Open Journal Systems

Parents’ and teachers’ attitudes towards pre-school boys and girls gender behavior

Julia Borisenko, Elena Evseenkova

Article ID: 1785
Vol 9, Issue 3, 2024, Article identifier:

VIEWS - 362 (Abstract) 152 (PDF)

Abstract

Objective: Parents and surrounding adults create conditions not only for the physical and safe development of the child but also for the development of his attitudes, and understanding of the world, including gender attitudes and behavior. In this article, we present the study aimed to identify how parents and teachers appraise the gender behavior of preschool boys and girls. Method: We studied the results of 474 participants: 316 parents (158 married couples) of preschool children (average age 5.3) and 158 daycare teachers, who communicate with the child almost every day and know him well. One parent described the usual child’s gender behavior by answering the Pre-school Activities Inventory (PSAI), and the other parent and daycare teacher were interviewed about the usual child’s gender behavior. Results: The statistical analysis of the data let us conclude that within one culture parents and other adults communicating with the child appraise the gender behavior of male children similarly. Parents of both genders as well as teachers interpret boys’ behavior as more gender-specific than girls’ behavior. All surrounding adults interpret girls’ behavior as more gender-neutral than boys’. Conclusion: There is a difference in attitudes, perceptions, and evaluation of preschool boys’ and girls’ gender behavior by parents and teachers, which is expressed in leveling the gender specificity of girls’ behavior.


Keywords

boys; girls; gender behavior; parents; pre-school children; mental health

Full Text:

PDF



References

1. Ratkowska-Pasikowska J. Parents’ and teachers’ attitudes towards child sexual behaviour. In: Jarecka-Zyluk M, Holz O (editors). Gender and Education from Different Angles. Wien: LIT Verlag; 2014.

2. Li G, Kung KTF, Hines M. Childhood gender-typed behavior and adolescent sexual orientation: A longitudinal population-based study. Developmental Psychology. 2017, 53(4): 764-777. doi: 10.1037/dev0000281

3. Sulyok RS, Miklósi M. The Moderator Role of Gender in the Relationship Between Behavioral Inhibition and Parental Behaviour in Preschool Children. European Psychiatry. 2022, 65(S1): S853-S854. doi: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2022.2211

4. Borisenko JV, Evseenkova EV. Differences in Attitudes toward Mental Health among Boys from Religious and Non-religious Families Experiencing Religious and Secular Education. Psychology in Russia: State of the Art. 2022, 15(1): 51-65. doi: 10.11621/pir.2022.0104

5. Szabó B, Miklósi M. The relationship between mothers’ attachment style, mindful parenting, and perception of the child. European Psychiatry. 2022, 65(S1): S351-S352. doi: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2022.893

6. Szabó B, Miklósi M, Futó J. The relationship between parental reflective functioning, attachment style, parental competence, and stress. European Psychiatry. 2022, 65(S1): S692-S692. doi: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2022.1781

7. Morozova IS, Belogay KN, Borisenko YV, Ott TO. Technologies used to form direct reproductive motivation and prevent abortions (Slovenian). Kemerovo: Kuzzbassvusizdat; 2014.

8. Vasil’chenko GS. General Gender Pathology: A Guide for Physicians (Slovak), 2nd ed. Moscow: Meditsina; 2005.

9. Christian LG. Understanding families: Applying family systems theory to early childhood practice. In: Koralek D (editor). Spotlight on Young Children in Families. National Association for the Education of Young Children; 2007. pp. 4–11.

10. Jugovac S, O’Kearney R, Hawes DJ, et al. Attachment- and Emotion-Focused Parenting Interventions for Child and Adolescent Externalizing and Internalizing Behaviors: A Meta-Analysis. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review. 2022, 25(4): 754-773. doi: 10.1007/s10567-022-00401-8

11. Golombok S, Rust J. The Measurement of Gender Role Behaviour in Pre‐School Children: a Research Note. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 1993, 34(5): 805-811. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1993.tb01072.x

12. Kashchenko EA, Agarkov ST. Genderity from the Birth to the Death: Ontogenesis of Genderity (Poland). Moscow: Izdatel’skie resheniia; 2015.

13. Artamonova AF. The role of father in the upbringing of a child in one and two-parent families (Slovak). In: Current Scientific Issues and Modern Educational Technologies: A Collection of Scientific Papers Based on the Materials of the International Scientific and Practical Conference. Moscow; 2013. pp. 17–19.

14. Kon IS. The boy is the father of a man (Russian). Moscow: Vremja; 2010.

15. Bancroft J. Gender behaviour. In: Peck D, Shapiro C (editors). Measuring Human Problems: A Practical Guide Wiley: Chichester; 1990. pp. 338–373.

16. Subbotina LG. Psychological and pedagogical support of students’ personality development in the educational process. Tomsk. TGU; 2008.

17. Kreager DA, Staff J. The Sexual Double Standard and Adolescent Peer Acceptance. Social Psychology Quarterly. 2009, 72(2): 143-164. doi: 10.1177/019027250907200205

18. Goldberg AE, Kashy DA, Smith JZ. Gender-Typed Play Behavior in Early Childhood: Adopted Children with Lesbian, Gay, and Heterosexual Parents. Sex Roles. 2012, 67(9-10): 503-515. doi: 10.1007/s11199-012-0198-3

19. Jewell JA, Brown CS. Relations Among Gender Typicality, Peer Relations, and Mental Health During Early Adolescence. Social Development. 2013, 23(1): 137-156. doi: 10.1111/sode.12042

20. Emmerink PMJ, Van Den Eijnden RJJM, Ter Bogt TFM, et al. The Impact of Personal Gender-Typicality and Partner Gender-Traditionality on Taking Sexual Initiative: Investigating a Social Tuning Hypothesis. Frontiers in Psychology. 2017, 8. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00107

21. Golombok S, Rust J, Zervoulis K, et al. Continuity in Sex-Typed Behavior from Preschool to Adolescence: A Longitudinal Population Study of Boys and Girls Aged 3–13 Years. Archives of Sexual Behavior. 2011, 41(3): 591-597. doi: 10.1007/s10508-011-9784-7

22. Altenburger LE, Schoppe-Sullivan SJ. New fathers’ parenting quality: Personal, contextual, and child precursors. Journal of Family Psychology. 2020, 34(7): 857-866. doi: 10.1037/fam0000753

23. Rust J, Golombok S, Hines M, et al. The Role of Brothers and Sisters in the Gender Development of Preschool Children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 2000, 77(4): 292-303. doi: 10.1006/jecp.2000.2596

24. Golombok S, Rust J, Zervoulis K, et al. Developmental Trajectories of Sex‐Typed Behavior in Boys and Girls: A Longitudinal General Population Study of Children Aged 2.5–8 Years. Child Development. 2008, 79(5): 1583-1593. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01207.x

25. Fthenakis WE, Berwanger D, Reichert-Garschhammer E. The education and upbringing plan for children aged 0 to 10 in Hesse (German). Wiesbaden: SM + KM; 2007. pp. 11–23.

26. Cole BP, Singley DB, Molloy S, et al. Doing It all for my baby: Determinants of multidimensional paternal involvement with infants. Journal of Family Issues. 2020, 42(3): 599-625. doi: 10.1177/0192513x20926221

27. Fagan J, Kaufman R. A test of the process model for predicting parenting satisfaction and self-efficacy of low- income nonresidential fathers. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. 2022, 39(11): 3228-3251. doi: 10.1177/02654075221093817

28. Belogai KN. Family factors of the formation of ideas about their bodies in girls in adolescence and adolescence (Slovenian). In: Appearance in Various Contexts of Interaction: Materials of the All-Russian Scientific Conference. Moscow: Credo; 2019. pp. 204–206.

29. Borisenko JV, Portnova AG. Fathering as a factor of personality development (Slovenian). Razvitie lichnosti 2006; 2: 70–81.

30. Silverman D. Doing Qualitative Research. Sage; 2013.


DOI: https://doi.org/10.54517/esp.v9i3.1785
(362 Abstract Views, 152 PDF Downloads)

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2024 Julia Borisenko, Elena Evseenkova

License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/