Gender Socialization Among Children Essay - 2508 Words

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 â€Å"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. Toys play a major role in socializing young kinds into â€Å"appropriate† gender roles. The first obvious characteristic that separates toys for boys and toys for girls,†¦show more content†¦Little girls are socialized to believe that physical appearance is of great importance. Toys also influenced children with gender roles. In our society, the typical expectations of men is to financial support the family, and for females it’s to cook, clean, and take care of the children. â€Å"Both wives and husbands tend to perceive this as a â€Å"fair† arrangement† (Zimmerman 30). To instill this idea in young minds, there are toys that influence these gender roles. Boys have toy tool sets, promoting hands on work. Girls on the other hand have cooking and cleaning toys such as the Easy Bake Oven or toy vacuums. Also â€Å"parents tend to encourage more gender-typed activities. One study found that household tasks differ along gender lines. American boys are more likely to mow the lawn, shovel snow, take our the garbage, and do the yard work, whereas girls tended to clean the house, wash dishes, cook, and baby-sit the younger children† (Newman 133). Girls also like to play â€Å"house† fostering wife and motherly qualities suc h as taking care of the family. These toys help with socialization making children believe and understand that these are the norms of our society. So in conclusion to toys, â€Å"Sex-specific toys foster different traits and skills in children and thereby serve to further segregate the two sexes into different patterns of social development. â€Å"Boys’ toys† encourage invention, exploration,Show MoreRelatedGender Socialization And Social Control1508 Words   |  7 PagesBy and large, gender socialization is a major contributor to identity and self- concept. Gender therefore becomes a characteristic that defines other’s perceptions and evaluations of us. People come to manage gender along with aspects of other aspects of the self by making sure that we are acting in gender-appropriate way (Goffman, 1959, Libby). In itself, the self is a product of social forces and it emerges through socialization. Being that gender is a major function of one’s ident ity, stereotypesRead MoreDo Schools and Mass Media Contribute to Stereotyped Gender Roles in Chinese Society?1586 Words   |  6 PagesGender role is defined as the social position and behavioral norm that is considered appropriate for an individual of a specific gender in the society (Liu, 2003). Every society has its unique culture and gender role is one of the products of a society’s history and culture. It is not set up by a single person within a short period, but by countless people in the society for thousands years. Parents started to shape their children’s gender by dressing and naming them according to their gender soonRead MoreGender Socialization : Gender And Gender1040 Words   |  5 PagesWomen Studies 9 online Oct 8, 2015 Gender Socialization Gender, according to Lorber, is the product of a range of social forces that influence our gender construction through a system of reward and punishment. throughout my life, I have been taught to be a women by family and through society, all that at some point supported the goals I had for myself or created obstacles by challenging my own ideas of what meant to be a strong women. Gender socialization is the process by which individualsRead MoreGender Socialization Is The Aspect Of Socialization1492 Words   |  6 PagesGender socialization plays a part in pay gap within societies and America today. Gender socialization instills thoughts, behaviors, and attitudes into individuals throughout the lifespan. As a result, the outcomes of gender socialization, not only, prepares society for pay gap, but also prepares individuals to implement a gap in pay in relation to gender throughout societies. The discussion that ensues explains gender socialization and the impacts this has on, both, individuals and society in generalRead MoreFamily Is The Most Important Of Socialization1000 Words   |  4 Pagestheir life with their family. So the family becomes the most important of socialization. This paper discusses why family is the most important of socialization. It reflects on the changes in the American family and the reason for the changes. It identifies the differences in marriage and fam ily life that are linked to class, race, gender, and personal choice and also discussed about the trend. Noticed that the children take after their parents not only in appearance but also in other aspectsRead MoreMedia s Influence On The Socialization Of A Child997 Words   |  4 Pagesoffers various ways to access TV contents, such as on the Internet, cell phones and iPad, it leads children to spend more time watching animations and movies. According to a Kaiser family foundation study, 8-10-year-old children expose average 7 hours 51 minutes to media in a typical day. 11-14-year-old children and 15-18-year-old children spend average 11 hours in a day. (Victoria et al.) Children thoroughly perceive and accept the concepts from media, so it is the powerful medium and cramming educationRead MoreGender Socialization : Social Norms And Expectations1431 Words   |  6 PagesGender Socialization Gender socialization, the social norms and expectations of each gender, are easily the number one influence of teenagers and adults. These norms, cause people to act and think what they might not necessarily believe is true to their inner beliefs. All around society, common phrases, actions, and ideology are used, without even recognized as being gender influenced. Things such as the percentage of women who are in high management position, are not due to purely intellectualityRead MoreHow Media Affects The Socialization Of Children1562 Words   |  7 PagesHow Media Affects the Socialization of Children As mass media continues to expand through our use of everyday electronics, children s socialization skills may be suffering by the lack of face to face, physical, and natural interaction. Mass media like television, computers, radios, newspapers, video games and many others play a huge role in socialization in children. Children need interaction, and mass media offers no physical interaction at all. Children are spending more and more time in theRead MoreEssay on Aboriginals in Residential School Systems1043 Words   |  5 PagesAboriginals In Residential Schools In today’s society, the residential school system is a place where young children are not only taught math and science, but also about equality and discrimination. However, a lot has changed since the residential school system was first introduced in Canada. It was once a place where teachers treated students differently depending upon their gender, and what their background was; in particular, Aboriginals were treated very poorly (Marcuse et al., 1993). SociologistsRead MoreEvaluation Questions826 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Chapter Evaluation form SOCIOLOGY 341 After my reading of the Chapter 1: The Sociology of Gender: Theoretical Perspectives and Feminist Frameworks 1. I found and have learned †¦ That all social interaction is gendered and guided by status, positions, and roles. I have also learned that when the status and role of male and female become stereotyped it could result in sexism or discrimination. In order to prevent such, feminism is a worldwide movement to end sexism by empowering