Gender Roles And Socialization : Family Structure Portrayal And Parent Child Interactions

When someone is pregnant, people will usually ask for the sex of the unborn child thus proving that people are socially categorized from the beginning of life and is something that is continued throughout life. One is expected to behave the way their assigned gender is supposed to behave. Gender socialization is when people are expected to act a certain way based on their “gender”. Through the following agents: family, schools, peers, and media, gender socialization is emphasized and made very real in the world today.

The way we behave, speak, think and the way we are is the product of socialization. Through socialization, we learn what is appropriate and inappropriate for both genders. Socialization is a process between an adolescent and their parents or caretakers and its goal is to build gender identity. Depending on your gender, society expects you to have a specific attitude and behavior. Gender socialization is when boys and girls are socialized different.

In our society, there are norms of what is considered to be feminine and what is to be considered masculine, but how are these norms constructed? Through the use of toys, books, and clothing, children are socialized into their “appropriate” gender. These objects provide influence over behavior and appearance, showing boys and girls what is appropriate for each gender. After some investigation it was found that the toys, books, and clothing that children use not only foster the norms of gender behavior and appearance, but also construct gender roles in their young minds.

Gender roles are determined by both societal culture and the result of biological makeup. Media as an impact on the decision of what your role will be in society. Your decision on what you want to be is formed through the span of grown and observing what happens in society. Your biological makeup can also guide what you gender role is because it categorizes you into male or female.

Gender roles in society, throughout history, has been the leading cause of social expectations, and gender stereotypes, which has influenced children’s social identity. Notably, in the early eighteen century, society did not represent infants as a separate gender, but as an equal individual. Although, in the 1920s, the classification of sex identity started to emerge because of social changes occurring in the labor force. As a result, gender colors such as, pink and blue were highly used to provide variety in children’s clothing. Consequently, the symbol of pink and blue created an identity and the social expectation of gender representation. The media then used social associations to promote gender separation on children’s toys.

In recent times, it has become much more common and socially acceptable for parents to raise their children in gender neutral ways. As queer rights, feminist movements, and gender equality take on a greater social relevance, many caregivers no longer expect their children to behave stereotypically “masculine” or “feminine;” children may even be praised for going beyond their gendered expectations (e.g., boys who can cook well or girls who are fit and athletic). Raising your kids without expecting them to conform to gender norms may allow them to develop a broad potential in many areas, rather than only allowing them to explore activities that are appropriate for their traditional gender roles. For example, if you are raising a girl, she may have the potential to become both a great mechanic and a talented dancer if you do not narrow her choices down to only those that are gender conforming. However, this choice in parenting may come with some unexpected issues and consequences -- ones that are as of yet unforeseen.

Although in contrast Geoff Dench believes that societal gender roles are beneficial; women stay home with the children and do housework, so that the men can take care of the family and be the breadwinner. “Over-emphasis on female independence, and rejection of sacrifice, has spawned a frog culture in which the sexes are polarizing, and men are becoming increasingly marginal as they revert to a wild state” (Dench). He is stating that because women want more independence, the men are no longer feeling as needed to provide for the family, thus feeling marginal. The most negative aspect of understanding and the attempt to change how we are affected by gender socialization is the discomfort it brings to people. Despite an increased number in people

Characteristics affecting families in today’s society are very widespread in each community. One is marital instability in the family that is resulting in single parenthood in the home, often times with only one involved parent and at times poverty. Another is that gender roles have changed within the home, such as stay at home fathers or fathers taking a more active role in the household chores. Mobility, urbanization, and economic conditions also affect families in that there are more moving, potential conflicts in an urban setting, and poorer economic conditions today. Decreasing family size is another impact on families, as many individuals are delaying marriage and having children. An increased rate of social change is a factor as well, and our society’s rules and values are frequently changing. Something else that has impacted families is that children have become the center of not just the family that they are a part of, but of society as well. Lastly, stress impacting

Growing up in strict home with strict morals I would definitely say that I learned what the course text recognizes as gender roles throughout my childhood. I grew up in a family with a mom and dad who loved each other. I have always watched how my parents would interact and treat each other. They were male and female who would kiss each other and love each other. This is definitely what has lead to what I identify as my gender socialization. I have learned what is normal from witnessing a heterosexual couple. Also, growing up my dad would work and my mom would stay home and maintain the house. Watching this as a child I would not have expected anything less than for the male to work and the female be caregiver. I relate this back to gender

“Are Parents’ Gender Schemas Related to Their Children’s Gender-Related Cognitions? A Meta-Analysis” is a journal article published by Developmental Psychology on February 20th, 2002. This research report is a complication of 43 published studies including 48 research samples that were analyzed. The purpose of the complication was to determine if there is a correlation between the gender schemas or stereotypes, beliefs, preferences, and roles held by parents has an effect on the gender cognitions of their children. In this analysis gender cognitions refers to various attributes such as gender self-concept, gender attitudes towards others, gender related interests, and occupational attitudes.

Growing up in my family made it easier for me to understand gender roles and identity. For Christmas, I always received baby dolls, stuffed animals, vanity’s, play cookware, and other girl toys. My brother would get action figures, Lego sets, and videogames. For household chores I was responsible for cleaning dishes, folding clothes, and helping to set the table before dinner. My brother on the other hand, was responsible for a majority of the yardwork such as mowing the lawn, racking the leaves, or shoveling snow. It was very clear that our roles were based off our gender.

With so much emphasis on the mother being in charge of the house and the kids, you would think mother involvement is enough for a child’s healthy development and good adolescent Behavioral Outcomes (if all the rest goes well/ “normal”). In the following two articles we will see if father involvement has any outcomes: 1.”A father 's love is one of the greatest influences on personality development”, which was published in Science Daily newspaper and 2. “Family Structure, Father Involvement” published in the Journal of Marriage and Family 68

“The man who had contradicted him had no titles. That 's why he had called him a woman”(26). In “Things fall apart” by Chinua Achebe, structured gender roles play a significant role in the village of Umuofia. Okonkwo 's violences and anger take these stereotypes to an extreme, damaging his relationships with close relatives.

has begun to form. When we meet a new person, we are instantly judging whether they are male

Gender roles, the public image of being a particular gender that a person presents to others (gender roles, n.d.), have seen many changes through the years, especially in families. The changes can be seen in many aspects, including television shows, from the traditional family in the I Love Lucy sitcom of the 1950s to the plethora of shows about women and men who balance working and family life of the 2000s. A traditional family can be defined as “… the ‘natural reproductive unit’ of mom, pop, and the children all living under one roof… (Ball, 2002).” The 1940s, a period dominated by this type of family, were primarily a time of single-income families where the father was the ‘breadwinner’ and the mother the ‘homemaker (Hayghe, H.V., 1990).’