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December 22, 2004
Child and Parental Characteristics Play Leading Role in
Determining Participation in Sex-typed Activities for Girls
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book and video shop
Parental traits and
characteristics of children are a determining force in the
type of activities girls choose to participate in during
adolescence, a study finds. In this project, researchers
evaluated how adolescent girls spend their time and the
persons who influenced their choices of activities to
partake in. Pastimes are an integral part of development for
children because it provides an outlet for young people to
discover their talents and interests as well as offer a
chance to gain new skills. Previous studies report that
participation in activities is way for young people develop
their identity as individuals.
Methods
Authors of the study recruited 290 white, working- and
middle-class girls aged 8 to 15 for the study. Over a
two-year period, evaluators examined female participation in
traditionally male dominated sports (for example, sports,
hunting and fishing). They also examined levels of
involvement in stereotypical feminine activities such as
art, music, and dance, exploring any characteristics of the
girls and their parents that predicted the girls’
involvement in sex-typed activities. Families were
interviewed once a year for two years.
During annual interviews, investigators measured parental
and child sentiment towards gender roles, sex-typed
activities (such as fishing or cooking), and sex-typed
personality traits (such as leadership and politeness).
Researchers also examined saliva samples taken from the
girls to measure their testosterone levels. During
adolescence, testosterone levels increase in both males and
females, but more profoundly in males. On seven occasions in
each year of the study, researchers called the girls and
inquired into the activities they performed that day.
Results
Findings from the study indicate that during early
adolescence girls partook in more “boy activities” up to age
13. Participation in these activities decreased through age
17. At age nine females spent the most amount of time on
traditionally “girl activities.” The personality traits of
the parents and girls (such as sensitivity, kindness, and
competitiveness) predicted their sentiments toward feminine
and masculine activities .
In middle childhood girls with lower testosterone levels
were more likely to spend more time on feminine activities
that they really enjoyed while girls with increased
testosterone levels engaged in more male dominated
activities despite their lack of or high rate of enthusiasm
for the activity.
The views of the parents and girls regarding gender roles
did not play predict involvement in certain activities.
Conclusion
Authors assert that the results of this study confirm
previous research by demonstrating that personality traits
of parents and children help shape sentiments of adolescents
toward participation in certain sex-typed activities. The
findings therefore have implications for the possible career
and education paths that children will take later in life.
Complete findings of the study appear in Child Development,
Vol. 75, Issue 5, December 2004
Author and inquiries
S.M. McHale, L. Shanahan, The Pennsylvania State University;
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