Gender Gender Schema Definition of Terms
This explanation shows that experiences have strong influence to boys and girls‟ attitudes and beliefs. The attitudes and beliefs are related to their roles in the
society, especially to the access to get education equally. Martin Halverson 1981 states that gender schemas are interrelated
networks of mental associations representing information about the sexes. Schemas are not passive copies of the environment, but instead they are active
constructions, prone to errors and distortions. Two types of schemas are initially formulated as the superordinate schema and the own-sex schema. The
superordinate schema contains listlike information about the sexes. The own-sex schema is defined as a narrow schema containing detailed action plans for self-
relevant information as cited in Lamb, 2015. Golombok 2002 states that gender schemas refer to organized bodies of
knowledge about gender, and are functionally similar to gender stereotypes. Gender schemas influence the way we perceive and remember information about
everything around us. As a result, we pay greater attention and are more likely to remember information that is in line with our gender schemas than the opposing
information p. 130. This gender schema has a relation to gender stereotypes and it influences our way of thinking towards everything around us.
Valian 2005 assumes that one way that gender schemas affect women is in women‟s perception of themselves as worth less and entitled to less. The
schemas conversely affect men by leading them to see themselves as worth more and entitled to more. Also, through the chores they are given to do in childhood,
w omen become accustomed to act for others‟ good and to labor for love; while
men become accustomed to be recompensed for their labors p.205. The core content of the psychological gender schemas for females does not logically entail
any of the beliefs making up hostile or benevolent sexism. The content of gender schemas can be used to shore up hostile and benevolent sexism, but it does not
imply any form of sexism. Even individuals whose explicit beliefs are not hostilely or benevolently sexist are subject to gender schemas p.200.