Lifespan Development of Gender Roles

Abstract

Today, almost every child is born into a society where gender roles are socially built and grows in such a gender-segregated world. With the influence of factors such as family, friends, and media, which play a role in the socialization process during infancy and childhood, children learn about gender roles determined by the society. In this context, from the perspective of gender differences, girls face more oppressive approaches and are expected to behave submissively, be more easy going, complier, relational, and show their emotions more deeply compared to their male peers. On the other hand, boys are rared as strong, independent, less emotional, and they are expected to behave in this way under all circumstances. Children who are socialized with these teachings from infancy to adolescence are also strongly influenced by the gender roles displayed by their parents and ultimately internalize those gender roles which has a lifetime effect on them. It is known that gender stereotypes cause pressure and stress on both women and men both concurrently and in the long-run, and the need to adapt to the gender-based expectations of the society adversely affects their psychological health. Although social consciousness about gender equality has increased in recent years, it is known that gender inequality still continues in many countries. As a result, psychology of gender affects each individual at every stage of their lives, as stated consistently in the related literature, which clearly demonstrates the importance of policies for gender equality.

Keywords

• gender development
• gender roles
• gender streotypes
• gender equality
• lifespan development