The document discusses how family communication shapes children's understanding of gender. It notes that family is usually the first source of information about gender roles and one of the most influential. The "nuclear family" model of two opposite-gender parents and their biological children is examined, along with common gender stereotypes of women as homemakers and men as breadwinners. The document also looks at how other social institutions can reinforce these roles and how children observe and model their parents' behaviors from a young age.