Boys' and girls' perceptions of parental discipline in transgression situations

✍ Scribed by Emma Sorbring; Margaretha Rödholm-Funnemark; Kerstin Palmérus

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2002
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 141 KB
• Volume: 12
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1522-7227
• DOI: 10.1002/icd.265

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Children's perceptions of parental discipline methods and their perceptions of child gender differences in their parents' choices of discipline methods were assessed. One hundred and seventy 8‐year‐old children (78 boys, 92 girls) in two‐parent families were asked about disciplinary behaviour in five transgression situations. The results pointed to gender differences when the children were talking about themselves. Boys believed that they would receive more physical punishment, milder requests and less induction than girls. Children also indicated that their parents would choose a different response if they (themselves) were of the other sex. Both boys and girls reported that their parents would treat boys more severely than they would girls. The results showed that the responses of those children with a sibling of the other sex did not reveal any gender‐differentiated experience of their parents' discipline strategies. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.