Parsons used the metaphor of education as a ‘bridge’ to work based on meritocratic principles. The education system takes children away from intimate relationships with family and puts them into a social institution where they are expected to follow instructions from an authority figure socializing them into obeying authority. School children also have a strict timetable which they must adhere to, this emphasis on punctuality and organization will prepare them for working life. Davis and Moore said that the education system was there for ‘sifting and sorting’ so that the best jobs go to the hardest working, more intelligent people. They argued that the education is meritocratic and is there to soft sort and select individuals on the basis of ability, motivation, talent and allocates them appropriate roles when they reach adulthood.
Through these parent-children interactions as they develop, they learn gender stereotype behaviors. As a result, they entrench these stereotypes firmly as they grow thus, become part of the children self-concept. Parents usually tend to treat their children differently depending on their gender, regardless of inclination of one gender over the other. Although these inclinations are found to have little effect on the child’s sexual development, the results of gender typing are realized during adulthood. Environments do not only influence children’s gender role behavior, but to a large extent it is affected by the gender stereotyping.
Aaron Cicourel and John Kitsuse’s study of educational counsellors in an American High school shows how labelling can disadvantage working-class students and it states in item A that ‘they were negatively labelled as non-academic and often as ‘difficult’’. This is because counsellors play an important role in deciding which students will get onto courses that prepare them for higher education. They found from their study that although they claimed to judge them on their ability, in practice they mainly judged them on the basis of their social class and/or race. Even where students had similar grades, counsellors were more likely to label middle-class
Bowlby claimed that infants need one special attachment relationship that is qualatively different from all others. Lastly, the internal working model which is developed through the monotropic attachment. This model represents the infant’s knowledge about his/her relationship with the primary attachment figure, in other words, the mother. It generates expectations about other relationships, so whatever relationship the mother has formed with their child, whether she is kind and loving, or aggressive and uncaring, the child will develop and have this expectation in mind of all future relationships. For example, Hazan and Shaver (1987) showed that there is a link between early attachment experiences and later romantic relationships.
Little girls learn that they are supposed to like dolls and pink, while little boys learn that they are supposed to like trucks and the color blue. Through various forms of guidance and direction from external influences, children experience gender role socialization they quickly learn what behaviors are encouraged by their parents and peers, and which ones are not. These ideas are further reinforced by the media's portrayal of traditional gender roles. As a result, children internalize these beliefs pertaining to gender roles and their behavior is modified accordingly. The child's first influence in regards to gender roles is the family.
They are constantly changing according to the time and place. Sociologists say that through socialisation the norms and values of society are internalised. There are two kinds of socialisation. The first is primary socialisation which happens during early childhood usually with parents. Children are taught simple skills, knowledge, norms and values of our society.
James banks defines it as a “process of restructuring the culture and the organization of a school to bring about education equality and empowerment” (Banks, 40-41). The influence of environments in achieving a greater outcome in students’ well-being was a challenge to reconstruct social structures. Gender bias does not only start at home or accepted but it also takes place in the school environment. Wellesley was founded on traditions and morals, which eventually effects the view of the institution. Within the movie, student’s former traditions and generations that are passed down creates obstacles.
Yes, kids while growing up need a form of discipline and should learn what is right and wrong. But when it comes down to what types of toys they should play with or girls should be skinny and flawless just like Barbie. That is too much pressure for kids that are growing up and learning who they really are. Every day in society know matter how much the world changes there are standards that is believed everyone must go by
Gender, a social construct, is predominant from the moment a child is born, whether it is from parental influence, the media, clothing, or even children’s toys. These influences can affect the way a child learns how to “do gender”. The various toys, such as Barbie dolls and G.I. Joe action figures, My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, Bratz Dolls, Power Rangers and most action figures that companies market to children of different genders reinforce stereotypical gender norms and perpetuate conventional gender roles. Parents should be conscientious when choosing their children’s toys because some toys can shape the overall learned gender norms of those children.
Infant boys are dressed in blue, while baby girls are dressed in pink. The gender messages parents send their children become internalized at an early age, with kids as young as two years old being aware of sex role differences in adult tasks, clothing, and possessions (Weinraub et al. 1499). In addition, parents reinforce gender-typical behavior by promoting sex-typed activities and toys.