Have you ever stopped to think how important is your gender? Do you know how strong of an influence gender has on your identity?

You may think that those questions are redundant and their answers are obvious. Not quite! First of all, we need to differentiate the terms sex and gender. Many people confuse the two of them and the truth is that they are very different. Sex is the anatomical and physical differences between males and females determine by genetic factors. In contrast, gender is the attributes and behaviors associated with the person’s sex.

As you can see there is a big difference between the two of them. So I ask the question again, have you ever stopped to think how important is your gender? You may genetically be a male or female, but the attributes and behaviors you embrace (gender) helps define the most archaic concept of your “self” (Self-Concept). Don’t assume that because someone is born with a female sex, they will embrace the feminist gender (Not necessarily).

Development of Gender

Gender is a concept that we acquire on different stages in our life. When we are born, we do not have a self-concept of gender per se. It is not until between the ages of 2 and 4 where children start categorizing males and females as boys or girls. Additionally, at this stage they start assigning to others and themselves a gender. Around the age of 5, gender becomes a clear concept to children and they start applying gender stereotypes. Not until adolescence do we start adopting strict sex/gender stereotypes. Keep in mind that even though gender stereotypes are applied, it does not imply the acceptance of a gender.

Gender Stereotypes

Gender stereotypes are cognitive frameworks used to process information regarding a gender. In other words, we have a set of attributes and norms associated with the term “male” or “female”. Think about it, who wears pants? The most common answer is males. While this is a crude and inaccurate statement, it does trigger a raw gender stereotype. It is important to understand the influence of the gender stereotypes. Using this framework generates a covert set of social norms. Gender stereotypes dictate how genetic males and females should act, behave, talk, walk, or socialize. When someone rejects these norms, (we all reject some of those norms at some point or another) it creates a conflict with those who maintain the stereotypes (society).

Social Roles based on Gender

The acceptance of gender stereotypes leads to a set of acceptable roles. These characteristics become more consistent with age. As we get older, we then  determine what is gender appropriate and what is not. The acceptance of gender roles is more noticeable in two areas, home and work.  Psychologist Sandra Bem developed an inventory of gender characteristics. By reading some of those characteristics you can associate them to gender roles and specific areas (ie. at home or at work)

• Acts as a leader
• Aggressive
• Affectionate
• Compassionate
• Shy
• Strong personality

As you can see, we all associate the list mentioned above to a gender. From the moment we are born until the day we die, gender will influence who we are.

So how important is gender, ask yourself what is the first thing people ask about a newborn? Do you think there is any stereotype applied to newborns from the moment their sex is known?

What other stereotypes can you think of?