Much of the work on body image socialization masks the potentially unique influence of different socializers, yet clearer understanding of socialization mechanisms and ideological context aid intervention efforts. We explored how fathers, female peers, male peers, and adolescent boys themselves produce different levels of internalized…

Although the school constitutes a key cultural arena for the production and reproduction of gender identities, few studies have addressed gender discourse in educational institutions in developing societies. Such studies are especially sparse in Arab society in Israel. This study goes some way to addressing what is often absent from many…

Why might intelligent, assertive females overlook sweet, caring guys, choosing instead to date males whose traditional masculinity makes them popular with other powerful males but who treat females and "weaker" males poorly? This lesson provides a structure for, reflection on, and critique of contemporary gender stereotypes. Students…

Several authors have recently investigated the psychological aspects that play a determinant role in choral singing during adolescence. One of these aspects is vocal identity, which influences the construction of gender identity according to adolescents' needs and societal gender roles. This article focuses on gender aspects of vocal identity…

In this article we investigate college-age women's body image issues in the context of dominant femininity and its polarization of the mind and body. We use original data collected through seven in-depth interviews and 32 qualitative written interviews with college-age women and men. We coded the data thematically applying feminist approaches to…

The biological basis for differences between the sexes has become increasingly clear in recent years. The nature-nurture debate has made way for the view that the individual is a product of the interaction between genes and environment. For the world of school leadership this means that instead of arguing about them, we should acknowledge the…

The current study empirically examined predictors of level of voice (ethnicity, attachment, and gender role socialization) in a diverse sample of 108 14-year-old girls. Structural equation modeling results indicated that parental attachment predicted level of voice with authority figures, and gender role socialization predicted level of voice with…

This article addresses children's sibling relationships as a site of social learning involving the (re)production of femininity and masculinity, drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews with children aged 8-12. We begin by noting the lack of focus on gender in the majority of previous work on siblings. After introducing our own study, we look at…

Interviews with British boys in years five through eight form the basis of a suggestion that the formation of sexual identity as something biologically or psychologically fixed in early childhood should be rethought. Sociocultural practices and relationships with school, home, and society have significant effects on formation of sexual identity.…

More than any other recent social theorist, constructing a disquisition on Butler's ideas draws the writer into speculating on the formation of their own intellectual grammar, perhaps to confront the disconcerting truth of how often their own cherished analytical rationality is broken up by glimpses into the imagination of more provocative…

In this study, the authors examined the extent to which maternal and paternal parenting styles, cognitions, and behaviors were associated with young girls' and boys' more compassionate (prototypically feminine) and more agentic (prototypically masculine) prosocial behaviors with peers. Parents of 133 preschool-aged children reported on their…

This paper examines how collective masculinities, mobilized around violence, aggression and negative constructions of 'femininity', might be understood from perspectives that draw on humanist tenets of identity construction, on the one hand, and poststructural tenets, on the other. The paper presents a narrative from a study into boys' peer…

This study involved the investigation of sport role models for adolescent girls in Australia. Initially, a theoretical perspective is presented based on social learning and gender theory. Then, using quantitative and qualitative data obtained through two focus group interviews and a survey (n = 357) conducted at two Sydney high schools, the…

Presents a study of language, attitudes, and change in masculinity in two groups of Australian men. Claims that schools act as agents in constructing gender definitions. Cites a report finding that gender stereotypes abound in textbooks; career counseling; and teacher expectations. Argues that males are advantaged by this and will resist change.…

Highlights the impact of recent state and employment changes upon the young British working class in vocational training. Argues that the displacement of work by vocational training is creating new and contradictory formations of masculine identities. Focuses on a group of low-achieving, white, working-class males' responses to this new context.…