Children's Gender-Role Flexibility in Social Situations

사회적 상황의 제시 유무에 따른 아동의 성역할 개념의 유연성

Gender role flexibility in social and non-social situations across 4 areas of gender-role concepts(appearance, activities, occupations, and personality traits) were studied in 74 1st, 3rd, and 5th grade children. They were interviewed with 16 pictures depicting cross-gender characteristics. Children showed higher flexibility in social than in non-social situations. In social situations, children justified cross-gender characteristics in all 4 areas of gender-role concept. In non-social situations, children showed (a) highest flexibility in occupations and lowest in appearance, (b) lower flexibility toward male than female target children, (c) peak flexibility at age 8, then remaining the same except for appearance, and (d) higher flexibility in girls than in boys. In social and non-social situations children gave variable justifications for flexibility.