Cognitive explanations of gender development: Kohlberg's Theory

Kolberg's Theory-

Stage one: Gender Labelling

The first stage occurs between the ages of two and three. Children of this age label themselves of outward apparences only, such as a hairstyle or what a person is wearing. Children will change the gender labes as apparences change 'He has long hair now, so he must be a girl'. Towards the end of this stage children not only label others but we also label themselves as a girl or boy. A child's way of thinking at this stage has been described by pigate as pre-operational i.e. it lacks internal logic. It has a kind of superficial logic but is not internally consistent.

Stage two: Gender Stability

At the age of around four, children recognise that gender is something that is consistent over time, boys turn into men and girls turn into women. Thus their gender concept is one of stability…