2. Who am I and why does this
matter?
Childcare provider
for infant,
preschool and
school age children
Primary research
focus for 3 years
Understand ways in
which gender is
learned and
enacted
Provide learning
tools to utilize in
explaining
gendered
understandings
3. Ways in Which Children
Learn Gender
Positive and Negative reinforcement –
direct and indirect messages from
family, teachers and peers
Role Models – children are more likely
to imitate those of the same assigned
gender
4. Gender Discussion with a
Four Year Old
“Are you a boy or a girl?”
“That’s a complicated question”
“Do you have a penis”
“No”
“So you’re a girl, you have a vulva”
“It’s true, I have a girl body. But know how you feel
like a boy inside?”
“Yeah”
“Well, I feel like both. I’m trans.”
“So you feel like a girl and a boy?”
“Yup”
“I’m hungry…”
5. Toddler Age
Able to match feminine voice with feminine
face and masculine voice with masculine
face
Understand their own assigned gender
identity
Prefer toys aimed at assigned gender
Can articulate some stereotypes for male
and female
Large amounts of cross gender play
6. Introductions
What is your name?
What is your preferred pronoun?
What is your gender identity?
What else is interesting about you?
7. Preschool
Identify the gender binary
Use hair styles and clothes as gender
indicators – androgyny very confusing
Can define genders based on stereotypical
personality traits, occupation, appearance
and household activities
Personally engage in lots of cross gender
play until peer pressure kicks in
Gender rigidity accompanied by
exaggerated gender characteristics
8. Gendered Candies
Did you separate your candy the same
way as your neighbor?
What was difficult about separating
the candy into two groups?
9. Kindergarten
Aware that physical sex does not
change – especially due to behaviors
Concern that child was born the
wrong sex emerges
Gender norms enforced within peers
Cross gender play declines
significantly
10. Find Your Friends
How did you feel about dots
different than yours?
How did you decide who could be in
your group and who couldn’t?
11. Elementary School
Gender normative children adamant
about not playing with gender variant
children
Gender expression relatively stable
12. Describing Others
How difficult was it to avoid using
pronouns?
How does this reflect your
dependence on the gender binary?
13. Middle School
Period of severe gender rigidity
Teasing of gender variant children
most severe
Internal gender identity and sexual
orientation discovered
Understand the difference between
sex and gender
14. Deconstructing Identities
How many stereotypes could you think
of?
Was it easy to think of gendered
stereotypes?
How did it feel to rip someone else’s
sense of self?
How did it feel to watch yourself
ripped apart?
15. Possible Explanations of
Cross Gender Behavior
Exploratory play
Sexual Orientation – same sex
attraction confusing
Reclamation of Power from abuse
Transgender identity