Sex refers to one’s biological identity of being male or female while gender refers to the socially learned expectations and behaviours associated with being male or female. Sex is biologically assigned while gender is culturally learned. From the time that we are born we are influenced by various things, the surrounding environment, our parents, the culture of the area and country. Children are most influenced by their parents and are at their most impressionable from a very young age [Lauer & Lauer, 1994; Santrock, 1994; Kaplan, 1991] . 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.
Post modernists believe that some aspects of identity can bought, therefore changing how identity is formed. There are many agencies of socialisation which help form identity. The family are primary agents of socialisation, showing us how to act from a young age, giving us gender typical toys to play with and changing the way to speak to different genders i.e. ‘stop acting like a boy!’ Or ‘be man and get on with it!’ Family teaches us to accept our ascribed status, feminists say that from an early age the family socialise girls to be taught to be housewives via the toys they play with. Education and school are also agents of socialisation although it is secondary socialisation.
Gender roles are the behaviours that society teach us as appropriate for boys and girls. These are based on gender stereotypes, which are “assumptions made about the characteristics of each gender, such as physical appearance, physical abilities, attitudes, interests or occupations.” (Gooden and Gooden, 2001). This essay will define and discuss gender and its significance throughout early childhood. Gender socialisation will be related to throughout this discussion as the effects of the family, the school, the media and the peer group on gender socialisation will also be looked at. To conclude the essay, statistics and studies will be discussed with relation to gender role socialisation.
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.
Can parts of gender stereotype be biological? Can we link this to how children develop the ability to communicate and how they use it at a young age? There are many researchers discussing whether language acquisition between men and women are indeed different and many believe that its caused by gender bias among our society. The general concept is that we are not born with gender, but that gender is something we perform or learn to do. However, there is evidence to show that even at a young age, boys and girls that learn how to communicate, will learn at different speeds and will struggle with different aspects of learning how to communicate.
Socialization of Boys and Girls Gender socialization is the process of learning cultural roles according to one’s sex. This process begins the moment a newborn is declared male or female. Boys and girls are generally socialized through four means: family, peers, school, and the media. The first way boys and girls are socialized different is by their family. Parents are often the first ones responsible.
The Effects of Parent-Child Relationships through Characters in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye How a child is treated by his or her parents growing up effects the emotional and physical development of that child and how in turn, that child treats his or her own children in the future. In The Bluest Eye, author Toni Morrison gives clear examples through her characters’ experiences of how this statement rings true. In addition, through studies and experiments conducted by students and experts across the United States, this theory has strong evidence supporting itself. By examining the story, the research conducted by others and relating its findings with the individual characters of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, we can realize and understand the direct and lasting impact of the parent-child relationship. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison, is a story about the unfortunate life of a young black girl, Pecola Breedlove, who is growing up during post World War I in Loraine, Ohio.
It starts at the moment a child is born and lasts a life time. Family is the strongest during a child's infancy/toddler years. During this a child learns from a family such things as; language abilities, body control, emotional control, rules of society, and moral values. Family also plays a key part in early sex-role socialization, racial/ethnic prejudices, and determining the childs attitude towards religion/culture. The power family has becomes weakened as a child becomes a teenager from the influence he/she has from peer groups and the media.
Through her novels, Jane Austen shows how these factors effect parenting style and overall the success and life choices of the child. In today’s society there are many aid available to help the child raising process. They all share a common outline on what is considered proper childrearing and how to build a close bond with your kids for a positive relationship. However in Jane Austen’s era, parents seemed to take a different approach in having a very distinguished “Parent-Child” relationship and less like a companion with emotional ties. This set the stage, and greatly influenced the parenting figures found in Jane Austen’s novels.
As these generations age, society changes as well as the family values. Adjustments are made to meet both individual and society needs. The three key processes in which children learn values and develop character should start with the forming of emotional attachments, teaching of pro-social behavior, and respect for authority; and abiding by the rules both within the family structure and society. The forming of emotional attachment should start at birth. First the infant bonds with its mother.