{"id":6319,"date":"2018-10-03T11:41:09","date_gmt":"2018-10-03T10:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/?p=6319"},"modified":"2026-01-12T17:55:42","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T17:55:42","slug":"gender-parenting-early-childhood-social-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/gender-parenting-early-childhood-social-development\/","title":{"rendered":"Gender stereotypical parenting and its influence on early childhood social development"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Updated on 12\/01\/26<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Judi Mesman and Marleen Groeneveld at Leiden University in the Netherlands recently reviewed research on how parents influence children&#8217;s socialization to gender roles. This conditioning of early childhood has long-term influences on <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/social-emotional-development-2\/\">children\u2019s social development<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_79_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #121c4e;color:#121c4e\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #121c4e;color:#121c4e\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/gender-parenting-early-childhood-social-development\/#Gender_and_Parenting\" >Gender and Parenting<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/gender-parenting-early-childhood-social-development\/#What_Is_Gendered_Parenting\" >What Is Gendered Parenting?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/gender-parenting-early-childhood-social-development\/#Direct_gender_messages_to_sons_and_daughters_during_early_childhood\" >Direct gender messages to sons and daughters during early childhood<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/gender-parenting-early-childhood-social-development\/#Indirect_messages_to_the_child_about_the_behavior_of_others\" >Indirect messages to the child about the behavior of others<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/gender-parenting-early-childhood-social-development\/#Biology_or_nurture\" >Biology or nurture?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/gender-parenting-early-childhood-social-development\/#Parentss_beliefs_and_actions_in_relation_to_childrens_socialization_to_gender_roles\" >Parents\u2019s beliefs and actions in relation to children&#8217;s socialization to gender roles<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/gender-parenting-early-childhood-social-development\/#What_is_the_impact_of_gendered_parenting_on_childrens_social_development\" >What is the impact of gendered parenting on children\u2019s social development?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/gender-parenting-early-childhood-social-development\/#Is_a_gender-stereotypical_early_childhood_upbringing_good_or_bad\" >Is a gender-stereotypical early childhood upbringing good or bad?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/gender-parenting-early-childhood-social-development\/#References\" >References<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Gender_and_Parenting\"><\/span><strong>Gender and Parenting<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Parents in Western societies generally deny that they stereotype their children by gender. Research has found that this is particularly true in more <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/swedish-parents-gender-equality\/\">gender-egalitarian societies<\/a>, where promoting <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/toys-for-boys-toys-for-girls\/\">gender stereotyping<\/a> is more likely to be frowned on.<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to general parenting practices in early childhood \u2013 being warm, being sensitive and applying parental control \u2013 differences in the treatment of boys and girls are small. Yet differences appear in \u201cimplicit\u201d parenting practices. As soon as a child is identified as a boy or a girl, parents form expectations about the child\u2019s interests, skills and behaviors, and these expectations appear in gendered parenting practices.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-22735 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Children-Dressing-Up.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Children-Dressing-Up.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Children-Dressing-Up-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Children-Dressing-Up-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Children-Dressing-Up-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Children-Dressing-Up-356x237.jpg 356w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Children-Dressing-Up-700x467.jpg 700w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Children-Dressing-Up-50x33.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_Gendered_Parenting\"><\/span><strong>What Is Gendered Parenting?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Mesman and Groeneveld define gendered parenting thus:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;From the decision to paint a baby\u2019s room pink or blue onward, many parents take their young children\u2019s sex as a guiding principle for minor and major socialization decisions regardless of their children\u2019s individual characteristics and behaviors. This is referred to as gendered parenting \u2013 the messages children receive from their parents related to how boys and girls should and should not behave.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cFrom the decision to paint a baby\u2019s room pink or blue onward, many parents take their young children\u2019s sex as a guiding principle for minor and major socialization decisions.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The authors define two types of implicit gendered parenting in early childhood:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Direct messages conveyed to the child about his or her own behavior<\/li>\n<li>Indirect commentary on the behavior of others<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Direct_gender_messages_to_sons_and_daughters_during_early_childhood\"><\/span>Direct gender messages to sons and daughters during early childhood<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Much research has examined how parents choose films, books and commercial products differently for boys and girls, even if these parents do not endorse gendered messages explicitly. When parents consistently buy female-stereotyped toys such as dolls and tea sets for their daughters, or male-stereotyped toys such as trains and dinosaurs for their sons, they implicitly link their children\u2019s sex to gender roles. These roles are encouraged as the children play with the toys in different ways.<\/p>\n<p>Parenting may also respond differently to disruptive behaviour in boys and girls. Studies have shown that mothers respond less negatively to a son\u2019s risky and disruptive behavior and are less likely to encourage a son\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/children-kindness-helpfulness\/\">prosocial behavior<\/a>. This is consistent with the stereotype that boys are risk takers and challenging, but girls are nice to others.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-22736 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Children-Playing-Doctors.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Children-Playing-Doctors.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Children-Playing-Doctors-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Children-Playing-Doctors-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Children-Playing-Doctors-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Children-Playing-Doctors-356x237.jpg 356w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Children-Playing-Doctors-700x467.jpg 700w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Children-Playing-Doctors-50x33.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Indirect_messages_to_the_child_about_the_behavior_of_others\"><\/span>Indirect messages to the child about the behavior of others<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When researchers observed <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/shared-book-reading\/\">parents reading books with their toddlers<\/a>, they found that mothers tended to comment more positively about drawings of children doing stereotypical activities than about those doing the opposite. Fathers commented even more often than mothers to confirm <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/boys-girls-disney-gender\/\">gender stereotypes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Fathers with two boys made fewer negative comments about drawing of boys being mean than about drawings of girls being mean. In the same study, both mothers and fathers were more likely to label sad children as female and angry children as male, even though the children were drawn in a gender-neutral way.<\/p>\n<p>Parents also convey indirect messages during early childhood via how the household is organised. They may model <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/gendered-patterns-housework\/\">stereotypical male and female behaviour in the way they divide work, care and housework<\/a>. Because children generally identify more with the parent of their own sex, they are motivated to imitate that parent\u2019s interests and activities.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Biology_or_nurture\"><\/span>Biology or nurture?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Researchers acknowledge that biological factors are involved. For example, boys are more physically active in general during early childhood, and parents\u2019 greater use of physical force with boys may reflect this.<\/p>\n<p>However, researchers also observe that parents apply gender stereotypes early in children\u2019s lives, before many differences appear. A now classic piece of research showed that adults treated babies dressed in blue and in pink differently, regardless of their sex.<\/p>\n<p>Parents from different social and cultural backgrounds also approach parenting differently, with people from lower-income backgrounds being more likely to endorse <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/gender-attitudes-mothering\/\">traditional gender roles<\/a>. Few studies have looked at non-Western cultures or ethnic-minority families, however.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-22737 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Girl-Playing-With-a-Fire-Engine.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Girl-Playing-With-a-Fire-Engine.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Girl-Playing-With-a-Fire-Engine-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Girl-Playing-With-a-Fire-Engine-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Girl-Playing-With-a-Fire-Engine-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Girl-Playing-With-a-Fire-Engine-356x237.jpg 356w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Girl-Playing-With-a-Fire-Engine-700x467.jpg 700w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Girl-Playing-With-a-Fire-Engine-50x33.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Parentss_beliefs_and_actions_in_relation_to_childrens_socialization_to_gender_roles\"><\/span>Parents\u2019s beliefs and actions in relation to children&#8217;s socialization to gender roles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Research has shown that parents with stronger gender stereotyped beliefs are more likely to parent in gendered ways. In one study with toddlers, <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/fathers-gender-beliefs-influence\/\">fathers with more stereotypical gender attitudes<\/a> used more physical control with sons than with daughters.<\/p>\n<p>The difference between what parents say against stereotyping and do in favour of it could be deliberate subterfuge, or they could genuinely be unaware of it. In the pink\/blue baby experiment, for example, the parents did not realise they were treating the babies differently.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_impact_of_gendered_parenting_on_childrens_social_development\"><\/span>What is the impact of gendered parenting on children\u2019s social development?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The primary source of social learning in early childhood is interaction with parents. Researchers refer to \u201cvicarious social learning\u201d \u2013 when talking about their own actions and behaviors, children pick up on parents\u2019 gender evaluations. Children notice salient social models of gendered behavior around them.<\/p>\n<p>Children then use these ideas and expectations and apply them in similar situations. For example, a girl who has imitated her mother doing housework is more likely to assume that housework is for girls when playing, and then assume that chores are for girls in other settings.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Gender Roles in Parenting Influence Later Life<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Research shows that gender-stereotyped parenting in early childhood has an influence later in life. Children from families with traditional gender roles are more likely to have gender-stereotypical expectations themselves.<\/p>\n<p>In the study referred to above, fathers who had more gender-stereotyped beliefs were more likely to use more physical control with their boys than with their daughters and this predicted more aggression in their sons than in their daughters.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_a_gender-stereotypical_early_childhood_upbringing_good_or_bad\"><\/span>Is a gender-stereotypical early childhood upbringing good or bad?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The authors discuss the impacts of gender-stereotypes in early child upbringing. One could argue that gendered parenting teaches children about the reality of gender role expectations in their social environment, preparing them for later life.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, if children are raised on the basis of gender rather than their abilities, talent may be wasted and they may be forced into lifestyles and careers that deny personal identities, which also affects well-being. These factors are likely to play out differently in different cultures.<\/p>\n<div class=\"retrofit-references\">\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"References\"><\/span>References<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 1.8em;\"><em>\u00a0Mesman J &amp; Groeneveld MG (2018), <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1111\/cdep.12250\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gendered parenting in early childhood: subtle but unmistakable if you know where to look<\/a>, Child Development Perspectives, 12.1<\/em><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mothers and fathers convey gender stereotypes when parenting. Conditioning early childhood by gender has long-term influences on social development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":6320,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[438],"tags":[35,329,267,400,460],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6319"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6319"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6319\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22739,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6319\/revisions\/22739"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}