How is gender-stereotyped play affecting children’s learning?

Choosing to engage in gender-stereotyped play is one of the earliest expressions of sex role development in young children – studies have claimed that children as young as 18 months old show gender stereotyped toy preferences and play choices (Bee, 1997; Caldera, Huston & O’Brien, 1989). But why does this occur? Despite men and women’s roles changing rapidly in many societies, the gender stereotyped play of children has not evolved to reflect these changes. In fact, the definition of appropriate play and behaviour for boys is thought to have narrowed in recent decades (Freeman, 2007). Is this something that we should be challenging in schools or encouraging parents to reconsider at home? Does gender-stereotyped play impact on children’s learning and emotional wellbeing? In order to consider these questions, this article contrasts social learning theory (SLT), which emphasise modelling and reinforcement as the key mechanisms for gender typical behaviour, with Bio-ps