Gender is one of the most important organizers of social life, from the cradle to the grave. In the family context gender shapes biological, social, and cognitive processes at both the parent and... Show moreGender is one of the most important organizers of social life, from the cradle to the grave. In the family context gender shapes biological, social, and cognitive processes at both the parent and child level. The general aim of the studies presented in this dissertation is to provide more insight into the role of child gender, parent gender, and sibling gender composition in the socio-emotional development of children. In Chapter 2 the extent to which mothers and fathers use differential control strategies with their sons and daughters is examined meta-analytically. Chapter 3 reports on the implicit gender stereotypes of preschoolers and their parents. Chapter 4 focuses on our newly developed picture book, designed to elicit parental statements about gender. Mothers’ and fathers’ gender talk towards their young sons and daughters are examined. In Chapter 5 a moderated mediation model is tested in which the link from child gender, via parental physical discipline, to child aggressive behavior a year later, is moderated by parents’ gender stereotypes. Chapter 6 presents a literature review on gender-related processes in the family context and the newly developed Gendered Family Process model. In Chapter 7 the main findings of these studies are integrated and discussed. Show less
