Cora Newton
Mrs. Tess Nix
Argument Essay
13 June 2014
Parental Hopes and Standards Mothers and fathers have different perspectives on how their children are raised. This causes parents to have different hopes and standards for their children. Parents believe they are being fair and equal but are unconsciously differentiating their standards by gender. Although many parents think they have similar standards for their sons and daughters, parents more often than not have different standards when it comes to their own. Parents think they give their sons and daughters the same standards as one another. Some examples are that parents teach both their sons and daughters some degree of table manners, and expect their children to use them. Both
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“The preference for male children is further emphasized by the finding that parents are more likely to continue having children if they have only girls than if they have only boys. Reasons given by women for their preference for sons are to please their husbands, to carry on the family name, and to be a companion to the husband.” (Witt, n.p.) There are also many more pieces of important evidence. The most important piece of evidence that shows the differences in standards between sons and daughters is that parental expectations begin to differ very early. “Parents have differential expectations of sons and daughters as early as 24 hours after birth.” (Witt, n.p.) “6-and-12-month-olds of both sexes prefer dolls to trucks, according to a host of studies. Children settle into sex-based play preferences only around age 1, which is when they grasp which sex they are, identify strongly with it, and conform
In the article “Parental Influence on Children’s Socialization to Gender Roles” by Susan D. Witt states that parents expose their children at an early age of what it means to be a boy and a girl. Witt argues that parents do play a role in gender stereotypes to their children as early on as infants. Witt explains how parents decorate a child’s room. Witt states that children grow and develop gender stereotypes at home. She explains how parents encourage their children to participate in sex-typed activities, sports, and role play. Witt reveals that both parents contribute to the gender stereotyping but fathers have been found to reinforce gender stereotypes more often that mothers. Witt’s audience is
We were taught in class that little boys tend to model after older men in their life and girls do the same with older women that they look up to. This is to be considered a socially acceptable norm. The child observes behavior of parents and others and symbolizes and remembers perceptions. They develop concepts for masculine/feminine and gender behavior. When a boy is little it may be cute when he plays with Barbies or dresses in high heels, but once he gets to a certain age it is looked down on.
In the beginning of this article, Andrew Reiner described his experience with having a son. He stated, “I was faced with one of my biggest fears about parenthood: having a son” (Reiner, 2016, para. 6). Reiner elaborated on the growing trend of parents wanting female children instead of males. The article mentioned that adoptive parents are even willing to pay an average of $16,000 more in finalization cost for a girl instead of a boy (Reiner, 2016, para. 10). Reiner also noted that the boys-will-be-boys behavior does not originate with them (Reiner, 2016, para. 12). Instead, it is a product of their environment. He cited “... parents tend to touch infant boys less often and more roughly than infant daughters and that daughters are handled more gently and protectively… (Reiner, 2016, para. 12)” This displayed how societal norms shape behavior attributes that can be seen as non advantageous. Towards the end of the article, Reiner emphasized that we should empower our daughters and empower our sons with the same emotional literacy skill set and expansive worldview we teach our daughter (Reiner, 2016, para. 18). He finished the article with a short anecdote about how his son only wanted his attention and that is why he was acting out.
For centuries capital punishment has been used to “punish” criminals for a severe enough crime that they committed. It dates back to hundreds of years ago and has been enacted in many different countries, some that still have it today. Death penalty/capital punishment is the punishment of death an offender receives after having a court hearing and being convicted of a crime (ProCon.org, 2008). Once someone receives a death penalty sentence, they go on death row awaiting their execution. For a very long time, the controversy regarding whether or not the death penalty is ethical or just has been a topic of debate. I believe that the
In the works of Alistair MacLeod, Alden Nowlan, and Aaron Smith, each author establishes that the difficulty within parent-child relationships is a result of the differences between adult and child mentalities. Due to vast life experience, the parental figures in all three texts possess fixed, personal notions of what is morally correct, which clashes with the growth mindset of the children and incites miscommunication in the relationship.
Gender role expectations are inescapable in our society as we naturally tend to sort humans into categories, the easiest one being gender. Upon first meeting a person, most people automatically classify the other’s gender. With this classification come the inevitable gender role expectations. Even for those who consciously try their hardest not to cloud their perceptions of others based on “traditional” gender role expectations, it is almost impossible not to subconsciously succumb to these expectations that are ingrained in our minds virtually since the day we are born. These expectations often influence how one interacts with another. This is especially important when taking into consideration the effects that gender socialization of children through gendered toys, media, and parental affects child development.
For example, boys wear blue and girls wear pink. This also applies to the toys children play with; like boys will play with trucks, toy guns, and superhero things. Girls will play with dolls and have dress up clothes. Gender roles also are also majorly a part of marriage. These roles determine the household duties. If you are not a fan of gender roles, or your spouse doesn’t agree on gender roles, it can cause conflict within the marriage. This often leads to separation and/or divorce. These thoughts and beliefs affect how children see the world by them only seeing a two person world. This can be a good and bad thing because they can either learn to accept it or they can rebel against
This is called gender socialization, which exaggerates sexual differences physically, experimentally, academically, and psychologically. Most parents are unaware that they play such a large role in creating a male or female child. But they are the first and one of the largest influences on their child. When parents have a female child she is viewed as sweet and gentle. The parents will even hold their daughter closer than they would a son. As they grow older boys are encouraged to explore while girls are kept closer to their parents. They are taught different approaches to many different problems in life. They may not realize it but through their interactions with their children they are encouraging their children to grow into a certain type of person based on their gender. The toys they are introduced to are even gender-based. Toys for males encourage them to develop such abilities of spatial perception, creativity, competition, aggression, and constructiveness. Toys for girls encouraged creativity, nurturance, and attractiveness. Children’s rooms and clothing are specific color: girls are pink and boys are blue. Girls often wear dresses and skirts that limit their physical activity. These types of influences at such an early age lay a foundation for the child’s personality. By the time they reach school age they already have a sense of being male or female. In school peers and teachers enforce these differences even further. (Lips, 1979,
Up until now, there has always been a preference for sons. The yearning to give birth to a male heir has been so overwhelming that in South Korea, many women who failed to bear sons were treated poorly and even abused. Women have committed suicide or have been murdered for not being able to bear sons. Men have tied off their left testicle in hopes of producing male heirs. People have even
This article presents interesting information. Data from the PSID Marital History and Childbirth and Adoption History Files was used to estimate the effect of a child's gender on the mother's probability of marriage or remarriage. It has been said that having a son increases the chances of a successful or lasting marriage. One reason for this is the father and son bonding. The chances for remarriage may also depend on the gender of the mother's children. If a man is a better stepfather to boys then he might choose to be with a woman who has all sons or mostly sons. This article also discusses single mothers transition to marriage.
My parents, my father specifically, believed that children should obey their elders without question and without hesitation. This outlook on parenting stems from their cultural background as Vietnamese immigrants. In my culture, family is structured
Gender should not be intertwined with the term sex, which refers to the physical differences in individuals. Instead, gender is the idea of being male or female, and it is well understood by the time children reach the preschool years. Differences in gender become more pronounced as children age, and societal expectations are reinforced by parents and peers. Behavioral differences may be evident since parents may treat their child differently according to gender. A big example of this is how parents may react to a child’s first
Gender role is defined as the socially constructed and culturally specific behavior and appearance expectations imposed on women (femininity) and men (masculinity). Many girls are subjected to gender role stereotyping and different treatment Through socialization, individuals learn to behave in accordance with the expectations of others in the social order (Hult, 83.). Gender ideology is involved when one attaches a color such as pink and blue to sex and when one designates types of toys as male, female or neutral. Most play behavior is an outcome of gender role stereotyping that stems from cultural ideology. Early research provides that by first grade, boys recognize sports, whereas girls recognize grades
In addition, a study was done on children ages 4, 6, and 8 to test flexibility about gender and parental influences. Assessments were focused around gender constancy, judgments about gender norms; results showed that younger children were more rigid than older children, showing parental influence is present (Cyphers, Lisa)(Conry-Murray, Clare).
The preference for male children is due to three major reasons. One is the economic value of having sons. Sons are more likely than daughters to provide family labour on the farm or in a family business, earn wages, and support their parents during old age. Upon marriage, a son brings a daughter-in-law into his family, and she provides additional help around the house as well as she brings riches in the form of dowry payments. Another important advantage of having sons is their social cultural utility. In India patriarchal family system, having one son is essential for the continuation of the family line, and many sons provide high status to the family. Vanaja Dhruvarajan says, "When a women becomes a mother, especially the mother of a son, her status goes up in her new home for having helped perpetuate the family" (87) Finally, the utility of having sons comes from the important religious functions that only sons can provide. In Hindu tradition, sons are needed to do the funeral of their deceased parents and to help in the salvation of their souls.