In 1930s, anthropologist M. Meade studied the human behavior of three primitive tribes in New Guinea, and based on this, he wrote the book Gender and Character in Three Primitive Communities (1935).
She compares the different behaviors and personality characteristics of men and women in these three tribes in detail, and draws the conclusion that there is no necessary connection between personality characteristics and physiological characteristics of men and women. The characteristics of gender roles are not innate, but formed through systematic gender role socialization in different cultures.
Children's gender role socialization begins at home. Its mechanism is gender expectation, gender identity and imitation. In fact, from the birth of a baby, parents cultivate and educate him/her in different ways according to his/her gender.
For example, there are different requirements for dressing, toys, ways of speaking and behavior. Children themselves show gender identity, that is, girls imitate their mothers and boys imitate their fathers.
After children enter school age, in family, school and society, generally speaking, the role difference between the two sexes has been strengthened in many aspects; Not only do teachers have different requirements and contents for students of different genders' expectations for further studies, extracurricular activities and physical exercise programs, but students' textbooks also show different expectations for men and women.
Mass communication tools also have an important influence on the socialization of male and female roles, and most of them emphasize the traditional norms of gender roles, so that audiences and readers can consciously or unconsciously accept and act accordingly.