GENDER ROLES, MORAL ROLES, AND SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE 2

Diverse gender identities have been pathologized for many years. Sexual minority
persons such as those identifying as transgender, homosexuals, and lesbians have historically
been regarded as disordered. Diverse gender identities such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender (LGBT) have lived marginalized lives for decades, with trouble being accepted by
families and living with a constant threat of discrimination, unemployment, and living private
lives. However, several years later, and with revisions to the DSM categorizations, a lot has
changed. LGBT communities are no longer categorized as a disorder, and therapists no longer try
to provide support in changing these people to embrace heterosexuality. This paper explains the
influence of acceptance and parenting styles on the gender identity of a child, changes made on
gender in the DSM revisions, and the overall relationship between society and gender.
The revised edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-
5) revised the DSM-IV’s criteria for gender identity disorder. In the new categorization, people
who identify with a gender contrary to the one at birth will be diagnosed with gender dysphoria
(Bento, 2018). The revision was aimed to better characterize the experiences of adults,
adolescents, and children. First, the name of the psychological distress involving ender was
changed from gender identity disorder to gender dysphoria. The revisions also made more
changes on how diagnostics are to be done. The criteria for diagnosis are designed depending on
one’s age or stage of life: childhood, teenage, and adulthood. The criteria are different depending
on an individual’s stage of life.
When dealing with a child, a diagnosis for gender dysphoria can only be made if they
meet the given criteria. According to DSM-5, the child shows a strong desire to fit or identify

GENDER ROLES, MORAL ROLES, AND SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE 3
with different gender, strongly prefers playing with pairs of another gender, and strongly prefers
cross-dressing (Bento, 2018). The criteria for adults and adolescents include a strong preference
or desire to belong to a different gender other than the one identified at birth, a strong desire for
the secondary and primary sexual features of an alternative gender, and a strong conviction that
they have reactions and feelings that are typical of a different gender other than the one identified
at birth.
Revisions in DSM-V are based and supported by the understanding that gender identity is
not strictly defined by a specific biological structure. This explains why DSM-III and DSM-IV
characterized gender identity on the basis that it was founded in dimorphic structures of a
peoples’ sexual bodies hence the psychiatrization (Gender Dysphoria, 2021). DSM-V
acknowledges that women with a male sexual organ and men with a female sexual organ can and
do exist (Bento, 2018). The push to widen the scope and even change the name ‘gender identity
disorder’ was necessary because it was said to produce stigma. Gender identity disorder was seen
as a stigmatizing term. There were suggestions to change the name to gender incongruence, but
later on, they settled on gender dysphoria.
The changes were necessary so that society can stop pathologizing a minority community
and interfere even with the acceptance of these groups (Lev, 2013). Parenting styles have
undergone a significant metamorphosis in the past five decades. According to Albert Bandura’s
social learning theory, parents model gender stereotypes and reinforce gender-stereotypical
behaviors in their children through their own occupations, behaviors, and interests (Lev, 2013).
Evidence shows that parents treat children differently based on their genders. They buy them
gender-specific toys, dress them in gender-specific colors, and encourage same-gender behaviors
while discouraging cross-gender behaviors. They thus consciously and unconsciously seer their

GENDER ROLES, MORAL ROLES, AND SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE 4
children’s gender identities. Girls are most likely to behave like girls because that is what is
accepted at home, and the same case applies to boys.
Gender-differentiated parenting directly affects children’s gender identities. According to
gender schema theory, children learn stereotypes associated with gender and experiences in an
independent gender schema. The way in which children process gender-related information
depends on their exposure to gender-typed associations, and this is likely to lead to biased
behavior in the future. Parental gender schemas are thus reflected in children. They influence the
attitudes that children have about gender. It is evident that parents provide their children with the
first lessons on gender and other aspects of life during their first years of development (Leaper &
Farkas, 2015). When a child is firstborn, the first question asked is on the gender of the child.
Most people are interested in knowing whether it is a boy or a girl. The gender of a child then
becomes a powerful tool that is used to define their social identity.
Studies have found that parents and caregivers are biased in their choice of parenting
styles. The gender of a child influences the parenting style chosen by the parent. Authoritarian
parenting is mostly used for boys compared to girls. Parents have a belief that boys require
physical punishment to mold their behavior. Girls, on the other hand, are given more reasoning.
The choice of parenting styles may be based on the gender role stereotype that boys are resilient
and thus require physical discipline to mold their behavior positively. Also, according to Power
(2013), girls are soft and sensitive and should thus be raised in a more affectionate manner
compared to boys. This explains why girls are more like to receive paternal psychological
control as a way of molding and altering their behavior as opposed to physical punishment. Such
beliefs on parenting styles were more common in the 1950s. Over time, parenting styles have
changed. Parents have become more accommodating of their children. In the 1950s, parents

GENDER ROLES, MORAL ROLES, AND SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE 5
influenced their children, and the influence was one way. The authoritarian parenting style was
more common. However, over time, parents have adopted a more neutral and diluted
authoritarian parenting approach where the influence is two-way. Both parents and children
influence each other’s beliefs, attitudes, and ways of life.
Parenting in the 1950s was generally different from how it is today in many ways.
Parents in the 1950s controlled what their children did and how they behaved. The rule was
simple then, children did what they were told to do, and they did not question. Most children
were raised by both parents. Divorced, separated, and single parenting was not a common
phenomenon. However, the case is different in today’s world. Rates of divorce and separation
are high. Cases of single parenthood are common. Also, society now accepts gay marriages, and
this has led to anew dynamic in parenting. Children are being raised by lesbian parents, gay
parents, single, divorced, and even separated parents. Parenting structures have significantly
changed, and this has definitely changed how children develop their identities as well as their
general perception of parenting and marriage.
Such changes in society’s ideals could have necessitated a revision in DSM-V, changing
the name of gender identity disorder to gender dysphoria. While the former name produced
stigma and categorized diversities in gender as disordered, the pathologizing of gender variations
have changed in today’s society. People’s acceptance of diverse genders has increased. Gay
marriages are now legal. Parents are also accepting transgender children, and society has greatly
changed its attitudes towards minority sexual identities. Gender roles rely on the varying
expectations that people have of others based on their sex, values within society, and beliefs
about gender. In the 1950s, gender roles were clear. There were roles specifically for men and
others specifically for boys (Blackstone, 2003). However, society today has widely accepted

GENDER ROLES, MORAL ROLES, AND SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE 6
varied gender roles. Girls are not expected to behave in a certain way simply because of their
sex, and the same case applies to boys. Although some communities still hold onto traditional
views of gender roles, most modern societies have become more complacent.
Overall, individuals are allowed the autonomy to associate with different roles regardless
of their biological characteristics. This has ensured that people are not tied to specific roles not
because they are passionate about them but simply based on the gender that was identified at
birth. Changes in attitudes towards gender within society have influenced changes in the world
of science. This explains the basis of the revisions that have been made over the years in the
DSM categorizations. Today, there is gender dysphoria and not gender identity disorder because
diverse genders are now acceptable.

GENDER ROLES, MORAL ROLES, AND SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE 7

References

Bento, B. (2018). The review process of the DSM 5: is gender a cultural or diagnostic
category. Sociol Int J, 2(3), 205-213.
Blackstone, A. M. (2003). Gender roles and society.
Gender Dysphoria. (2021). Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 March 2021, from
https://web.archive.org/web/20150829003822/http://www.dsm5.org/documents/gender%20dysp
horia%20fact%20sheet.pdf
Leaper, C., & Farkas, T. (2015). The socialization of gender during childhood and adolescence.
Lev, A. I. (2013). Gender dysphoria: Two steps forward, one step back. Clinical Social Work
Journal, 41(3), 288-296. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1007/s10615-013-
0447-0
Power, T. G. (2013). Parenting dimensions and styles: a brief history and recommendations for
future research. Childhood Obesity, 9(s1), S-14.