Constructing gender in Childhood: living in a family or in an institution

Abstract

This investigation attempted to clarify whether the social construction of gender in a family is performed in a similar way to the social construction of gender in institutionalized childhood. The research was carried out among a sample group of 50 people; 20 of whom were caregivers who work in a foster home. The other members of the sample group belonged to families with young children who had similar ages to those of the children in the foster home in Cáceres. The instrument used for collecting information was the Bem Sex Role Inventory. Although the members of the sample group in this research are adults, the focus is on childhood. Accordingly, the purpose of the inventory was not to obtain a self-description of the person, as was intended in the original, but focused on the children. The results show that the parents are closer to the androgynous model, while the caregivers tend more towards the feminine one.