Gender Socialization And Gender Expectations In Children

Throughout the history of society, women and men both have faced the constricting roles forced upon them, from a young age; each gender is given specific social and cultural roles to play out throughout their lives. Little girls are given dolls and kitchen toys, little boys are given dinosaurs and power tool toys, if one was to step out of this specified role, social conflict would ensue. Contrast to popular belief, sex is a biological construct, and gender is a social construct specifying the roles men and women are to follow to be accepted into society as “normal”. The effects of gender roles have had on women have proved harmful over the decades. Although the woman’s involvement in society has improved throughout the decades,

In today’s society from a young age boys and girls are raised socially different, known as gender socialization. A gender role is a set of behaviors, attitudes and personality characteristics expected and encouraged based on an individual 's sex. Sex is a person’s biological status referred to as female, male or inter-sex. However, gender is related to attitudes, feelings and behaviors that a given culture associates with biologically sexed bodies. Cultures differ about what is appropriate for males and females for example, from the moment boys and girls are born they are dressed differently. In some countries, the color pink is immediately associated with girls, while blue it associated to boys. Parents unconsciously reinforce gender

Gender coding is not a natural or biological characteristic. People are born with different physical and biological characteristics, but make sense of their gender roles through cultural influences. “Stereotypes are amazingly powerful, and we may not realize the degree to which our thoughts, beliefs, and actions are shaped by them” (Silverman, Rader, 2010). Boys and girls are labeled as masculine or feminine, which is considered the “norm” for society. Children are not born masculine or feminine, they learn these roles from parents, peers, media, and even religion. Concepts of gender identity are sometimes placed on children even before their birth, such as with the selection of paint colors for the nursery.” Children begin to form concepts of gender beginning around the age of 2, and most children know if they are a boy or girl by age of 3” (Martin & Ruble, 2004). From an early age, children are encouraged to identify with gender coding. Gender is formed at birth, but self-identification as being male or female is imbedded into their minds by parents and society. A child learns to understand their gender role and their identity by what is taught and expressed to them by others. Yet as a child grows, gender coding can cause cultural confusion, and insecurity issues throughout the course of their life.

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.

Sociologist Dalton Conley wrote his book, You May Ask Yourself, addressing how “gender is a social construction” that is so normal for society to think how a man or woman should act towards the public. Society often categorizes roles that females and males are suppose to play in, but not only are they categorized they are also being taught what their gender role is suppose to do. The beginning of gender socialization can start with a child who is not born yet by simply having the parents purchase items that are all pink if its expected to be a girl, but if its expected to be a boy then everything they purchase will be blue. Conley states that gender roles are “sets of behavioral norms assumed to accompany ones’ status as male or female” (Conley [2008] 2013:134). So even when a child is growing into their infant years, toys are made specifically for their gender. By examining how social construction places gender in categories it becomes apparent that males and females get differentiated a lot which emphasizes inequality between them.

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,

"Gender Socialization is the process through which children learn about the social expectations, attitudes and behaviors typically associated with boys and girls (Hanish & Fabes, 2014)". Children learn from their parents about how the world works. Children first teacher are there mother and father. If they had learned children who play with the opposite sex toy grow up into a gay man or a lesbian female, then they would believe the same acts could happen to them if they were to play with the opposite sex toy. Children not only learn about gender roles from their parents but they also learn from their peer groups. According to Doctor Laura and Richard also stated: In regard to gender development children’s gendered behavior becomes more similar to those they spend time with (Hanish & Fabes, 2014). Children learn either bad habits or good habits from their peer circle, they would change their self’s in order to be well liked by the others in their groups. Our society should not care about socialization and what's an appropriate toy for children to play

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.

Why is it seen as less appropriate when girl 's playing with cars and boy 's playing with a doll? Why are little boys repeatedly told that it is not okay for them to cry or like pink? Why do little girls get kitchen play sets and little boys get tool play sets? These questions all have one main theme. Why are children expected to obey gender stereotypes and discouraged from pursuing things based on their gender? Another important questions is how these effects child and is it something hurtful we need to change?

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

Gender socialization is defined as the process in which we learning the expected social norms and attitudes associated with being a female or male (Iwamoto, 2016). Gender socialization begins at a very young age and continues to shape our behaviors, attitudes, and personality for the rest of our lives. For example, from birth, the color pink is associated with girls and the color blue with boys. Boys and girls are often dressed and treated differently based solely on their gender. Indubitably, gender socialization has impacted not only how I think about gender, but my actions and behaviors. Reflecting on my life experiences thus far, I have come to realize my cultural background as well as my upbringing has significantly shaped my values and perspectives’ on gender.

Gender is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex (2017). Gender and the way we carry out gender have been linked to many different terms to try to create a better understanding of why we have or do gender accordingly to what was assigned at birth. Through the process of gender socialization, a plethora of social norms and expectations are bestowed upon all individuals as early as when an embryo’s sex is determined. To further describe and understand the prevalence of gender and its socialization I spent a night and a day with my little cousins Leah age 5 (Female) and Landon age 4 (Male). They are a part of a biracial four-family member household in which their dad works full time and is the sole earner of resources and their mom is in school and works a part time job. I believe the structure of their family is modeled as the typical “American Family” and as far as their family’s classification in an economic class, they would be considered Upper- Middle class. After taking their economic class into consideration I have realized that these children are and will be able to gain access to more resources associated with gender than their lower classed counter parts. Not meaning that they will be more aware of how their gender is supposed to act but they will have access more access to resources like being able to obtain psychological help and education.

Gender socialization begins the moment we are born, from the simple question “is it a boy or a girl?” (Gleitman, Fridlund, & Resiberg, 2000) We learn our gender roles by agencies of socialization, which are the “teachers” of society. The main agencies in Western society are the family, peer groups, schools and the media. In respect with gender socialization, each of the agencies could reinforce the gender stereotypes. Gender differences result from the socialization process, especially during our childhood and adolescence. In American society, the color pink is associated with girls and the color blue with boys. Even as babies, boys and girls are dressed differently, according to what is considered “appropriate” for their respective sexes. Because I was born a biological female, my family automatically decorated my room with every pink or purple item imaginable, and I was

‘Media corporations, with a commanding role over commodity markets have become the primary educational and cultural force in shaping, if not hijacking, how youth define their interests, values and relations to others’. (Giroux 2011) My argument throughout this essay will be that children’s programs have a significant impact and influencing effect on shaping and forming a child’s identity. It is without doubt that children’s programming will have a deep profound impact on a child. From the ages of 2-12 a child is most impressionable, easily convinced and persuaded by outer and exterior influences. A child will be most naive, gullible and extremely trusting to outer powers. Children are easily manipulated and therefore anything they are exposed to will have an effect on what they proceed to think, feel and do. . When they are exposed to certain words, people, experiences, or indeed to certain television programmes, they begin to imitate, impersonate and mimic what they see. Furthermore, The American Medical Association reports that the combined hours "spent in front of a television or video screen is the single biggest chunk of time in the waking life of a child.’ So with this added factor, undoubtedly the amount of time children are spending watching television is going to have an impact

Gender socialization often begins early once parents are shown the sex of their child; from then on, baby showers are planned according to gender “appropriate” colors, which are often pink for girls and blue for boys. Even differences in how children are spoke to can be picked up easily in Western cultures. Girls are called pretty and sweet, whereas boys are handsome and strong. Ultimately, the way children learn to identify with their gender culture is in part due to not only family and friends, media, schools, and religion, but also from the toys that may inexplicitly advertise gender expectations. Gender-typed toys may be bought for children as a way for parents to encourage and reinforce gender-appropriate behaviors. However, recent debates have engulfed toy manufacturers and major retailers, which has brought about changes in toy design and marketing in an effort to make reflect more realistic and gender neutral options.