Abstract
The sex-typing of children and the sex-typing pressure of parents was investigated during free play in a home visit. There were 30 male and 24 female 45-month-olds observed with their mothers and fathers in separate free-play sessions during which an array of both sex-stereotyped and neutral toys were available. Behavioral observations were recorded for a variety of parent, child, and dyadic behaviors, including initiations of sex-typed play, total sex-typed play, and rough-and-tumble play. Children initiated sex-typed play and played with sex-appropriate toys. Father-child and mother-daughter dyads were more likely to engage in thematic play appropriate to the child's sex, while in mother-son dyads equal amounts of masculine and feminine play occurred. In addition father-son dyads displayed the highest levels of rough-and tumble play and arousal of child by parent. The results suggest that fathers are the discriminating influence on sex-appropriate play.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 413-425 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Archives of Sexual Behavior |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 1 1984 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- differential socialization
- parent/child interaction
- sex typing
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
- General Psychology