性行為的發展

性行為的發展阶段: 嬰幼兒期的性行為發展階段

性別角色行為的發展

就性別角色的含義方面來說，“性行為”的措辭可以限定性地用於嬰幼兒期。性別角色行為即表達（兒童的）女性特徵或男性特徵的行為。

嬰兒剛一出生，即刻要麼被當作女孩要麼被當作男孩，而且這種區分有深遠的重大意義。寶寶的名字和衣物顏色會確立（他們的）性別角色，而且由監護的成人所示範的習慣性的行為然而就會確認、穩定和純化。（不同的文化體系使用不同的性別角色象徵的名字和衣物顏色，隨著時間的推移，在同一個文化體系裏，也會有所改變。無論如何，這種區別的細節並不比區別本身來得緊要。）在生命的早期幾年裏，所期待的和所暗示的性別角色差異可能仍然微乎其微和並不顯著，但是，隨著孩子的不斷長大，這些差異便會逐漸顯現和明晰可辨。（至於嬰兒出生時即刻的性別確定例外的情形，請參見中間性。）

女嬰（baby girl）                      與                      男嬰（baby boy）

Stages of Development: Infancy

Gender Role Behavior

The expression “sexual behavior” can definitely be applied to infants in the sense of gender role behavior, i.e. behavior that expresses the child’s feminine or masculine character.
At birth, every child is immediately identified as either a girl or a boy, and this has far-reaching consequences. The baby’s first name and color of clothing establish the gender role, and the reactions shown by the attending adults then confirm, stabilize, and refine it. (Different cultures use different gender-typical names and colors, and, over time, there may also be changes within the same culture. In any case, the details of the distinction do not matter as much as the distinction itself.) In the first years of life, the expected and suggested gender role differences may still be subtle and unobtrusive, but they are there and will become more pronounced as the child grows older. (For exceptions to an immediate determination of sex at birth, see “Intersexuality”.)