The contributions of the Whitings to the study of the socialization of gender

The Six Culture Study and the additional New Samples were the first studies to systematically examine the role of culture in the development of gender differences. Observations of children in their natural environments demonstrated the influential roles of parents, siblings, peers, task assignment, and the environmental setting in determining the course of gender-related learning. Relations between children's experiences and the development of later social behaviors were clarified by examination of differences between cultural groups. Although sometimes not recognized as legacies of this research, many of the culturally determined aspects of socialization revealed in these studies have been incorporated into current research and theory of gender development.