Gender Identity

Gender Identity

• Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender.
• Gender identity can correlate with sex at birth or can differ from it.
• Gender refers to how a particular culture differentiate masculine and feminine social roles. 
• Males and females, a gender Binary System and which include Expectations of masculinity and femininity.

During the common process of gender identity in the family, small children are often seen acting in roles which are in accordance with their sex roles, which help them to gradually distinguish between masculinity and femininity. At play, generally girls dress up in frocks or girls dresses, play the roles of mother; while boys get ready in suit and neckties ready to go to office just like their fathers. Sometimes, small boys can be seen doing those tasks which are considered worthy for feminism, as dressing like girls, using make-up articles and play role in bringing up children. In the same way, some girls play the role of 'Daddy' during their play.

Some girls tend to act like man disproportionately and then the community terms such girls as 'Tomboys'. In these different and sex- cross roles, children are assisted in their socialization. Gender identity is an individual identity which an individual feels as man or woman.  This information begins right from childhood and blooms right until adolescence. It is such an identity which cultivates during socialization of an individual and most aspects of manliness or womanliness are taught by the community and learnt by individuals. To a great extent, gender identity has to create self- identity and individuality. Under gender identity is included the state of being man or woman, or how an individual's sex and situations are governed or incorporated by the community.

Gender identity is the assumption of a person being man or woman. It is the self-concept of a man or woman. Gender identity is the basic and far-reaching identity which an individual learns. A mere 15- months old child is starts to know whether he/ she is a boy or girl.

Gender identity is generally that by which an individual accepts himself /herself as a man or woman; but this can also be seen in this way that gender identity is that by which other people come to know about you on the basis of your symbols or gender roles (as dress, hair style). It can also be called a set of symbols by which the gender identity of an individual is determined.

Therefore, the people who think themselves as girls or women feel feminine gender, and they will do such things which will tell others that they are girls or women. On the other hand, and individual who knows himself as masculine gender will do such things which will help him chalk out as a boy or man. Most communities ensure that individuals behave themselves as per the norms set for that Gender, and it is related with their gender identity. The process of gender identity is complex which is initiated at conception, and grows more complicated through worth and after-birth experiences. We can distinguish it on certain attributes, but each community classifies as each of its individual into man or woman on the basis of language and other customs.

Thus, gender identity is an exemption which threatens to an individual being a boy or girl general. Gender identity is invisible and cannot be established on the basis of extrinsic appearance. Generally, sex and gender identity are coincidental, because men behave themselves as masculinity is defined in the community,  and so is the case with women who behave as femininity is defined.

Factors Influencing Gender Identity

(i). BIOLOGICAL FACTORS:

• Several prenatal,  biological factors,  including genes and hormones,  may affect to gender identity.
• The biochemical theory of gender identity suggests that people acquire gender identities through such factors rather than socialization. 
• Hormonal influences are also Complex sex determining hormones are produced at an early stage of metal development.

(ii). SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS:

Gender identity also had a strong relation with social and environmental factors: search factors would mostly include the attitude of the parents raising the child and their culture.

• Children learn from family and culture.

• The family is the most important social group in society. It's also the most important influences in a child's life. The family plays an essential role in child's education, physical and emotional needs, in protection and material support, in nurture, love and give emotional support.

Diverse Learning Theories and Gender Identity Formulation

Learning occupies an important place in formulating gender identity. There are several theories which tell how children attend their gender identity according to their biological sex.

(i). Social Learning Theory:- Children learn to be man or woman by reinforcement and modelling. Sex- related messages being to pour in soon after the Infant leaves hospital after birth. As a child grows, boy and girl is looked at differently as a boy or girl, and their stereotyped behaviors are also rewarded too.

(ii). Social Cognitive Theory:- According to this theory, children are active thinkers and they form schema of the gender in a like manner as they form schema of other incidents. Information and experiences are stores in the schema, which helps them take decision and understand the world around them.

(iii). Cultural Transmission Theory:- According to this theory the process of gender identification commence at infancy. The important people in the life of a child give shape to his behaviour, like guardians, siblings and teachers. For, this they reward a child for a behaviour in in consonance with the gender, and discourage anti- gender behaviour. Children too are motivated to behave like the people of their Gender and their imitation because they accept them as their role models children have rights in small age to establish their gender identity.