Directions For An Interactionist Study Of Gender Development

Harold Garfinkel and Erving Goffman have demonstrated the utility of the interactionist approach for the study of sex and gender. This paper proposes some hypotheses and research strategies for complementary interactionist studies of the gender development process. A review of previous research and clinical data concerning feminized boys that patterns of caregiver‐infant interaction and caregivers' use of sex‐designating verbal labels provide the basis for gender identity formation. The child then actively seeks to confirm this identity through social interaction and, thereby, learns to express gender. Some prominent theories of gender development and some important aspects of the child's learning of gender expression are briefly reviewed. A hypothesized sequence of gender development and suggestions for its empirical investigation are offered in conclusion.