Chapter 5

Question 1

Summarise the gender roles of adolescent girls in traditional cultures, including how gender expectations change from middle childhood to adolescence.

Answer 1

In traditional cultures, gender roles tend to be sharply divided, and during adolescence boys’ and girls’ daily lives are often separate. Girls spend their time with adult women learning skills important for child care and running a household. From middle childhood to adolescence, the freedom of girls often become restricted, in order to protect them from boys and avoid the possibility of sexual activity.