Does gender-inclusive parenting impact child development?
Between the ages of 2-5, children will start learning and picking up the differences between genders and their roles in society. You can expect to get questions about gender roles, and stereotypes from your child as they are getting exposed and trying to learn the difference. Questions like, “Are girls stronger than boys?” or “If he is a boy, why does he have long hair?”.
During this developmental stage, kids are observing the world around them and reading “gender scripts” or what society is teaching them about what it means to be a boy or a girl or something in between. They are also trying out the things that they like best (clothing, toys, movies or shows, etc.) and learning if this is accepted or not in their family, at their school, and with their friends.
Around this time is also when children will start labeling themselves with one gender or the other. How you approach parenting during this stage will affect how they perceive gender and gender stereotypes later on in life.
Children that were raised in an inclusive environment will typically grow up to be more open and accepting of themselves and their peers who may have identities outside the binary. They will be more gender inclusive in their language, and actions and more likely to be accepting of their peers who are transgender or gender diverse.