THE RESEARCH OF PARENTS’ PREFERENCES IN UPBRINGING BOYS AND GIRLS

The paper deals with the issue of bringing up boys and girls in the family environment. At the end of the 20th century, a lot of controversies arose on the issue of bringing up boys and girls both in psychological and pedagogical and in parental circles when numerous studies were conducted on gender issues and the gender aspect of personality formation. The aim of the research is to analyze the psychological gender aspects, such as feminity, masculinity, androgyny, and parents’ preferences in raising boys and girls and the development of their value system. The authors research parents’ preferences in developing character and personality of boys and girls. The data which they got as a result of their experiment are analyzed. The sample includes 44 people (22 couples). Milton Rokeach’s and Sandra Bem’s tests were used in the research. The hypothesis of the research is the following: gender aspect of family education is characterized by the difference in developing feminine and masculine features, wherever developing of value system is the same with boys and girls from the parents’ perspective. The first part of the hypothesis was partly proved by the research. Out of 20 masculine features, only 5 are set out as statistically approved, they are assertiveness, strength, authority, masculinity, and competitiveness. Out of 20 feminine features, only 5 are statistically approved, they are the ability to trust, femininity, softness, cordiality, and attractiveness. The other features are not statistically meaningful. The second part of the hypothesis was proved totally: according to parents’ preferences, the process of value system development is the same within boys and girls.