What is man and what is a woman: social represetations about gender roles in a group of children between 8 an 11 years old from yopal, casanare (colombia)

Abstract

Gender is a subject that has gained interest in the academic field given the considerable influence it has on the development of individuals and society. In the Department of Casanare (Colombia) it is evident how relationships based on stereotypes and prejudices about feminine and masculine gender are maintained, for which the present investigation seeks to understand the social representations of gender roles in boys and girls in the municipality of Yopal. Through qualitative research of the type of social representations, an in-depth interview was applied to 15 boys and girls from 8 to 11 years old, from the urban area of the municipality of Yopal. Finding as a result that the cultural and family transmission of gender stereotypes is maintained, assigning specific roles and tasks for each one, generating that boys and girls establish interpersonal relationships based on them. Analyzing the results considering Bronbrenfenner's Ecological theory of systems, the relationship with the microsystem and macrosystem is appreciated, which has a great influence on the construction of social representations of gender roles during childhood. It is concluded that the participants have specific ideas about the gender roles that influence their way of behaving and interacting.