Investigating the Relation between Gender Typicality and Pressure to Conform to Gender Norms

Abstract

Previous research suggested that gender typicality and pressure to conform to gender norms were unrelated; however, this may have been due to how gender typicality was assessed (i.e., by only comparing the self to one's own gender collective). In the present study, we used a dual identity approach (comparing oneself to both gender collectives: to own-gender and other-gender individuals) to create typologies of gender typicality to examine how similarity to own and other gender collectives might differentially associate with pressure to conform to gender norms. The potentially unique influence of pressure sources (parents, peers, or the self) was also analyzed. Participants were 378 U.S. 6th grade students (48% female; M age = 11.44 years, range = 10-13). Results indicated that male early adolescents felt more pressure than did female early adolescents and that those who felt more similar to own-gender (and less similar to other-gender) felt significantly higher levels of pressure and that the highest source of pressure was the self rather than peers or parents. We discuss how the present research provides insights into who experiences the highest levels of felt pressure to conform to gender norms and suggests that self-socialization plays a strong role in gender development for many early adolescents.

Gender role identity and gender intensification: Agency and communion in adolescents’ spontaneous self-descriptions

“…This might indicate a narrowing of the gender gap for communion as well. Younger generations of boys may feel more free to adopt communal attributes in their self-descriptions, despite stronger disapproval of gender role violations in boys (e.g., Kane, 2006;Sirin et al, 2004), as well as higher gender conformity pressure among boys than girls reported in previous studies (Egan & Perry, 2001;Nielson et al, 2020).…”

Associations between quality of parent–child relationships and children's gender typicality: A 4‐year longitudinal study

“…More precisely, social pressure notably from peers constrains some children, particularly boys, to avoid cross‐gender behaviours (Carver et al, 2003; Egan & Perry, 2001). Moreover, boys who feel more similar to other boys tend to pressure themselves to conform to gender norms (Nielson et al, 2020). These pressures may exert an important influence on boys' gender typicality, leaving less variance to be explained by other factors such as the mutual responsiveness of parent–child interactions.…”

“…For example, children who feel similar to their own gender may, at the same time, feel quite similar to the other gender, while others do not. Thus, to reach a better comprehension of children's gender typicality, it is important to consider their perceived similarity to both genders (Andrews, Martin, & Gallagher, 2016; Martin et al, 2017; Nielson, Schroeder, Martin, & Cook, 2020; Pauletti, Menon, Cooper, Aults, & Perry, 2017), and indeed the authors of the original typicality scale (Egan & Perry, 2001) have also recently expanded their approach to use comparisons to both gender groups (Perry, Pauletti, & Cooper, 2019). Accordingly, here we define and measure gender typicality in terms of self‐perceived similarity to own‐ and other‐gender groups.…”

“…Studies show that children who appraise themselves as more gender typical (i.e., higher perceived similarity to own gender and/or lower perceived similarity to other gender; Zosuls, Andrews, Martin, England, & Field, 2016) have higher self‐esteem, feel more included by their same‐gender friends, are more popular among their peers and experience less internalizing behaviour problems (Carver et al, 2003; Jewell & Brown, 2014; Martin et al, 2017; Yunger et al, 2004). However, these children also appear to feel the most pressure to conform to gender norms (Nielson et al, 2020). In contrast, children who feel less typical or who only feel typical of the other gender experience less positive outcomes, for example, lower self‐esteem, peer exclusion and peer victimization, loneliness, depressive symptoms, social anxiety, and are reported by their parents as being more asocial (Jewell & Brown, 2014; Martin et al, 2017; Smith & Juvonen, 2017; Smith & Leaper, 2006; Smith, Schacter, Enders, & Juvonen, 2018; Yunger et al, 2004; Zosuls et al, 2016).…”

Who Engages in Gender Bullying? The Role of Homophobic Name-Calling, Gender Pressure, and Gender Conformity

“…As a consequence of societal norms about gender and of socialization experiences and regardless of their conformity, most adolescents feel a strong pressure to conform to gender-conforming characteristics (Galambos, 2013; Nielson et al, 2020). In fact, gender socialization often acts through peer rewards for gender-conforming behaviors and peer punishments for gender-nonconforming behaviors (Zosuls et al, 2016).…”