Organized sets of beliefs about the characteristics associated with one’s own sex. According to gender schema theory, originally formulated by Sandra L. Bem in 1981, there are two levels of schemata that concern such beliefs. One is the superordinate schema that is the repository for stereotypes that children and adults have about the defining characteristics of each sex. It includes, for example, of information about such characteristics such that boys are better at things mechanical. Subordinated to this is the own-zex schema that is more specific and more detailed in terms of culturally sex-appropiate behavior. As such, it contains scripts and action plans for such behavior (e.g., children’s belief that boys will better at repairing cars). One view is that the superordinate schema provides the building blocks upon which own-sex schema develop. Another is that the relationship is not hierarchical, but that the two schemata bidirectionally interact with each other during development. If there is something like an own-sex schema, then one can posit an other-sex schema: one containing action plans and scripts for behaviors appropriate to the other sex.
See Action theory, Gender identity, Sex, Schema