Children’s Gender Differences and Gender Stereotypes in the Context of Play

Abstract

Gender is a significant social construct in early childhood, significantly impacting children's play, peer interactions, and meaning-making processes. Utilizing a phenomenological qualitative framework, this study investigates preschool children's lived experiences of play and their processes of meaning-making concerning gender differences and stereotypes in play. The study included 64 children aged five and six and used semi-structured interviews to collect data regarding their descriptions of play, toy preferences, choices of playmates, rules, and perceived consequences of rule violations. It is employed inductive content analysis to examine the data and identify shared units of meaning and variations in the children's lived experiences. The findings indicate that children of all genders generally perceive play as an enjoyable and social endeavor. But kids' accounts about the kinds of play, their favorite toys, their favorite friends, and how they understood violating the rules became more centered on gender. Children's narratives demonstrated gender biases, particularly when referring to toys and plays as "for girls" or "for boys." Girls typically expressed more flexible and inclusive interpretations of cross-gender plays, while boys' narratives demonstrated more rigid gender distinctions. Children’s understanding of play rules and their consequences revealed gender-based stereotypes reflected in their perceptions of social interactions, authority, and exclusion during play. The results illustrate how crucial it is to create early learning settings that don't follow strict gender stereotypes and foster play that is open-ended and welcoming to everyone.

Keywords

• Play
• Gender differences
• Gender stereotypes
• Preschoolers
• Early childhood

Ethical Statement

Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University Ethics Committee stated that the research was ethically appropriate, and necessary permission was given to conduct the research (24.04.2024 / E-84026528-050.99-2400107899). Ethical principles and rules were taken into consideration in the collection, analysis, and reporting of data. The authors declare that all information in this study has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct.

Oyun Bağlamında Çocukların Cinsiyet Farklılıkları ve Cinsiyet Kalıp Yargıları

Abstract

Erken çocukluk döneminde önemli bir sosyal kategori olan cinsiyet, çocukların oyun davranışlarına, oyuncak tercihlerine ve akran etkileşimlerine yansımaktadır. Bu fenomenolojik nitel araştırmanın amacı, oyun bağlamında çocuklarda cinsiyet farklılıklarını ve cinsiyet kalıp yargılarını incelemektir. Araştırmaya 5 ve 6 yaşlarında 64 çocuk katılmış ve veri toplamak için yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu kullanılmıştır. Veriler, içerik analizi tekniği kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Bulgular, çocukların oyun tanımlarının, oyundan keyif alma nedenlerinin ve oyun sırasında kurallara ilişkin görüşlerinin cinsiyete göre değişmediğini ortaya koymuştur. Ancak, çocukların oynadıkları oyun türleri, tercih ettikleri oyuncaklar, oyun arkadaşı seçimleri ve oyun kurallarına uymamanın algılanan sonuçları konusundaki bakış açılarında cinsiyete dayalı farklılıklar ortaya çıkmıştır. Kız ve erkek çocukların hem aynı cinsiyetten hem de karşı cinsten akranları tarafından tercih edilen oyun ve oyuncaklar hakkındaki görüşleri genel olarak örtüşürken, kızlar geleneksel olarak karşı cinsle ilişkilendirilen oyuncaklarla oynamaya karşı daha kabul edici bir tutum sergilemiştir. Bu çalışmada, çocukların oyun davranışları ve tercihlerinde cinsiyet kalıp yargılarının varlığı ortaya çıkarılmıştır.

Keywords

• Oyun
• Cinsiyet farklılıkları
• Cinsiyet Kalıp Yargıları
• Okul öncesi dönem çocukları
• Erken çocukluk

Ethical Statement

Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi Etik Kurulu, araştırmanın etik açıdan uygun olduğunu belirterek araştırmanın yürütülmesi için gerekli iznin verildiğini bildirmiştir (24.04.2024 / E-84026528-050.99-2400107899). Verilerin toplanması, analizi ve raporlanmasında etik ilke ve kurallar dikkate alınmıştır. Yazarlar, bu çalışmadaki tüm bilgilerin akademik kurallara ve etik davranışa uygun olarak elde edildiğini ve sunulduğunu beyan ederler.

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