The article deals with the main role of gender socialization in the formation of
gender identity. In some literatures, “the gender research” only refers to feminist
researches on women's issues, but in fact, gender researches primarily refer to the
study of the socio-psychological and socio-cultural characteristics of the genders.
The definition of gender roles is not only based on biological factors, but mainly on
gender identity.
The family is the most important factor in the emergence of gender identity.
Parents, who are the followers of a patriarchal society, keep their daughters under
more protection, in comparison, give their sons more freedom, and raise them to be
more economically independent. One of the factors making bad impact on the gender
socialization of the sexes is the recent practice of same-sex marriage and adoption in
some European countries. Education and differences in gender role division also play
a key role in the formation of gender identity. While most women study in the
humanities, men usually focus on managemental fields of education. We generally
observe a high percentage of men in leadership, decision-making and ruling
positions.
If only biological differences between the sexes were sufficient to determine
gender identity, then there would be no transgender people, transvestites in society,
and there would be a barrier between the two sexes, the female and the male. Thus,
the psychological structure of the personality and gender identity is formed first
through the family, then through education and, more recently, through the media.