Discuss the significance of Gender in children’s daily lives with reference to processes of gender socialisation. It is generally accepted in society today that early gender socialisation is the most relevant issue in early childhood, affecting both boys and girls. Early gender socialisation lays the foundations for stereotypes in gender roles. Gender role stereotypes are present and produce negative effects, especially for women. Gender roles are the behaviours that society teach us as appropriate for boys and girls.
Parents also give their children gender-specific toys. Common toys for boys are action figures, toy cars, and balls. Girls are frequently given dolls, tea sets, and stuffed animals. Even how children are treated is based on the child’s sex. Mothers are often stern with their daughters and easy on their sons.
Before we can discuss the “marks” of men and women, we must discuss the gender role. Sometimes we must ask ourselves, “What is gender?” Girls are taught by their family members and peers to act in feminine ways. As the child grows, it learns that certain expressions of its personality are appropriate to its sexual label, while others are not. Although times have changed, stereotypical images and ideas of women can still be found. For instance, women are known to be more intuitive, emotional, and submissive.
One form of social difference is gender. The term gender refers to the biological categorization of humans according to their genitals (Weiten 2010). Males and females are expected to follow different etiquette concerning sexuality. The different organization of male and female lives has encouraged the development of different social norms (Baumeister & Vohs 2004). Society mostly accepts heterosexuality as normal which has led to there being social norms regarding how males and females
It starts at a young age with girls wearing pink and playing with dolls, and boys wear blue and play with cars, trucks, and toy guns. Women are being discriminated upon present day, and hopefully the issues continue to improve with the thought of everyone in the world truly being treated
Generally it is widely accepted across the board that early gender socialisation is one of the most important issues in early childhood, as it is affecting both boys and girls. The foundations for stereotypes in gender roles are laid through early gender socialization (Yelland 1998). It must be noted that, early gender socialisation starts at birth and the process is one of learning cultural roles in accordance with one's sex. Many studies have shown that parents treat daughter’s and son’s differently (Jacklin, DiPietro, & Maccoby; Woolett, White, & Lyon; and Parke & O'Leary, in Hargreaves & Colley, 1986; Snow, Jacklin, & Maccoby, 1983; Power, 1981). One study indicates that parents have differential expectations of sons and daughters as early as 24 hours after birth (Rubin, Provenzano, & Luria, 1974).
The way children are spoken to, played with, touched, etc. I think the expectations from society influence the way parents raise their children. Growing up, children are completely stereotyped. For example, boys are thought to mostly play with toy trucks/cars, action figures, and tools and girls are thought to mostly play with Barbie dolls, makeup, and kitchen sets. Mainly because that stereotypical societal behavior is encouraged through advertisements on a daily basis.
This is supported and was shown by McConachy’s study of gender stability where they asked young children to identify the sex of a doll. They found that children aged 3.5 to 4 used hair length to decide on the sex of the doll. The third and final stage is gender constancy or consistency. At around 6-7, children realise that gender is permanent; if a woman has her head shaven, she is still female. Gender understanding is only complete when a child appreciates that gender is permanent over time and different situations.
It was just assumed that they were to take on the role given to them. In these societies, it would be crazy to think of the women being the “bread winners” for the families. Many believe gender roles are adapted at a young age when a child is still developing. Boys are usually given super heroes and soldiers to play with, while girls are given Barbie’s and baby dolls. This teaches children from a young
Women are shown wearing feminine men’s suits and masculine clothing and this becomes socially acceptable and feminine. After the introduction of new fashion the media takes off and these new trends are soon in stores, magazines, children’s books, and even television shows. Often times these gendered messages regarding feminine beauty are started in children’s literature, costumes, and in marketed toys (Baker-Sperry & Grauerholz, p 186). Many of the children’s tales that have been around since the nineteenth century contain a “prominence of a feminine beauty ideal and is read by children across various social class and racial groups and contains symbolic imagery that legitimates race, class, and gender systems”