State an example to show how girls and boys are differentiated from an early age
Answers
Answered by
6
By their sexual characteristics
Answered by
4
New evidence is emerging that confirms what parents and children have reported for generations: boys and girls behave differently, and parenting practices vary depending on the gender of the child. Boys seem to have more behavioural problems than girls, and this difference appears in early childhood.
The results come from the latest round of data released from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC), Australia’s first nationally representative long-term study of child development involving almost 10,000 children from birth to nine years of age.
But before we delve into the findings, there are a few important points to remember when examining the differences between boys and girls.
First, the findings are based on caregivers (usually mothers) completing behaviour report forms. Of course, it would be ideal to have observational-style data on children in a range of settings, but this is just not practical when following up large numbers of children over an extended period.
Second, the overall results reflect averages or mean scores, generated from a wide range of individuals who participated in each wave of the study. The implication for the individual child, therefore, is much harder to pin down than implications for the population as a whole.
Differences
Between the age two and three, the boys displayed a higher rate of behavioural problems than the girls. Boys were around 10% more likely to show what we call “externalising behaviours” such as destructiveness and aggressiveness.
Girls, on the other hand, were more likely to have “internalising problems” such as anxiety. Girls were also more likely to have higher scores on measures of “competence” such as following rules or caregiving behaviours (helping when someone is hurt, for instance).
Having no siblings or three or more siblings, being in groups of lower social advantage (calculated on a scale based on information such as parents’ education, income and occupation) and living in metropolitan areas also contributed to a higher risk of behavioural problems, irrespective of whether the child was a boy or a girl.
At age four to five, another parent-completed questionnaire asked if these symptoms persisted. Again, boys had higher scores of hyperactivity, emotional problems and peer problems, although their scores on conduct problems were not different to those of girls. Few boys had extreme symptoms that indicated clinical disorders.
Girls were again more likely to have emotional problems. Girls also had higher scores on measures of “competence”, such as being kind or helpful.
Pro-social behaviours (where the child acts in a way that’s intended to benefit another) were the norm, rather than the exception, for the vast majority of children, both boys and girls.
Other risk factors such lower social advantage and having no or three or more siblings once again were associated with higher rates of reported problems
The results come from the latest round of data released from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC), Australia’s first nationally representative long-term study of child development involving almost 10,000 children from birth to nine years of age.
But before we delve into the findings, there are a few important points to remember when examining the differences between boys and girls.
First, the findings are based on caregivers (usually mothers) completing behaviour report forms. Of course, it would be ideal to have observational-style data on children in a range of settings, but this is just not practical when following up large numbers of children over an extended period.
Second, the overall results reflect averages or mean scores, generated from a wide range of individuals who participated in each wave of the study. The implication for the individual child, therefore, is much harder to pin down than implications for the population as a whole.
Differences
Between the age two and three, the boys displayed a higher rate of behavioural problems than the girls. Boys were around 10% more likely to show what we call “externalising behaviours” such as destructiveness and aggressiveness.
Girls, on the other hand, were more likely to have “internalising problems” such as anxiety. Girls were also more likely to have higher scores on measures of “competence” such as following rules or caregiving behaviours (helping when someone is hurt, for instance).
Having no siblings or three or more siblings, being in groups of lower social advantage (calculated on a scale based on information such as parents’ education, income and occupation) and living in metropolitan areas also contributed to a higher risk of behavioural problems, irrespective of whether the child was a boy or a girl.
At age four to five, another parent-completed questionnaire asked if these symptoms persisted. Again, boys had higher scores of hyperactivity, emotional problems and peer problems, although their scores on conduct problems were not different to those of girls. Few boys had extreme symptoms that indicated clinical disorders.
Girls were again more likely to have emotional problems. Girls also had higher scores on measures of “competence”, such as being kind or helpful.
Pro-social behaviours (where the child acts in a way that’s intended to benefit another) were the norm, rather than the exception, for the vast majority of children, both boys and girls.
Other risk factors such lower social advantage and having no or three or more siblings once again were associated with higher rates of reported problems
Similar questions