I think situations where parents “pressure” their children into being transgender are likely quite rare, but I wouldn’t say it’s impossible. A Munchausen by proxy-like situation is entirely possible. MBP isn’t that common but it is also usually very hard to detect. For example, one problem is it can be hard to tell if a parent is just a hypochondriac. One statistic states 0.4/100,000 documented cases in children under 16, but another study suggests up to 1000/100,000 or 1% of parents display MBP. I could see a situation where a parent want to evoke a certain image and seek attention from others.
Younger children are easily manipulated and look their parents for everything in life, so I don’t think it would be hard for a parent to essentially gaslight their child into believing they would be more comfortable as the opposite gender. But I want to be clear, this is not likely a common occurrence among trans children.
If we want to talk about the more likely factor/scenario of parental influence, based on my perception of how the topic of transgenderism is presented to young children, some parents are likely committed to raising their children outside of typical gender norms, which I don’t really think there’s a problem with that generally speaking. I do think it’s possible however for this to ironically get mixed up with the gender stereotypes the child will inevitably be exposed to. A parents well intentions to raise their child outside of the perceived restrictions restrictive social norms around gender so the child can be their genuine self and efforts to educate their children on identity and tolerance may cause a child to have convoluted ideas about what it means to be a man or woman. If a female child enjoys stereotypically “boyish” things, she may come think she would be better suited to live as boy, rather than simply a girl who like sports and trucks or whatever. I would think this would be especially true children who learn very early that gender is self-identified, fluid, and can be changed- before really understanding what gender identity, sex, etc really mean- these are complex concepts.
I believe we need more research into how to best approach this topic with children and at what age. I believe it’s important not to inadvertently promote confused conceptions of gender identity in children as this more often than not causes mental distress. Until we have a better idea how to present these concepts, its in children’s best interest to proceed with caution. Treating the child population effectively as an experiment is not a thoughtful or frankly ethical way of doing things.
From a psychological/medical standpoint, we have a lot to learn about transgenderism. There’s little quality data as it is. Anyone who says we know everything we need to know is either being disingenuous or has fallen victim of the Dunning-Kruger effect.
