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Document Type

Article

Abstract

This study examines children’s early gender-role development in three Hutterite communities by using a middle-voiced theoretical approach. The results indicate that gender-role related interactions between adults and children in the everyday context are a complex and intertwined process. Even though the Hutterite adults were very intense in gender-role socialization (as evidenced in their initiating more gender-role related interactions than other types of interactions, their frequently responding to children’s gender-role initiations, their taking more turns in gender–role related interactions, and their frequently elaborating on children’s gender-role initiations), they could not completely control the direction of gender-role interactions. In fact, most of the gender-role related interactions between the adults and the children departed from their original themes and were carried on by the circumstance of the interaction process. This study suggests that when examining gender-role development, we need to focus on the process rather than on either the adults or children.