“Child Development and Gender Roles across Cultures”

New Canaan Library’s One Book read, Euphoria, is a fictional account of anthropologist Margaret Mead’s early studies and life. Mead was a true pioneer in the study of child development and gender identity and to explore that aspect New Canaan Library is pleased to present a talk by Dr. Anna Gottlieb, professor of anthropology. Dr. Gottlieb will speak on the topic “Child Development and Gender Roles Across Cultures” on Wednesday, March 22 at 6:30 p.m. in the Adrian Lamb Room. Please register online at newcanaanlibrary.org.
A great deal of what Mead proposed in the early days of her career about the social nature of gender roles vs. the supposedly innate masculine and feminine traits observed by scientists at the turn of the 20th century remains relevant to this day. Dr. Gottlieb will expand on the concept of learned vs. innate gender traits in her discussion, focusing on the impact that child rearing customs across cultures have on gender identity.