The Impact Of Gender On A Person 's Ambitions And Future Career

This study tested if exposure to a sexualized doll (Barbie) would affect young girl’s beliefs of possible careers available for them as females compared to a non-sexualized doll (Mrs. Potato Head). The predictions of the study are as follows: girls assigned at random to participate in “free play” with the Barbie will identify fewer possible careers available to them, girls will perceive more male-dominated occupations for boys rather than girls, girls assigned at random to play with Barbie will identify fewer career options for themselves than possible careers for boys,

The three years saw me utilising qualitative methods such as IPA and quantitative methods. Understanding the pros and cons of various methods made me competent in my ability to conduct literature reviews; assignments which demanded refining large bodies of research and drawing conclusions from findings. Mastering these skills gave me the enthusiasm to continue with my studies.

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.

Parents of these children are not supporting their decisions of who they desire to be, leaning towards the sex of being more feminine (regarding female) or masculine (regarding male). As young as pre-school, children begin to show their common interests such as; playing with dolls, trucks, dressing up as princesses, building sky scrapers, playing with action figures, etc. This article mentions, depending on what they child plays with or how the child acts shows the risk of gender assessment. For example, this article is trying to say that if a young boy plays with a doll or dresses like a princess he

Researchers often times are faced with the decision of choosing a methodology of research; either Quantitative or Qualitative that they think best fits their study and objectives. This choice is guarded by the topic of study, the advantages and disadvantages, and the strengths and weaknesses of using either one or the other type of the methodologies.

Craig’s worries about his son’s actions being more feminine as a result of playing with feminine toys is not uncommon. Many parents may become worried if they start seeing their child being more interested in playing with toys designed for the opposite gender. A hypothesis can be drawn up by stating that if boys with typically female toys, then there would be an increase of femininity traits of passiveness.

Children learn as early as age two what it means to be a “boy” or a “girl” (Aina & Cameron). This is described as gender identity, a person’s sense of self as male or female. Gender stereotyping emerges hand in hand with the development of gender identity in Early Childhood (Halim). Gender roles are society’s expectations of the proper behavior, attitudes and activities of males and females. When babies are born they are either put in pink or blue, as they grow up they still maintain the same “gender” colors. As young children start to socialize, they are playing with either “girl” toys or “boy” toys. When they get older they

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.

In the world of toy marketing, choices are made with direction put in place for both genders (girl and boy). For example, as I walked down each toy aisle, I felt the gender conformity among the parents as they were with their children. With multiple aisles and two dominant colors (pink and purple) designated for girls, the message (in my perspective) marketed on the toy package yelled: “Your ambition is to be stylish, while a nurturing mother who partakes in domestic works!” In addition to the toy packages being in pink, the words (on the toy) were predominately frivolous and amusing. On the contrary, the boys’ aisle contained wide varieties of colors, although the color blue caught my eye the most. The boys’ toys entailed sports, building sets, as well as action figures. Conversely, the message in my perspective, marketed on the toy package screamed: “You have the power to do whatever you want; however, it is imperative that you build yourself physically, as well as train yourself in order to properly excel.” This type of act, referred to as the social role theory—“a gender difference that mainly results from the contrasting roles of females and males” (p.165),—gives a great cause of difference in gender regarding power, nurture, and

These included an interview and I also handed out questionnaires as part of my primary research. As for my secondary research I conducted analysis of data from varied resources such as the internet, magazines and previous PIP’s. The reason for conducting an interview was so that I was able to get emotions, body language, thoughts and opinions first hand from a parent/carer's point of view. This information however may be slightly bias because they were her daughters therefore I had to go through it very carefully being aware of this. An interview was a good choice because it gave me an idea of what both the carer and the dependent go through. Questionnaires were chosen because it is easy to give out, collect and collate. They can give bulk statistical responses which is what was needed. The responses were quite helpful and it was a very sufficient way to gather data. Data analysis was used for a lot of this PIP because I needed to gather information about the different types of disabilities that people can have. It was also needed to ensure a good quality of of information and to ensure that my information is not

In this paper, I will focus on the case examples of Maria and Richard to demonstrate ways that gender expectations and family life can influence the process of career counseling.

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.

Reflecting upon my own childhood, I seemed to hold little interest in toys that were geared toward the opposite gender. I gravitated toward toys that would allow me to construct items around me. For example, I might build a car with Legos or K’Nex. I was not particularly interested in sports, though my parents never really pushed me toward them. This is most likely due to my extreme lack of hand-eye coordination. However, I had an unusually profound desire to experiment and take apart everything that entered my path. It wasn’t until about the age of ten that anyone had a working computer or VCR due to my curiosity concerning how electronics and computers worked. This clearly had an influence on my adult life, as I now make a living off of fixing and building computers. Many would consider this to be a direct correlation to male trades.

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.

Beginning with my birth on December 30th 1996, I was given a label and that label would be my gender which is female. From this moment on gender roles would be used to shape my life. I would be surrounded by pink and be pushed to play with baby dolls, Barbie’s, and child-sized makeup kits rather than “boy toys” such as Legos or hot wheels. Granted I did get away with playing with G.I. Joes, but that’s only because I have an older brother.