The Socialization Process Of Children

Sociologist Dalton Conley wrote his book, You May Ask Yourself, addressing how “gender is a social construction” that is so normal for society to think how a man or woman should act towards the public. Society often categorizes roles that females and males are suppose to play in, but not only are they categorized they are also being taught what their gender role is suppose to do. The beginning of gender socialization can start with a child who is not born yet by simply having the parents purchase items that are all pink if its expected to be a girl, but if its expected to be a boy then everything they purchase will be blue. Conley states that gender roles are “sets of behavioral norms assumed to accompany ones’ status as male or female” (Conley [2008] 2013:134). So even when a child is growing into their infant years, toys are made specifically for their gender. By examining how social construction places gender in categories it becomes apparent that males and females get differentiated a lot which emphasizes inequality between them.

Onwards from birth, children are surrounded by and live within environments which are rich in gender stereotyping (Siraj-Blatchford, 2004, p. 24). They are given toys, books and clothes in which the media and society deems applicable to their specific gender. These gendered beliefs and practices are then implemented and shared as a child matures and can see particular traits such as; empathy, kindness, assertiveness and aggression as over or under developed (National Union of Teachers [NUT], 2013, p. 3). Therefore, it is imperitive that educators embrace, model and begin teaching gender equality in the early years of childcare and beyond.Linn (2004, p.61-62) asserts that children assimilate gender identity through play and social relationships. The production of popular culture toys and resources are explicitly targeted and consciously marketed as gender specific (NUT, 2013, p 4). For example princess toys and media characters display attributes of beauty and charisma,

Sex role stereotyping and gender bias permeate everyday life. Children learn about sex roles very early in their lives, probably before they are 18 months old, certainly long before they enter school.(Howe, 1). The behaviors that form these sex roles often go unnoticed but their effect is immeasurable. Simple behaviors like: the color coding of infants (blue & pink), the toys children are given, the adjectives used to describe infants (boys: handsome, big, strong; girls: sweet, pretty, precious), and the way we speak to and hold them are but a few of the ways the sex roles are introduced. These behaviors provide the basis for the sex roles and future encouragement from parents and teachers only reinforce the sex roles.

Gender role is defined as the socially constructed and culturally specific behavior and appearance expectations imposed on women (femininity) and men (masculinity). Many girls are subjected to gender role stereotyping and different treatment Through socialization, individuals learn to behave in accordance with the expectations of others in the social order (Hult, 83.). Gender ideology is involved when one attaches a color such as pink and blue to sex and when one designates types of toys as male, female or neutral. Most play behavior is an outcome of gender role stereotyping that stems from cultural ideology. Early research provides that by first grade, boys recognize sports, whereas girls recognize grades

Socialization is a life process by which children and adults learn from each other. It is divided into two parts which are primary and secondary socialization. Primary socialization takes place early in life, as a child and adolescent. The secondary socialization is when socialization takes place throughout one 's life, both as a child and as one encounters new groups that require additional socialization.The moment we are born, we are separated by our gender and taught the gender’s role. In many social constructs, gender is closely observed and reinforced by society. Society assigns a gender the type of toys to play with and the type of clothing to wear. Through a merger of social conditioning and personal interest by the age of three most children favor activities and display behaviors typically related to their sex. As a result, fitting into social gender roles and expectations is very important in society. For my project on socialization I picked to observe the roles of gender toys and clothing. The store I decided to review my observations was Walmart located in cookeville, where toys and clothing are both available to their customers. The toys and clothing are sectioned by gender roles such as femininity and masculinity. The data I obtained from my observation was surprising, I have never realized the powerful role of society. I learned so much more about socialization from this project and enjoyed it as well.

The issue of gender norms and enforcing gender stereotypes on society, especially young people and children, is an important problem that must be combatted. This issue causes many problems in children as they are pressured to stick to the "status quo" and do what others define as the right way of living. Although there are many aspects of society that contribute to this problem, such as sexism, bullying, and peer pressure against all genders, specifically, the harmful stereotypes that are upheld in today 's society and how they affect young people is a great problem (boundless). There is an extreme difference in how society views and treats children based on their gender and it can be difficult for a boy who likes to play with dolls or a girl who enjoys racing cars to find a way to enjoy these things without facing opposition from other children or even their parents or siblings (boundless). While girls are encouraged to play with things associated with femininity, dolls, kitchens and play dress-up games, boys are pushed into items associated with masculinity, race cars, sports and games that glorify war (the Atlantic). Many adults attempt to affect the way that children think or act by raising them according to their beliefs and refusing to allow them to explore other options (boundless). This is commonplace, especially in societies where stereotypes are rigidly upheld, as in some Arab countries. It can be extremely harmful for girls and boys to try to break free of these

There are psychological effects on people who follow traditional gender roles in society. From birth, children are socialized to conform to certain gender roles based on their biological sex. It occurs through four major groups of socialization: family, education, peer groups, and the media. The attitudes and expectations surrounding gender roles are based not on natural gender differences, but on stereotypes about the attitudes, traits, or behavior patterns that women or men should have. Gender roles can be influenced in the family setting when the children observes the behaviors of the parents. For example, the mother cooks, tends to the kids, and can sew to fix clothing, while the father mows the lawn, washes the car, fixes appliances. Children catch on to these gender role cues quite easily and continue the cycle into adulthood.

Gender socialization and gender roles have always existed in society. Gender roles are playing major part in our way of living. As we grow, we learn how to behave and respect from those surrounding us as well as children learn at a young age what it means to be a boy or a girl in our society . there are certain roles placed on boys and girls in accordance with their gender. These gender roles are set on children from birth and are taught until eventually they are accepted as adults. In this socialization gender role process , children are introduced to certain roles that are typically attached to their biological sex. Socialization of gender roles is supported through three major points parents ,social media, and education system

Society has clearly defined boundaries between what is considered to be male or female. The development of an individual’s gender role is formed by interactions with those in close proximity. Society constantly tells us how we should look, act and live based on gender. Family, friends and the media have a tremendous impact on how these roles are formed and the expected behavior of each gender role.

Gender socialisation commences at birth, parental conditioning and expectations are confirmed with the introduction and expectations that girls play with dolls and boys play with trucks and cars. Girls are seen as the homemakers whilst boys are guided more towards building, climbing and rough and tumble play. This continues at primary school where girls are encouraged to wear dresses for their uniforms and boys shorts or long pants. Boys are chastised if they cry and therefore learn to hold back their emotions. This could result in excess anger and frustration manifesting into aggression and possible labelling of the child (UNICEF, 2015).

Men and women can often be described as night and day. Men and women just tend to do things in different ways. Studies have shown that something as simple as speech can be performed in surprisingly different ways. From linguistic styles to emotional expression, men and women seem to communicate as if they were different species. A strong attribution to the divide in language patterns between men and women could be the way that gender roles infiltrate every aspect of one’s life.

Gender is a socially constructed concept and it denotes the behavior and characteristics associated with either men or women (Sherman & Zurbriggen, 2014). Different studies have shown that the comprehension and acceptance of gender roles commence at a very early age (Sherman & Zurbriggen, 2014). Playing with dolls or toys has been found to influence gender roles in kids. Play with Barbie dolls is a significant source of gendered socialization because it conveys a sexualized adult to young girls. However, research focusing on

Child socialization is important for individuals because it determines how a child will socialize as an adult. In this paper I am going to discuss about my socialization as a child. I will discuss about the three most important outcomes that I learned from my family of origin. In addition, I will explain about the methods of socialization and the parenting styles my caregivers used have helped shape my personality. Furthermore, I will talk about an institution that helped me with shaping my values, and my identity. In addition, I will identify a situation that shows that I was an active agent in my own child socialization. Lastly I will explain about the socialization goals for my children and how my own prejudices have impacted my children’s way of thinking.

Through this gender socialization exercise of analyzing how children learn about gender, provides a sense of social structures and institutions are organized, created, and maintained in society. After visiting a department store that separates children’s clothes and toys by gender it gave me an eye opening view how society shapes children’s mind of what is acceptable for their own gender, and how these patterns create an inequality between each group.

Gender plays a key role throughout our life, it is defined as “the psychological, social and cultural aspects of masculinity and femininity” (butler-sweet,c,2017). Masculinity and femininity have been standardized into their own stereotypes. For example, masculine is known as aggression, competitive, brave, etc. While feminine is known as sensitive, weak, nurturing, etc. Because of these traits and these stereotypes masculinity holds a higher power over femininity. Therefore, when the parents have the child and they find out what gender they are they automatically uphold them and raise them according to these standards. This begins to refer to gender socialization which is “the process by which we learn the rules and conduct the behavior of masculinity and femininity” (butler-sweet,c,2017). Meaning, that from a young age we learn the correct way to act within society, including the correct way to act according to our biological gender. Once our parents know if we are a boy or a girl they decorate our room a certain way,