Understanding Gender in More Depth is Critical

In his book Why Gender Matters, Dr. Leonard Sax states, “The failure to recognize and respect sex differences in child development has had the unintended result of reinforcing gender stereotypes.” According to Dr. Sax, trying to understand a child without understanding the role of gender in child development is like trying to understand a child’s behavior without knowing the child’s age.” Honestly, most people don’t understand this research. I wish I knew more of it when I was giving birth to and raising my own children!

For this reason, I created an online course available through Utah State University Extension called “Understanding Gender: An In-depth Exploration” to explain the differences between genders and why those differences matter. The course is composed of three hour-long modules, and each section provides an opportunity for the learner to reflect on how this knowledge can positively impact work with children, youth, and young adults.

Module 1: “Understanding Gender” begins with a discussion of gender versus sex and continues with an analysis of the differences between genders in terms of the brain, touch, sight, sound, smell, and communication.

Module 2: “Understanding Differences” explores 1) how girls and boys experience risk and aggression, 2) the impacts of social media, 3) confidence in girls and empathy in boys, and 4) gender issues in race, ethnicity, and culture.

Module 3: “Building Girls and Boys into Healthy Adults” dives deeper into the significance of gender differences by discussing 1) how hormones influence girls and boys, 2) the influence of respect and friendship, 3) the effects of bullying and violence, 4) risk factors in home environments, and 5) the dangers of substance abuse.

Each topic is broken down into chunks of information that are easy to comprehend and easily relatable. If we understand these basic differences between male and female, we can find methods that work for both and experience improved relationships and communication. These are all very timely discussions with fascinating research, and although each one of these topics has enough research to be its very own module, I only touch on some key concepts and research to help spark your thoughts and creativity.

Overall, I focus on why gender is something to be considered in our roles, and I provide an understanding and awareness of what differences gender creates and how we can impact and influence the learning process by understanding these differences.

The bottom line is this: Understanding gender can make a difference in our unique and ever-changing communities today and in the future – whether you are interacting with youth at home, in their schools, or in the community. ?I encourage you to do this course as it will make a difference in raising girls and boys to be leaders.

Prof./Dr. Susan R. Madsen is a global thought leader, author, speaker, and scholar on the topic of women and leadership. She is also the Inaugural Karen Haight Huntsman Endowed Professor of Leadership in the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University and the Founding Director of the Utah Women & Leadership Project. Thanks to Angie Kleven for her work on this article and the curriculum!