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Kohlberg (1966) claimed that as a childs cognition matures so does their understanding of gender. Kohlberg states that children go through three stages in the development of their gender:
3.
Children remains confused about the gender of others, regarding the change of an external feature such as dress or hair length,
Thompson (1975): Children aged between 2 and 3 were tested on their ability to be able to apply gender labels correctly to themselves and others. Children who were only just 2 could identify different sexes correctly but struggled to label their own gender. Oldest children in sample could apply gender labels correctly and recognise the category of gender they belonged to. These findings are consistent with Kohlbergs gender identity stage and show the cognitive maturation that takes place as the child ages. Slaby and Frey (1975): Researchers used interviews to test the stage of development reached by each child and also split-screen method to access their attention to same-sex models. Findings showed that children as young as five may have already acquired gender consistency. Boys who have reached the consistency stage spend more time attending to same sex models than girls do at the same stage. This study provides support for the sequential order of Kohlbergs stages of development but raises questions regarding the age at which children reach the consistency stage and the differences between boys and girls when attending to same sex models.
Thompson - children as young as 2 could categorise certain items as belonging to males or females - showing understanding of sex-role stereotyping long before they achieved gender consistency. Yet Kohlberg claims that only when consistency is achieved and children understand the true difference between male and female will they acquire gender stereotypes study refutes the age limitations set by Kohlbergs gender theory.
Research to support Kohlbergs gender stability stage was conducted by Slaby and Frey who asked young children questions such as When you were a baby were you a boy or a girl? and When you grow up will you be a mummy or a daddy? The answers given by children showed that they did not recognise that these traits were stable over time until they were 3 or 4 years old, as Kohlberg had predicted.
Kohlbergs theory also suggests that between the ages 7 and 12, a child acquires gender consistency. This means that they no longer judge an individuals gender by external features (such as hair length) and they understand that everyones gender remains constant throughout life. Research by Slaby and Frey provides support for the sequential order of Kohlbergs stages, however it raises questions about the age at which gender consistency is acquired. The researchers used interviews to test the stage of development reached by each child participant aged between 2 and 5 years old. They found that 97% had achieved gender identity, 75% had achieved gender stability and 50% had achieved gender consistency. This refutes Kohlbergs theory of gender consistency age, as this study suggests that children can acquire gender consistency before the ages 7 to 12.