Gender-Based Differences in Children's Development

Early Childhood

• "Early childhood" occurs between 2 and 6 years of age and is an exciting time of growth and development for children. According to the National Institutes of Health, children in early childhood are learning to share, take turns, understand commands and mimic speech. As children learn about the world and their role in it, they seek to follow the example of adults and other children around them. They mimic gender differences as well. Children begin to show more gender differentiation and acknowledgement of gender stereotypes during this time. By 2 years, boys are more physically aggressive, while girls generally display more relational aggression. Girls are more verbal than boys. Girls, inundated with media images, begin to choose pink, princess and other "girl" toys and clothes. Boys choose superheroes, Army figures and other stereotypically masculine objects.

Middle Childhood

• Children aged 6 to 11 are in the "middle childhood" stage of development, when gender becomes a concrete attribute in a child's mind. According to a Princeton report on gender identity, children are beginning to realize the permanency of gender by the age of 7. Children spend these years gaining academic competence and physical strength. During this period of development, children are joining sports teams and forming friendships. Because of escalating testosterone levels, boys tend to show more athletic prowess and excel in competition. Children at this age generally form same-sex friendships. They develop stronger identification with either masculine or feminine attributes.

Adolescence

• Adolescence, from ages 12 to 18, is a time of intense physical and cognitive growth and gender differentiation. Girls experience sexual maturity as a result of estrogen, and boys develop through testosterone. Those hormones create differences in behavior and appearance. Boys are more likely to exhibit aggression and antisocial behavior. There are further differences in moral development during adolescence. Researcher Carol Gilligan asserts that attention to rights and justice is a masculine ideal, whereas responsiveness is a feminine ideal.

Nature vs. Nurture

• Although males and females appear to develop differently in some aspects of childhood development, there is some dispute as to whether the differences are biological or environmental. Fundamental differences have been found in female and male brains, but there is no conclusive evidence proving how the differences affect the development of children. Despite physical differences, Princeton University reports that an intense socialization that occurs in early childhood, creating many gender differences. Toys and clothes for young children are polarized in their gender identity. Little girls are dressed in pink and play with dolls, while little boys wear blue and play with trucks. This socialization process begins at birth and may also be responsible for gender differences in development.