Gender Identity and Play

Abstract

This chapter discusses the processes that influence the development of such gender identity and early sex-differentiated play; some distinctive characteristics of boys’ and girls’ play; and some of the typical behaviors that emerge later in childhood. Research on the development of gender identity and its relation to the development of play offers evidence that preference for gender typed toys occurs prior to gender identity, but is incorporated as part of the child’s gender schema during the third year of life. Some researchers have found that children begin to engage in sex-differentiated play before they are able to use gender labels. The chapter examines how the sequence of play behaviors interacts with the child’s developing gender identity. Many cultures maintain gender segregation through adult-directed separation of the sexes. In industrialized countries, preschools are rarely organized with the specific goal of promoting gender segregation.