Boys and girls spend large amounts of time playing with same-sex peers and relatively
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small amount of time playing with peers of the other sex., This pattern is known as gender
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segregation.8 Gender segregation begins by age 2.5 to 3 years and increases in strength and
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intensity through the elementary school years. As a result, children are most likely to be
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socialized by peers of the same gender. This also means that boys and girls have different
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experiences and learn skills, competencies, and interests in their interactions with same-sex
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peers. Boys learn how to get along and play effectively with other boys. In contrast, girls learn
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how to influence and play more cooperatively with other girls. Over time, these same-gender
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peer preferences become stronger, strengthening gender segregation and the promotion of
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gender-typed behaviours and interests. This gender segregation cycle makes it less likely that
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boys and girls interact and learn from each other, and promotes gender stereotypic beliefs,
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attitudes, and biases about and towards the other sex.

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Various factors, such as gender representation in media, play a role in gender

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discrimination. Media nurture gender roles and behavioral traits through advertisements and
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photos where women’s roles vary from childcare to workplace activities displaying women
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dependence while, on the other hand, men are portrayed as more independent and less likely to
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express their emotions. So, although the digital world gives us the opportunity to express
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ourselves through our e-identity, in reality, digital settings simply lead us to the replication of
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the existing norms and culture of the tangible world, related to gender
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The ubiquity of social media platforms have given people the opportunity to be more
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open and honest than ever before, and some have decided to use this to their advantage in the
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form of further expressing their identities. Social media has become a great open forum,
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allowing us to express our individualities. The "snapshot" aesthetic of Instagram allows us to

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have an on-the-fly (or even a posed) look at users we might not have otherwise seen, offering
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5
us an exclusive insight into their daily lives and routine. In a 2014 study on social media and
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gender identity, researcher Debjani Roy concluded that members of the LGBT community
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“created new, non-heterosexual spaces where identity is not determined by an individuals past
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on the Internet. This, perhaps, gave people more openness and freedom, as it was a new part of
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their lives It wasn't necessarily reflected on by who knew them or what they did in their pasts.
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Roy also stated that “media content acts as an extremely powerful source of social meaning
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and its representations of gender today are more complex than in the past.Social media can
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change people’s views and expectations of different communities around the world. It's
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important to be able to express yourself, whether that's on Facebook, Instagram or even in real
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life, blaring your life story out in the middle of the street with a megaphone.
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6
 REFERENCES
1. "Talking to young kids about gender stereotypes | The Line". www.theline.org.au. Retrieved
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2018-12-13.
2. Boseley, Sarah (20 September 2017). "Children are straitjacketed into gender roles in early
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adolescence, says study". The Guardian. k k k k

3. "UNICEF - Early Childhood - Early Gender Socialization". unicef.org. Retrieved 2018-12-

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13.
4. Gender Identity and Gender Confusion in Children. (11 May 2013). HealthyChildren.org.
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Retrieved k 11 k November k 2013 k from

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http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/gradeschool/pages/Gender-Identity-and-
Gender-Confusion-In-Children.aspx
5. Quinn, Paul C; Yahr, Joshua; Kuhn, Abbie; Slater, Alan M; Pascalis, Olivier (2002).
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"Representation of the Gender of Human Faces by Infants: A Preference for Female" (PDF).
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Perception. 31 (9): 1109–1121. doi:10.1068/p3331. ISSN 0301-0066. PMID 12375875. S2CID

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11359932.
6. Beal, C. (1994). Boys and girls: The development of gender roles. New York: McGraw-Hill.
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[page needed] k

7. Raley, Sara; Bianchi, Suzanne (August 2006). "Sons, Daughters, and Family Processes:
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Does Gender of Children Matter?". Annual Review of Sociology. 32 (1): 401–421.

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