Abstract

Early childhood is an especially important period for children’s acquisition of gender related attitudes and beliefs. For boys, fathers serve as one of the primary social influences through which they learn about common gender stereotypes, including gender-typical and cross-gender play (Freeman, 2007). The current qualitative study was conducted with six boys (ages 4-6) and their fathers (ages 34-37), where fathers were first asked to complete an adapted version of the Child-Rearing Sex-Role Attitude Scale, which assessed their attitudes and beliefs about gender related toys, activities, and behaviors. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the father-son pairs, or with the boys alone, where they participated in a series of toy-preference activities. Descriptive coding and content analysis were used to analyze the responses boys provided for their choices of toys. Responses indicated that boys have a more stereotyped definition of “girl toys” than they do of “boy toys”. Fathers’ self-described beliefs reported on the Sex-Role Attitude Scale were similarly reflected in their behaviours and comments during the interviews with their sons. The father-son dynamic, including father and sons’ responses to instances of gender non-conformity are discussed.