Free Essay: Analysis of Gender Socialization

Gender socialization gets construed as the process through which male and female individuals are taught about the norms and behaviors related to gender at the childhood development stage (Stockard, 2006). At this stage, boys and girls are taught and expected to behave in specific ways as socialized from birth. Individuals who fail to adhere to gender stereotypes are usually isolated as being different. Society expects different behaviors and attitudes from boys and girls.

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Gender socialization usually starts even before the child is born (Stockard, 2006). People tend to ask expectant mothers about the gender of the unborn child. Preparation for a child's birth considers the child's gender following the color of the room paintings and the color of child's clothes the expectant mother buys (Stockard, 2006). In most cases, those who know the child's gender will paint the room blue for boys and pink for girls. This socialization process then continues throughout life.

In Western society, gender is viewed as a concept comprising two parts exclusively (Stockard, 2006). Peoples’ genders are socialized as either masculine (male) or feminine (female). In this context, not everyone fits into the gender binary since the transgender group does not identify with any gender and, hence, fails to match their assigned gender at birth.

In childhood, children are dressed based on their gender. For girls, they put on full dresses, skirts, and bright-colored trousers or shorts. In most cases, parents want their children to identify with their gender at a tender age; that's why they usually try their best to match their dress codes with their genders (Auster & Mansbach, 2012). On the other hand, boys are dressed in shirts, shorts, and trousers but with dull colors, especially blue. Male children are usually identified in blue colors while girls are pink. Just like clothing, toys for both genders are different. Girls are associated with physical attractiveness, domestic, and nurturing skills, while boys are rated as competitive, exciting, and even violent (Auster & Mansbach, 2012). The toys related to girls are connected with appearances, and they include Barbie dolls, ballerina costumes, jewelry, and makeup, among others (Auster & Mansbach, 2012). For boys, their toys are associated with aggression or fighting, and they include guns, soldiers, and wrestlers.

Sociologists use various tools in sociological research. Some of these tools include participant observation, interviews, surveys, controlled experiments, content analysis, evaluation research, and comparative and historical research. Each technique comes with its strengths and weaknesses.

Gender socialization usually has various sources. This process is usually influenced by teachers, parents, media, and peers. Children do develop their beliefs and eventually form their gender identity through this process. They build their gender-based beliefs and expectations through observation and interaction with people around them. Parents are the first source of gender socialization since they start to communicate their expectations of their children based on their gender from birth (Vinney, 2019). Teachers and school administrators do model gender roles and, at times, demonstrate gender stereotypes following how they respond to female and male students.

In most cases, teachers do separate students based on their gender when it comes to activities in the schools (Vinney, 2019). Media also promotes gender socialization following what the movies, books, and TV shows teach children what it means to be a girl or a boy. It conveys information regarding gender roles in people's lives and is capable of promoting gender stereotypes in society (Vinney, 2019). It reinforces ideas about acceptable and valued behaviors for a particular gender. Peer interaction is another source since children tend to play with same-gender peers (Vinney, 2019). They usually learn what their peers expect of them as boys or girls through these interactions. For instance, one may tell the other particular behavior is not or is appropriate for their gender.

Cultural norms and values affect both individuals and societies in different ways. Cultures usually influence peoples’ thoughts, languages, and even behaviors (Van De Vijver, 2007). The social environment shapes an individual's behavior, attitude, or emotion he/she is born and raised. In most societies, roles are assigned to people based on their gender, and while growing up, they are expected to adhere to societal norms. It is believed that men should always be the breadwinner in the family while women are homemakers (Van De Vijver, 2007). These cultural beliefs still exist in our society, and men unable to provide for the family are deemed irresponsible. At the same time, women who cannot hold their homes together are seen as failures. Men are also associated with strength, and they are not expected to shed tears in any situation. Those seen shedding tears are usually described as weak since men should never be emotional. These cultural beliefs have been destructive since men are not allowed to express their feelings in any way (Van De Vijver, 2007). Many cases of suicide and depression have been witnessed in the past and even now.

Gender-specific messages illustrate a high level of discrimination in society. These messages are common in schools and workplaces, but they should be discouraged as much as possible. In the current community, the binary concept of gender should seize to exist since it discriminates against the transgender group. The most affected are the transgender children who find it difficult with either of the gender.

While growing up as a child in the 1980s and early 1990s, gender socialization was a very significant thing. Parents wanted their children to identify with their genders at a tender age. As a child, my parents worked hard to provide for all my needs, and they ensured I did not feel left out among my peers. Since my parents were divorced, I spent most of my childhood with my mum. That did not ruin my relationship with dad since he spared some of his time for me. My mother loved it when I played with children of my gender, and almost all my toys were gender-specific. She always warned me against playing with children of a different gender. It was not easy keeping of playgrounds full of both male and female children, but since all children trust and believe their parents, I tried my best to play with my gender. My clothes were also gendered-specific both in designs and color.

I knew little about transgender people while growing up because society never recognized them. I never saw it was gender discrimination when I was warned against mingling with male children. All my clothes were colorful, and most of them were dresses, skirts, and tops. My shorts and trousers were mostly pink and other feminine colors. All my friends dressed similarly, and we all had Barbie dolls, jewelry, and other girls' toys. Boys were not allowed any close to where we played. Since I was an only child, I never knew how my friends lived with their brothers.

The upbringing I got from my parents affected my social life to date. I find it had to mingle with the opposite sex, even at the workplace. In college, all my friends were female, and seeing me in a mixed-gender company was very difficult. Gender socialization from childhood experience was never right, and no child should ever have such an experience. Children should be allowed the opposite gender for them to learn how to tolerate each other. Promoting harmony and unity among us in society is possible when the transgender group is recognized at a tender age, and children made aware of their existence. Allowing children of the opposite sex to mingle with one another will have a significant impact on their future.

References

Auster, C. J., & Mansbach, C. S. (2012). The gender marketing of toys: An analysis of color and type of toy on the Disney store website. Sex Roles, 67(7-8), 375-388. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-012-0177-8

Stockard, J. (2006). Gender socialization. In Handbook of the Sociology of Gender (pp. 215-227). Springer, Boston, MA. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/0-387-36218-5_11

Van De Vijver, F. J. (2007). Cultural and gender differences in gender-role beliefs, sharing household task and child-care responsibilities, and well-being among immigrants and majority members in the Netherlands. Sex Roles, 57(11-12), 813-824. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-007-9316-z

Vinney Cynthia. (2019, February 4). What is gender socialization? ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/gender-socialization-definition-examples-4582435