Teaching gender identity to children disrupts two
well-recognised developmental stages
Ages 5-7
The ‘sex constancy’ stage of
cognitive development
Adolescence
The ‘Identity formation’ stage of psychosocial development
Ages 5-7: Disruption of ‘sex constancy’ cognitive development stage
Children develop a sense of sex constancy at around the age of 6 or 71 (but can be delayed in children with Autism).
Sex constancy is the cognitive stage of development at which children come to understand that their sex is fixed and can’t change over time (ie a boy will grow up to be a man and this cannot change even if he wears a dress).
Prior to reaching sex constancy children do not have the cognitive ability to understand the interplay between concepts of gender and biological sex.
Teaching gender identity to children creates confusion and risks disrupting their cognitive development.
Adolescence: Disruption of ‘identity formation’ psychosocial development stage
During adolescence a child’s central challenge is identity formation2, with teenagers commonly exploring a wide variety of identities.
Teaching and promoting gender identity to children during adolescence risks hijacking this normal developmental stage. Unlike other identities that teens might explore (eg goth, nerd, etc), the concept of a transgender identity, brings with it the potential for irreversible medical interventions as well as far-reaching social and psychological consequences.
Many children experience a natural detaching from their parents as they undergo the process of identity development. The teaching of gender identity during this period with messages such as “only you can know your gender identity” and the suggestion that people who don’t embrace your new gender identity are ‘unsafe’ can alienate children from their parents at a pivotal stage of development.
Teaching gender identity as fact rather than a belief system also disrupts the critical need for adolescents to learn to respect differences in beliefs and views. This is a fundamental part of healthy adolescent development.