SSC113e - Gender Identity: Development, Social Norms and Self

This essay provides an overview of gender identity, defining it as a conception of one's gender, influenced by behavior, psychological contributions, and cultural expectations. It discusses the developmental stages of gender identity, starting from recognizing one's sex around age 2-3 to learning gender roles through imitation and social interactions, referencing Mead's and Cooley's theories. The essay also examines the impact of gender identity on society, particularly concerning gender inequality, using historical examples like women's voting rights and occupational restrictions. It argues that gender inequality can affect self-efficacy and self-esteem, leading to social comparison issues. The essay concludes by highlighting that gender identity and its associated inequalities can significantly influence an individual's development of self, both positively and negatively, by affecting motivation and perceptions of capability. Desklib provides access to similar essays and study resources for students.

What is Gender Identity?
Gender Identity is one variation of group identities and a conception of
which gender one belongs to, generally male or female (Ghosh, 2015).
Gender refers to beyond the biological field and it includes the behavior,
psychological contributions as well as expectation of a person in the
certain sex group of their culture. Further, gender identity is known as the
experience that a person has of its own gender. It defines the various
attributes that is assigned to both the genders, male and female. This
attributes shows the expectations of masculinity and femininity.
How is it developed?
Gender Identity begins from the stage of knowing of which sex group one
belongs to. Children around the age of 2-3 will begin to know their sex

through their physical appearance (Gender identity development in
children, 2015). Subsequently at the approximate age of four, children
begin to learn more about their gender roles, which are behaviors that are
appropriate to their own gender from people around them(Gender identity
development in children, 2015).
According to Mead's imitation and role play theory, this is also the play
stage where children tends to imitate and play the role of what their
parents ought to do, this is also how children begin to learn what their
gender roles are from their parents and as well as from friends and other
form of socialization (Medley-Rath, 2016). An example would be the
learning of appropriate attire for each gender, like skirts are for female
and male are to wear shorts or pants.
Apart from Mead's imitation and role play, Cooley's looking glass self
would also provide a understanding of how gender identity can be built
up. Cooley's looking glass self suggests that one's thinking is not merely
just from the individual itself but from the thoughts of others (Isaksen,
2013). This shows that children may feel that certain behavior may be
deem inappropriate for certain gender not because of what they
themselves thing but because others thought so and shaped them into
understanding that the behavior itself is inappropriate. Gender identity
and role will continue to slowly alter along and after with the culture in the
society one live in as well as one's experience.
The first stage of gender development is said to be intrauterine
stage. It means maturation of the gender in a child. This stage shows the
prenatal influences in both the gender that usually starts from a female
and further progress into a male phenotype. The next stage is the early
gender development in which the baby is taken care of with respect to the
gender. The above two stages are prior to birth. In such as way gender
development continues in which it is seen that a child’s gender is defined
by the types of interactions such as a rough activity and behaviour of a
boy and quieter activities of a girl.
How does it affect the society and the
development of self?

Gender inequality is one common problem faced in the society and this
can be seen in several cultures. One example would be, in the past,
women are not given any voting rights as well as certain occupations and
studies barred women from the rights to enter that field in the United
States in the 1980s (Eisenberg &Ruthsdotter, 1998). This culture brought
up previously falls mostly on the concept in cultures that are brought
down that men are the providers of the family and women are the
caretakers of the family. Although, this has improved, and more
professions are opened to women currently, however, some inequalities
still remains in current society.
Gender identity in the case of gender inequality between men and women
can affect the development of self. In view of self efficacy, woman in such
conditions such as the 1980s, would feel that they have no ability on
competency on that field because of their gender and possibly cause a
lower self esteem in themselves without knowing that it was due to
opportunities not given to them. For male in that society may feel that
they have the ability to do it and have to, to ensure they provide for their
families as they are the only breadwinner of the family and overestimate
their own capability leading to more stress upon themselves and may feel
low in self esteem if they feel that they are not able to provide for their
family. Social comparison between gender could also cause problems to
the development of self. For women, they will lack the motivation to move
on and improve themselves as they know that they will not be given rights
no matter how hard they strive for it, however, it also serves a motivation
to drive themselves to work out that change in gender inequality.
Therefore, affecting the development of self in an individual.