DOI: 10.16986/hunefd.1780014 ISSN: 2536-4758

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

Selda Ata Doğan, Cansu Yıldız Taşdemir
Show PDF Cite
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.

More from our Archive