幼児期における「ジェンダー形成」再考 : 相互作用場面にみる権力関係の分析より  [in Japanese] Reconsidering "Gender Identity Formation" during Early Childhood : An Analysis of Power Relations during Interaction  [in Japanese]

The purpose of this article is to reconsider gender identity formation in young children by analyzing their interactions during children's activities. In the literature on "gender and education" studies in educational sociology, the assumptions of "internalization" and "gender dichotomy" are generally considered to be applicable to studies on early childhood ; however it is the position of this paper that these assumptions need to be reconsidered. This study focuses on gender-related power relations among young children. Observational research on preschool children was conducted at a private kindergarten in the Chugoku district of Japan, from September 1998 to March 1999. Eighty-two preschool children (age 3-5 years) were observed in the kindergarten. Additional observations were conducted at the same kindergarten and two additional childcare centers in the Kyushu district of Japan from 2000 to 2001. A gender dichotomy was found in the following aspects of children's interaction : (1) Children thought that stereotypical tastes were also greatly gender-differentiated (for example many boys preferred the color blue and TV cartoon heroes, while many girls preferred the color red and 'cute' characters, e.g. 'Kitty-chan'). In addition, when the children reenacted heterosexual ritual behavior (e.g. weddings), they adhered to gender specific roles. (2) Children actively negotiated with each other in terms of gender. They also evaluated appropriate behavior according to gender standards. Furthermore, they constructed a social order using gender, displaying "hegemonic masculinity." (3) Girls crossed gender-defined behavior more easily than did boys. Based on these findings, it was concluded that children actively participate in their own gender identity formation, in addition to being socialized into these roles. The process of gender identity formation involves negotiation with the social world, and is influenced by the mass media.