Links between sex-typed time use in middle childhood and gender development in early adolescence.
The authors studied sex-typing in the kinds (e.g., sports, handicrafts) and social contexts (same- vs. other-sex companions) of children's free time activities, and the links between sex-typed activities and gender development over 2 years. Participants were 200 White, working- and middle-class children (103 girls, 97 boys; mean age = 10.86 years). In annual home interviews, children rated their self-esteem, gender role attitudes and sex-typed personality qualities, academic interests, and school grades. During 7 nightly phone interviews each year, children reported on their activities. Boys were more sex-typed than girls in their peer activities, and children were least sex-typed in their activities with siblings. Sex-typed activities in middle childhood predicted individual differences in gender development in early adolescence.
McHale
Susan M
SM
Pennsylvania State University, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University Park, PA, US. x2u@psu.edu
Kim
Ji-Yeon
JY
Whiteman
Shawn
S
Crouter
Ann C
AC
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D004522:Educational Status; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011606:Psychosexual Development; D012649:Self Concept; D012931:Social Environment; D012951:Socialization; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior