User:LateNightDrive/sandbox

The Why

Trans Symbol

My younger sibling is transgender and identifies as a boy. Growing up, however, I always knew them as my sister. One could imagine how hard it is to go from having two sister to only having one. This is what got me interested in my topic, how gender develops in adolescents.

Articles I may work on

1. Women in the workforce
2. Gender
3. Child development
4. Gender Roles in Childhood

Annotated Bibliography for work on Child Development

Gender Identity and Development in Adolescence

Gender Identity and Development in Adolescence is a meta-analysis by Thomas D. Steensma, Baudewijntje P.C. Kreukels, Annelou L.C. de Vries, and Peggy T. Cohen-Kettenis. They are a group medical professionals specializing in gender dysphoria, medical social work, and adolescent psychiatry respectively. The analysis draws from a variety of studies ranging in year from 1966 for older, widely accepted claims used for background information, to 2011 for the meat of their recent research. Together, they conclude that many factors, such as prenatal hormones, pressures from parents, treatment based on their natal sex, and their own sexuality shape an individuals gender. They also believe that, based on the research available, gender is malleable through childhood, especially in gender dysphoric children. However, they recognize that each child is different and there is no set path to follow when it comes to gender development, only generalities. This meta-analysis is useful for citing background information the Wiki readers may need as well as being an excellent source for current theories surrounding gender development in children based on factors that are not biological.

Neurobiology of gender identity and sexual orientation

Neurobiology of Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation is a meta-analysis by Charles E. Roselli, a professor at Oregon Health and Science university. By using results from experiments done on animals, Roselli develops argument that prenatal hormones affect the outcome of a person’s gender identity. He then uses relevant studies which were conducted on humans since the 2000’s to draw conclusions about how important these hormones are in gender development. Rodelli tempers his theories regarding prenatal hormones by also considering how a person’s genes may affect the outcome of their gender identity and by pointing out several areas which require more research before a conclusion can be formed. This meta-analysis is useful for its clear definitions of gender identity, current views reading the impact of prenatal hormones and genes on brain and gender development, and for identifying areas where the scientific community lacks a clear consensus due to lack of research.  

Princesses and Superheroes: Social-Cognitive Influences on Early Gender Rigidity        

Princesses and Superheroes: Social-Cognitive Influences on Early Gender Rigidity is an analysis of multiple studies written by May Ling D. Halim, a professor at California State University-Long Beach. Halim reviews recent studies regarding the prevalence of gendered play among young children and how this type of socialization may lead to stronger or weaker gender identification in them. She uses these studies to propel the argument of a snowball effect in which social interactions can drastically impact how a child perceives their own gender. Small variations in social settings like the degree to which other kids follow social norms and how important these norms are in their gendered interactions are shown to have an impact on the strength of the child’s gender identity. This article is useful for evidence examining the social impact on gender development through the lens of interactions between the child and their peers. The article also provides an account of the general path of the strength of a child’s gender identity, a topic not may other papers cover.

Perspectives on Gender Development

           Perspectives on gender development is a paper by Eleanor E. Maccoby in which she analyzes theories of gender development which have been proposed since the beginning of the 20^th century. In each review, Maccoby explains the process of each theory with its relevant research. She then picks through the faults of the theory, pointing where more evidence is needed or where results were too mixed to draw a conclusive answer as well as providing recent research that may agree or disagree with the theory’s ideas. By doing this, she provides a history and synthesis of many developmental theories as well as their current standing in academia. This allows her to generate her argument that gender is complex and many factors play into constructing it. This article is a useful metric for determining the weight that should be given to certain theories as well as being a place where the theories actively interact in conversation instead of being stand alone ideas.

Gender Permanence and the Genital Basis of Gender: Stages in the Development of Constancy of Gender Identity

Gender Permanence and the Genital Basis of Gender: Stages in the Development of Constancy of Gender Identity is a meta-analysis by Maureen McConaghy in which she explores the evidence supporting two stages of gender development. She believes that there are two distinct stages through which children develop their understanding of gender. This article is useful as yet another theory of how gender is developed in children.

Self-Regulatory Mechanisms Governing Gender Development

           Self-Regulatory Mechanisms Governing Gender Development is a study and analysis done by Kay Bussey and Albert Bandura, professors at Macquarie and Stanford University respectively. They use older studies as the basis of their hypothesis for their study in which they measure  They found that the structures adults place on children can influence their behaviors and, in turn, possibly their gender identity. This article is useful for more information backing up the theory that other people’s values can influence the identity of children.

Gender Development

Gender identity is how a person perceives themselves as male, female, or a variation of the two. Studies have found that children can identify themselves as belonging to a certain gender as early as two years old, but how gender identity is developed is a current topic of scientific debate. It is believed that several factors work in conjunction with one another to produce an individual’s gender, including: neonatal hormones, postnatal socialization, and genetic influences. However, even the timeline for developing gender is under debate. Some believe that gender is malleable until late childhood while others argue that gender is established early and gender-typed socialization patterns either reinforce or soften the individual’s notion of gender. Since most people identify as the gender that is typically associated to their genitalia, studying the impact of these factors is difficult. Evidence suggests that neonatal androgens, male sex hormones produced in the womb during gestation, play an important role. Testosterone in the womb directly codes the brain for either male or female-typical development. This includes both the physical structure of the brain and the characteristics the person expresses because of it. Persons exposed to high levels of testosterone during gestation typically develop a male gender identity while those who are not or those who do not possess the receptors necessary to interact with these hormones typically develop a female gender identity. An individual’s genes are also hypnotized to interact with the hormones during gestation and in turn affect gender identity, but the genes responsible for this and their effects have not been precisely documented and evidence is limited. Postnatal, there is debate on whether socialization plays a part in determining gender identity. It is well documented that children actively seek out information on how to properly interact with others based on their gender, but the extent to which these role models, which can include parents, friends, and TV characters, influence gender identity is less clear and no consensus has been reached in the scientific field.