Gender Schema Theory and Roles in Culture

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsOrigins of Gender Schema TheoryCultural InfluencesConsequences of NonconformityCategories in Gender Schema TheoryRationale and Criticism of Gender Schema TheoryBem’s Sex-Role Inventory

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Origins of Gender Schema Theory

Cultural Influences

Consequences of Nonconformity

Categories in Gender Schema Theory

Rationale and Criticism of Gender Schema Theory

Bem’s Sex-Role Inventory

Close

At a GlanceGender schema theory proposes that the ideas we have about gender (our schemas) are shapes through the cultures in which we live. This theory has played a major role in our understanding of how gender expectations are socially and culturally constructed.The theory continues to inform researchers as they investigate discrimination, stereotyping, marginalized populations, and mental health.Knowing more about how your gender schemas are formed can also help you have a better idea about how your beliefs impact your behavior and how you interact with the world.

At a Glance

Gender schema theory proposes that the ideas we have about gender (our schemas) are shapes through the cultures in which we live. This theory has played a major role in our understanding of how gender expectations are socially and culturally constructed.The theory continues to inform researchers as they investigate discrimination, stereotyping, marginalized populations, and mental health.Knowing more about how your gender schemas are formed can also help you have a better idea about how your beliefs impact your behavior and how you interact with the world.

Gender schema theory proposes that the ideas we have about gender (our schemas) are shapes through the cultures in which we live. This theory has played a major role in our understanding of how gender expectations are socially and culturally constructed.

The theory continues to inform researchers as they investigate discrimination, stereotyping, marginalized populations, and mental health.

Knowing more about how your gender schemas are formed can also help you have a better idea about how your beliefs impact your behavior and how you interact with the world.

Freudian theories, she suggested, were too focused on the influence of anatomy on gender development.

Instead, Bem proposed that achild’s cognitive developmentcombined with societal influences largely influence the patterns of thought (schema) that dictate “male” and “female” traits.

Cultural Influences on Gender Schema

Gender schemas have an impact not only on how people process information but on theattitudesand beliefs that direct “gender-appropriate” behavior.

Culture Influences Gender Role Expectations

For example, a child who lives in a very traditional culture might believe that a woman’s role is in the caring and raising of children, while a man’s role is in work and industry.

Through these observations, children form schema related to what men and women can and cannot do.

Culture Influences How People Are Valued

It also dictates a person’s value and potential in that culture. For example, a girl raised in a traditional culture might believe that the only path available to her as a woman is to get married and raise kids. By contrast, a girl raised in a more progressive culture might pursue a career, avoid having children, or decide not to get married.

Cultural Influences Can Be Overt or Subtle

Within this construct, men and women are tacitly aware of the consequences ofnot adhering to the cultural norm. A woman who decides to pursue a career, for example, might be considered “abrasive” or “bossy” in traditional culture or be considered “unfair” or “disrespectful” to her husband if she doesn’t take his last name.

On the flip side, even in more progressive societies, men may be subject to disapproval for being the stay-at-home parent, while a woman may be described as “old-fashioned” or “backward” if she adheres to a more traditional “housewife” role.

According to Bern’s theory, people fall into one of four different gender categories:

Gender-schematic individuals are more likely to see the world in terms of gender and regulate their behavior according to those expectations. Gender-aschematic people, on the other hand, don’t place the same emphasis on gender, which means they are less likely to see the world through that lens.

Glossary of Must-Know Gender Identity Terms

In her writings, Bem believed that gender schemas were limiting for men, women, and society as a whole.

Raising children free from these stereotypes and limitations, she believed, would lead to greater freedom and fewer restrictions of free will.

In addition to the gender schema theory, Bem created a questionnaire known as the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BRSI).The inventory consists of 60 different words that are either masculine, feminine, or gender-neutral.

The BSRI was first developed in 1974 and has since become one of the most widely used psychological assessment tools in the world.

When taking the test, respondents are asked to rate how strongly they identify with each characteristic. Rather than simply categorizing people as masculine or feminine, the inventory presents both traits as part of a continuum.

Individuals can rank high on one gender or low on another (sex-typed). They can also rank high on both masculine and feminine traits (androgynous).

5 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bem S.Lenses of Gender: Transforming the Debate on Sexual Inequality. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press; 1994.Starr CR, Zurbriggen EL.Sandra Bem’s gender schema theory after 34 years: a review of its reach and impact.Sex Roles. 2017;76(9-10):566-578. doi:10.1007/s11199-016-0591-4Martinez MA, Osornio A, Halim MLD, Zosuls KM.Gender: awareness, identity, and stereotyping. In:Encyclopedia of Infant and Early Childhood Development. Elsevier; 2020:1-12. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-809324-5.21818-XAhmed T, Vafaei A, Belanger E, Phillips SP, Zunzunegui MV.Bem Sex Role Inventory validation in the International Mobility in Aging Study.Can J Aging. 2016;35(3):348-360. doi:10.1017/S0714980816000404Vafaei A, Alvarado B, Tomás C, Muro C, Martinez B, Zunzunegui MV.The validity of the 12-item Bem Sex Role Inventory in older Spanish population: an examination of the androgyny model.Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2014;59(2):257-263. doi:10.1016/j.archger.2014.05.012

5 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bem S.Lenses of Gender: Transforming the Debate on Sexual Inequality. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press; 1994.Starr CR, Zurbriggen EL.Sandra Bem’s gender schema theory after 34 years: a review of its reach and impact.Sex Roles. 2017;76(9-10):566-578. doi:10.1007/s11199-016-0591-4Martinez MA, Osornio A, Halim MLD, Zosuls KM.Gender: awareness, identity, and stereotyping. In:Encyclopedia of Infant and Early Childhood Development. Elsevier; 2020:1-12. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-809324-5.21818-XAhmed T, Vafaei A, Belanger E, Phillips SP, Zunzunegui MV.Bem Sex Role Inventory validation in the International Mobility in Aging Study.Can J Aging. 2016;35(3):348-360. doi:10.1017/S0714980816000404Vafaei A, Alvarado B, Tomás C, Muro C, Martinez B, Zunzunegui MV.The validity of the 12-item Bem Sex Role Inventory in older Spanish population: an examination of the androgyny model.Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2014;59(2):257-263. doi:10.1016/j.archger.2014.05.012

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Bem S.Lenses of Gender: Transforming the Debate on Sexual Inequality. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press; 1994.Starr CR, Zurbriggen EL.Sandra Bem’s gender schema theory after 34 years: a review of its reach and impact.Sex Roles. 2017;76(9-10):566-578. doi:10.1007/s11199-016-0591-4Martinez MA, Osornio A, Halim MLD, Zosuls KM.Gender: awareness, identity, and stereotyping. In:Encyclopedia of Infant and Early Childhood Development. Elsevier; 2020:1-12. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-809324-5.21818-XAhmed T, Vafaei A, Belanger E, Phillips SP, Zunzunegui MV.Bem Sex Role Inventory validation in the International Mobility in Aging Study.Can J Aging. 2016;35(3):348-360. doi:10.1017/S0714980816000404Vafaei A, Alvarado B, Tomás C, Muro C, Martinez B, Zunzunegui MV.The validity of the 12-item Bem Sex Role Inventory in older Spanish population: an examination of the androgyny model.Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2014;59(2):257-263. doi:10.1016/j.archger.2014.05.012

Bem S.Lenses of Gender: Transforming the Debate on Sexual Inequality. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press; 1994.

Starr CR, Zurbriggen EL.Sandra Bem’s gender schema theory after 34 years: a review of its reach and impact.Sex Roles. 2017;76(9-10):566-578. doi:10.1007/s11199-016-0591-4

Martinez MA, Osornio A, Halim MLD, Zosuls KM.Gender: awareness, identity, and stereotyping. In:Encyclopedia of Infant and Early Childhood Development. Elsevier; 2020:1-12. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-809324-5.21818-X

Ahmed T, Vafaei A, Belanger E, Phillips SP, Zunzunegui MV.Bem Sex Role Inventory validation in the International Mobility in Aging Study.Can J Aging. 2016;35(3):348-360. doi:10.1017/S0714980816000404

Vafaei A, Alvarado B, Tomás C, Muro C, Martinez B, Zunzunegui MV.The validity of the 12-item Bem Sex Role Inventory in older Spanish population: an examination of the androgyny model.Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2014;59(2):257-263. doi:10.1016/j.archger.2014.05.012

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