Gender Norms In Children

In Blakemore’s experiment regarding children gender role development, it was concluded that gender norms vary with age and have both a positive and negative affects on children. Although gender norms can give a child a sense of self and identity, it can also limit a child to judge others based on a lack of knowledge and empathy for other people. The article stated that older children are more flexible than younger children regarding gender, although older children are less flexible in their judgments about the possibility of violating physical law. (Carter and Patterson, 1982) This could be due to the fact that parents stress moral norms and teach politeness more than they stress gender norms and their violations. I believe most gender norms
There is no political correctness; therefore the evidence collected seems factual. Children under 5 have the mind of a sponge. They pick up so much about the world around them and though they lack in critical thinking, are able to adapt and sense out what is right and wrong. By the ages of 8-10, most children are adjusted to the world and can form opinions and ideas. Based on gender norms, children between 8-10 were flexible to most gender violations, especially the ones that didn’t affect gender identity such as playing with the other gender’s toys. Younger children had a harder time imagining a mommy becoming a daddy, but I think this is because in 2003 not many kids were exposed to it. In the experiment, boys were rated more harshly than girls. Boys dressing like girls were rated as negatively as stealing. Many researchers found that children believe gender violation is just as bad as moral violation.
Today, the LGBT is doing so much to raise awareness for the transgender community that hopefully more children are aware of it. The results of the study found that older children are more open to gender violation than younger children. (417) The more I read and observe the world around me the more I realize how affected we are by our environment. In New York City where there are advertisements on every corner, it can be really stressful being who you are. We begin molding and forming gender identity by the early age of 3. But without all this stereotyping and gender norms maybe we could be a more intelligent and advanced society, one without the small box of gender