Multidimensional Gender Identity and Psychological Adjustment in Middle Childhood: A Study in China

This study examined the multiple components of gender identity (Egan and Perry 2001) and their relationships with psychological adjustment among 201 boys and 160 girls (aged 9 to 12 years) in Mainland China. Boys were found to be more content about their gender but feel more pressure to conform to gender stereotypes than girls. No gender or age differences were found in children’s intergroup bias. Higher gender typicality was related to greater global self-worth, greater social competence, and lower sense of loneliness. However, neither felt pressure nor gender contentment significantly predicted psychological adjustment. These results were compared with findings of previous United States-based studies to highlight the impacts of cultural contexts on gender identity and their effects on adjustment.