A Theoretical Study on Sex Role Concepts and the Problems of Education

성역할 개념형성과 교육에 관한 이론적 연구

The purpose of this study is to investigate the direction and strategy of education for sex role concepts of children on the basis of factor analysis of the present situation in sex role concepts and their formation. Although some maintain that sex role concept of our society has been changing slowly, the traditional sex role concept still dominates and is potentially immanent. the analysis of present condition of our society indicates that the formal as well as informal education are facing with various crucial problems in providing the direction of behavior demanded for carrying out the role. The close analysis of the three theories, psychoanalytic theory , social learning theory, cognitive development theory, lends a support to the laim of the study that cognitive development theory provide an integrated frame of reference for us to see the sex role education analytically Furthermore, the factors which are found to have influences on the formation of sex role have been analyzed in three areas: Family, School and society. 1)The factors in family such as parental behavior of upbringing and their concepts of sex role have a direct relationship with the nature of sex tole concept of children. Therefore, the first step to make children to habe a new type of sex-role conception appropriate for modern societies is to change that of parental conception and attitudes. 2)the quantitative as well as the qualitative aspects of school education showed no exceptional trend from the dominant conception of the society, although school are expected to lead the society as formal education institution rather than just reflect the society. The educational activities and contents such as the conceived goal of education for eoch sex, textbook constitation, teaching behavior and sex-role concepts of teacher are found to be still dominated by the traditional sex-role assumption. 3) The social factors that have direct relationship with children's sex-role formation are social and cultural, which include social milieu, condition of employment, family structure and mass-media. Since family and school do not educate the young in a social vacuum. their educational function of sex-role formation are doomed to be limited and determined by these social factors. Unfortunately, the analysis of present conditions showed the dominance of traditional types of sex-role concepts in all these social factors. The education of sex-role concept for children should be treated as one of the most crucial value problems related with many other important problems, such as direction and patterns of behaviors of each sex, the degree of self-development and capabilities, and consequently human right, equality, humanization and the quality of happiness. Neverthless, the analysis of researches on sex-role education which have been surveyed in this study lead to a conclusion that concerted effort to change the education, formal as well as informal should be provided in every aspect of social life. If the sex role education of the past has aimed at the "feminization"of girls which indoctrinate girls into a limited and fixed role of house wives, the new education in the future should be directed foward "humanization" of both sexes which opens the diversity of roles for both boys and girl on equal levels and provide future possibilities in accordance to their individual capabilities and interests.