(Shearer 2007). The first gender-related learning that occurs for children is within the immediate family. Parents’ behaviors communicate the importance of gender via their reactions to their children’s behavior, by the behaviors they model, and by family activities (Best 2010). Children’s gender role concepts are closely tied to their developing cognitive abilities, but socialization influences help to explain individual differences in children’s knowledge of and flexibility vis-à-vis gender role stereotypes, gender role attitudes, and sex-typed interests and preferences. By modeling more or less traditional roles and attitudes and encouraging or discouraging sex-typed activities in their children, parents influence their children’s sex role socialization (McHale, Crouter, and Tucker
(Shearer 2007). The first gender-related learning that occurs for children is within the immediate family. Parents’ behaviors communicate the importance of gender via their reactions to their children’s behavior, by the behaviors they model, and by family activities (Best 2010). Children’s gender role concepts are closely tied to their developing cognitive abilities, but socialization influences help to explain individual differences in children’s knowledge of and flexibility vis-à-vis gender role stereotypes, gender role attitudes, and sex-typed interests and preferences. By modeling more or less traditional roles and attitudes and encouraging or discouraging sex-typed activities in their children, parents influence their children’s sex role socialization (McHale, Crouter, and Tucker