One point of interest regarding these differing expectations is the way gender-role transgressions are viewed. H owever, there are two theories that have been proposed as explanation regarding why the gender-role transgression of boys is so serious. The sexual orientation hypothesis which is based on the belief that cross-gender behavior in males is indicative of sexual orientation specifically signaling that a male is homosexual. A ll these ideas regarding cross-gender behavior as indicative of sexual orientation are not well supported except for circumstantial and individual experience that is generalized to all people. F irst, a schema is the organization of a concept into a representational whole.
Children learn by creating schemata in order to understand their world.
Gender is no doubt a salient concept in our society and a concept that is introduced to a child from the time of birth. Most hospitals enforce this schema by putting a pink hat on the female infants and a blue hat on the male infants. B em gives several well thought out suggestions for raising an aschematic child, a child who does not use gender as a determinant for characteristics and roles other than biological sex and reproduction. Stress female and male as categories that are only definitive by biology, i.e., reproductive roles, and teach the categories of female and male as descriptors in only this context. Teaching children this at a young age will create flexibility in their gender schemata.