Sex-Related Comparisons: Theory 151
role; that is, men are more likely than women
to be punished for being homosexual.
Aggression is a behavior that is more
likely to be reinforced in males than females—
by parents, teachers, and peers (Feshbach,
1989). Parents may overtly encourage aggres-
sion by telling their sons it is okay to fight with
other children as a way to settle arguments.
Some parents encourage aggression in subtle
ways; they verbally declare that fighting is not
appropriate, but at the same time, they beam
with pride when their child emerges as the
victor of a fight. Teachers inadvertently en-
courage aggression in boys more than girls by
reacting more strongly to aggressive behavior
in boys than girls. This attention—whether
positive or negative—is reinforcing in and of
itself. Aggressive behavior is more likely to de-
crease when it is ignored by teachers and peers.
imagine a boy playing with a doll; a parent
may ignore the behavior, take the doll away,
frown, or even scold the boy and say, “Only
girls play with dolls!” Consequences, however,
do not actually have to occur to influence be-
havior; the child may infer that a consequence
is likely to occur. For example, boys do not
have to wear eye shadow and lipstick to learn
that the consequences will be negative.
We are less tolerant of and more likely
to punish cross-sex behavior among boys than
among girls. We do not mind if women wear
ties or suits, but we mind if men wear dresses;
we do not mind if daughters are athletic, but we
are less enthusiastic about sons who are grace-
ful; we are even less tolerant of attraction to a
member of the same sex in men than in women.
Homosexuality is viewed as a greater violation
of the male gender role than the female gender
FIGURE 5.5 Cartoon illustrating parents reinforcing toughness in boys.
Source:JUMP START © Robb Armstrong. Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS.
Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.
