Conflicting Gender Messages : The Influence of Parents and Peer Gender Socialization on Gender Beliefs and Depressive Symptomatology

Abstract

Gender socialization is a process that begins early in childhood and continues well into the adolescent years. The two main socialization agents are one's parents and peers. It is through them that individuals receive gendered messages that tell them what is and is not appropriate gendered-type behavior. The current study examines the influence parents and peers have on the formation of an individual's gender beliefs. Furthermore, it also examines situations in which individuals are confronted with differing gender messages from parents and peers, as well as the possible influence it can have on a participant's attitude toward women and depression. Data was collected at a large Midwestern University using a variety of self-reported measures including The Attitudes Toward Women Scale For Adolescents (AWSA) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The findings in the study did not support the hypotheses proposed; participants' attitudes toward women were not associated with the type of gender messages they received from parents and peers. It was also found that participants, when presented with conflicting gender beliefs from parents and peers, did not conform to peers' beliefs as had been predicted. Furthermore no significant differences were found in the formation of participant's gender beliefs between the four conflict (i.e., different gender messages from parents and peers) /no-conflict (i.e., same gender messages from both parents and peers) groups. Results also revealed that being exposed to conflict groups had no significant influence on depression in participants. in