Advancing Theory and Method Through an Analysis of Dyadic Child-Parent Survey Responses of Gender

• In Event: 30611 - Regular Session on Gender: Femininities and Masculinities

Abstract

A rich body of qualitative research has been conducted to theorize and study child-parent dynamics in the construction of gender (e.g., Robinson and Stone 2023; Ocampo 2013; Moore 2011; Acosta 2008). For example, Kane found that parents of young children routinely find themselves “producing and resisting gendered patterns” (2012:17). Relatively less attention, however, has been paid to these dynamics using quantitative methods. This paper aims to help address this empirical gap by presenting results from a recent nationally representative survey that explored the use of parent “proxy” reporting to collect data on their child’s gender identity (e.g., girl, boy, transgender/nonbinary) and expression (e.g., degree of femininity and masculinity). In 2021, a total of 279 adolescents age 13-17 and their parents were surveyed using AmeriSpeak®, a probability-based household survey panel operated by NORC at the University of Chicago. The study included a self-administered parent survey and a separate, self-administered adolescent survey which were paired to achieve dyadic interviews. The parent sample included 65.0% mothers and 35.0% fathers. The adolescent sample included 49.9% cisgender boys, 44.4% cisgender girls, and 5.5% transgender/nonbinary adolescents. Parent reports of their child’s gender were assessed by data quality indicators of concordance with the child’s report, concurrent validity, and reliability. Broadly, parents were more likely than their teen to report normative gender identity and expression (i.e., being cisgender, exclusively masculine or exclusively feminine). Only one in four transgender/nonbinary youth had a parent whose report affirmed their gender identity. Results are considered in terms of their methodological and theoretical implications. That is, are parents reliable “proxy” reporters of their child’s gender in survey research? What insights do these data provide regarding the accomplishment of gender embedded in child-parent relationships? And what inequalities do “discordant” child-parent data reveal for gender minority youth?

Author

• Christopher Hansen, University of Illinois-Chicago