What Young Children Learn About Gender Roles
“Beginning some time in the elementary school years, children understand the important distinction between what Elliot Turiel (1983) calls conventional rules and moral rules (Bee, 2003). “Moral rules âÂ?¦ are seen as universal and obligatory, reflecting basic principles that guarantee the rights to others (2003). Lawrence Kohlbergtoward outlined stages of moral development. Level one is preconventional morality. The first level has two stages. The first stage is where most elementary children fall. Stage one is punishment and obedience orientation. In this stage, children make decisions as to what is right and what is wrong based on what they are punished for. A child in this stage listens to adults because they are seen as being bigger and more powerful that he is (2003). Children look to adults for guidance to tell them what is right and wrong. Adults and educators are able to be models for young children and instill moral values in them that will last a lifetime.
Many teachers often are not aware of gender bias in their classrooms, even in early childhood education.
Educators first need to monitor their behavior. One way they can do this is by working with other educators and have them observe you and possible incidences of gender bias (Marshall, Reinhartz, 1997). Once teachers know the areas they are deficient in, it will be easy for them to correct them. Educators need to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to participate. One simple thing teachers can do is use Popsicle sticks with individual student’s names on them. Each time a student responds to a question the teacher pulls their name stick out of the can (1997). This gives each student an equal opportunity to participate.
As children enter middle childhood, they progress from Stage 1, in which they dealt with issues of punishment and obedience, to Stage 2: Individualism, instrumental purpose, and exchange. Stage 2 is commonly found throughout elementary school (Bee, 2003). When operating at this level, children do what feels good to them, and try to avoid unpleasant things (2003). Children are still primarily interested in putting themselves first, even as some recognition of the feelings of others may begin to emerge (2003). Instant gratification rules behavior in this stage.
Gender bias can be dealt with at this level of reasoning, mostly in terms of rewarding behaviors that help to dispel gender bias. For example, a girl could be given praise for playing ball with the boys, or a boy could receive extra attention for taking care of the baby when playing house.
Most children begin to enter the next level of development in middle adolescence (2003). The next two stages are contained within Level II: termed Conventional Morality.
When operating at Stage 3: Mutual interpersonal expectations, relationships, and interpersonal conformity, the adolescent is now able to make his or her own judgments based not on external punishments or rewards, but on family, peer, or other group norms (Bee, 2003). The adolescent internalizes the norms of his or her family, church, etcâÂ?¦ and they in turn become his or her norms (2003). It is important to note that situational factors may play an important role in the internalization of a group’s norms (Bergman, 2002). In this stage, it is common to find children basing behavior on what will please adults (2003). Children will even start to make decisions and judgments based on others’ intentions as well as actions (2003). In other words, they begin to have a conceptual understanding of the phrase “it’s the thought that counts”.
Students at this level of moral reasoning need to be exposed to a variety of roles played by both genders. It is in this stage that they begin to have the tools to understand what gender bias is. Educators need to make a special effort to present students with gender roles that may contradict what they have previously learned, for example, discussion of a court case involving a female lawyer or judge.
The reasoning at Stages 3 and 4 is most commonly found among teens and adults (Bee, 2003). Stage 4: Social system and conscience describes moral reasoning defined by larger social norms. As Bee (2003) states, what is pleasing to oneself or other specific people is not emphasized at this level. The individual is now able to follow complex rules and regulations, as in the laws of one’s state and country.
Educators should be aware that according to Kohlberg, thought arises from action and can also produce action (Bergman, 2002). This has interesting implications for education. Discussion of both thought and past action may be an excellent way to counter gender role stereotyping. Educators need to continue to expose students to males and females engaged a variety of activities, especially those that may have previously been seen as gender-specific. For example, a male teacher may talk about folding laundry or feeding the baby. Students at this stage have the conceptual ability to understand the implications of gender bias. They also have the moral reasoning ability to make decisions based on what those around them think.
Educators must dispel gender-specific stereotypes, and encourage interests among their students regardless of gender.
Stages 5: Social contract orientation, and Stage 6: Universal ethical principles are rarely seen in adolescents and surprisingly, rarely seen in adults as well (Bee, 2003). Reasoning at these two levels operates on an internal moral code, based on universal ethics (2003).
Kohlberg used hypothetical questions, given to research subjects to build his theory of the Stages of Moral Reasoning. He found that children pass through stages invariantly and in this hierarchical sequence (Bee, 2003). Not everyone may reach the same level, and specific levels are not always associated with specific age groups (2003). However, Kohlberg did find that he could group his research subjects according to their answers to the hypothetical questions and this correlated highly with age level grouping (2003). Kohlberg’s theory of Moral Development is useful in describing the growth in reasoning ability from early childhood to adolescence, and can be utilized to maximize the benefit when implementing strategies that teach against gender-bias in our classrooms.
References
Bee, Helen (2004). Child and Adolescent Development (Section 1, pp. 3, Section 5, pp. 226-229). Retrieved August 20, 2004, from University of Phoenix website,
www.myresource.phoenix.edu
Bergman, Roger (2002).Why be moral? A Conceptual model from developmental psychology.
Human Development, 45(2), 104-125. Retrieved August 20, 2004, from University of Phoenix website, www.myresource.phoenix.edu
Marshall, C. S., & Reinhartz, J. (1997). Gender issues in the classroom. The Clearing House, 70(6), 333.
