Evaluation of Kohlberg’s stages of gender development
Marcus and Overton: Using a flip book, children were shown muddled pictures where hairstyles and
clothes of a male and female character could be changed. The children were then asked what sex they
thought the character was. Younger children believed that changing clothes can change a person’s sex.
Older children understood that gender is constant and that changes in outward appearances do not
influence whether someone is male or female. (Supports the fact that younger children are in gender
identity stage and older children are in gender constancy stage).
Slaby and Frey: Used children aged 2-5. Divided them into high and low gender constancy groups and
were presented with split-screen images of males and females performing same tasks (baking and
changing a wheel). They observed the children’s eye movement and direction of gaze. Found that
younger children spent roughly the same amount of time watching both sexes, but children in the
gender constancy stage spent more time looking at the model who was the same sex as them. (Shows
S children in gender constancy stage identify with role models of the same sex).
Slaby and Frey: Ask young children questions such as ‘Were you a little girl or a little boy when you were
a baby?’ and ‘When you grow up, will you be a mummy or a daddy?’ Found that children didn’t realise
gender was stable until they were 3-4 years old. (Supports gender stability stage)
Slaby and Frey: Asked children ‘If you wanted to play football, would you be a boy or a girl?’ (testing
gender stability stage), and ‘Could you be a boy/girl if you wanted to be?’ (testing gender identity stage).
Found that children who scored highly on both of these showed greatest interest in same-sex models.
(Supports his model as it shows that after you’ve passed the first two stages you move onto the third
stage where you start to identify with same sex models).
Thompson (1975): Found that 76% of 2 year olds and 90% of 3 year olds could identify their sex. Shows
that children are increasingly accurate in labelling their gender as they get older.
Gender equality: Helps to explain how gender equality can be established (by providing a child with
plenty of examples that go against their gender stereotypes)
P
Beta bias: Slaby and Frey found that boys tended to exhibit gender constancy before girls. Huston
(1985) suggested it’s relatively easy to get girls perform “masculine” activities, but it’s harder to get boys
I to perform “feminine” activities. Shows that both sexes do not follow the model in the same way due to
social influences
A
C Bussey and Bandura: Found children as young as 4 reported ‘feeling good’ about playing with gender-
appropriate toys and ‘feeling bad’ about doing the opposite. (Shows children start to learn about gender
appropriate behaviour earlier than 6 years of age).
Sandra Bem: Points out that questions asked can be interpreted in more than one way. E.g. the question
“If you wore opposite-sex clothes, would you be a boy or a girl?” could be interpreted as “Would you
look like a boy or a girl?” so the child gives the “wrong” answer. (Lowers construct validity).
Zosuls et al (2009): Showed that children can identify their gender earlier than indicated in previous
Marcus and Overton: Using a flip book, children were shown muddled pictures where hairstyles and
clothes of a male and female character could be changed. The children were then asked what sex they
thought the character was. Younger children believed that changing clothes can change a person’s sex.
Older children understood that gender is constant and that changes in outward appearances do not
influence whether someone is male or female. (Supports the fact that younger children are in gender
identity stage and older children are in gender constancy stage).
Slaby and Frey: Used children aged 2-5. Divided them into high and low gender constancy groups and
were presented with split-screen images of males and females performing same tasks (baking and
changing a wheel). They observed the children’s eye movement and direction of gaze. Found that
younger children spent roughly the same amount of time watching both sexes, but children in the
gender constancy stage spent more time looking at the model who was the same sex as them. (Shows
S children in gender constancy stage identify with role models of the same sex).
Slaby and Frey: Ask young children questions such as ‘Were you a little girl or a little boy when you were
a baby?’ and ‘When you grow up, will you be a mummy or a daddy?’ Found that children didn’t realise
gender was stable until they were 3-4 years old. (Supports gender stability stage)
Slaby and Frey: Asked children ‘If you wanted to play football, would you be a boy or a girl?’ (testing
gender stability stage), and ‘Could you be a boy/girl if you wanted to be?’ (testing gender identity stage).
Found that children who scored highly on both of these showed greatest interest in same-sex models.
(Supports his model as it shows that after you’ve passed the first two stages you move onto the third
stage where you start to identify with same sex models).
Thompson (1975): Found that 76% of 2 year olds and 90% of 3 year olds could identify their sex. Shows
that children are increasingly accurate in labelling their gender as they get older.
Gender equality: Helps to explain how gender equality can be established (by providing a child with
plenty of examples that go against their gender stereotypes)
P
Beta bias: Slaby and Frey found that boys tended to exhibit gender constancy before girls. Huston
(1985) suggested it’s relatively easy to get girls perform “masculine” activities, but it’s harder to get boys
I to perform “feminine” activities. Shows that both sexes do not follow the model in the same way due to
social influences
A
C Bussey and Bandura: Found children as young as 4 reported ‘feeling good’ about playing with gender-
appropriate toys and ‘feeling bad’ about doing the opposite. (Shows children start to learn about gender
appropriate behaviour earlier than 6 years of age).
Sandra Bem: Points out that questions asked can be interpreted in more than one way. E.g. the question
“If you wore opposite-sex clothes, would you be a boy or a girl?” could be interpreted as “Would you
look like a boy or a girl?” so the child gives the “wrong” answer. (Lowers construct validity).
Zosuls et al (2009): Showed that children can identify their gender earlier than indicated in previous
