Article summary with Gendered Parenting in Early Childhood: Subtle But Unmistakable if You Know Where to Look by Mesman & Groeneveld - 2018

What is Gendered Parenting?

The term gendered parenting describes the information parents convey in their interactions, messages and behaviour about how girls and boys are supposed to behave according to social norms.

Parents generally use similar broad parenting styles with both sons and daughters and studies show there are few differences in how boys and girls are parented in terms of warmth, sensitive responsiveness, or parental control. Theories on gendered child development suggest that parents form gendered expectations and evaluations, which appear in more specific parenting practices. Explicit messages to children about gender are rare in societies which value gender equality, and gender stereotypes are mostly implicit and unconscious. In such societies, parents are less likely to report gender-stereotypical ideas as they would not be accepted. While there is a lack of evidence for sex differences in broad parenting styles or explicit gendered parenting practices, gendered socialization is mainly expressed through specific parenting practices that are mostly implicit. These covert behaviors and statements convey messages about differential expectations of girls and boys without stating these messages overtly. These practices can be divided into direct and indirect messages that concern the child and others around them. Gendered socialization is particularly relevant in early childhood when children first start to understand major principles of gender.

Direct Messages

The gendered parenting practices that parents display towards their children convey expectations based on sex and can shape their development. Parents choose the films, books, and toys to which their children are exposed, which can convey gendered messages and encourage certain gender roles. Exposure to highly gender-stereotyped products can affect children's gendered thoughts and behaviors. These choices can lead to differences in skills and later development between boys and girls. Sex differences in children's behavior are not present in infancy but emerge slowly in early childhood. Gendered parenting precedes behavioral differences, with parents often responding differently to the same behaviors in girls and boys. Parental expectations and demands regarding how sons and daughters should behave can send differential messages of approval or disapproval. Children pick up on these evaluations and notice gendered behavior and evaluative messages regarding others' actions.

Indirect Messages

Indirect gendered parenting practices communicate gender stereotypes to children. Researchers study these processes by observing parents' responses to materials that challenge gender stereotypes. The most common way to measure these implicit messages is by asking parents to read books to their children featuring gender-neutral or human characters engaging in gender-stereotypical and counter-stereotypical activities. Overall, parental modeling shapes children’s gender roles and expectations, even when these roles are not explicitly taught. Children infer gendered patterns and behavioral rules from the actions they observe, leading to the development of general ideas and expectations about gender roles. These expectations then guide children’s social behavior towards others and perpetuate gender stereotypes.

What can be concluded from this study?

Based on the review conducted in this study, it can be concluded that expectations about gender roles are also conveyed in indirect messages. It is the parent’s responsibility to uncover and be aware of this responsibility.

Gendered parenting also occurs even if the parents do not want to engage in it, due to unconscious gender stereotypes. Acknowledging different conceptualizations of gender is important to decrease gender stereotypes.