Gender/sex: Shaping identity in infancy and early childhood

Abstract

The origins of gender/sex identity in toddlers are poorly understood. In this chapter, we present a framework for envisioning some of the processes underlying gender/sex development. We hope to guide researchers into new experimental designs and to provide practical information for those who work directly with infants, children, and their parents. We start by offering some historical context. We then define terms and present the theoretical challenge of developing a theory that explains how infants move from a dyadic intersubjectivity during infancy, to become individual subjects between ages two and three years. After discussing selected empirical research on the development of gender/sex identity in infants and children, we close by highlighting recent research that uses innovative tools designed to examine gender/sex identity development in greater complexity than heretofore. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.