Gender Roles And Gender Identity

I have no recollection of when I was born, but a baby responds to basic needs. A privileged position, in my case would be, receptive parents to these basic needs.

The cycle of socialization is an immediate process by which we are put into a position that we have no direct control over. Our privilege is somehow predetermined. The first exposure that we have to socialization is through gender identity due to the relative relationship to the biological nature of birth. Gender roles differ among individuals and culture, however in a universal spectrum gender is shared amongst humanity via physical anatomy.

My lens of identity was shaped through the experience of two parents that came from different multicultural backgrounds. Parents bring

For example in church all of the liturgy I was exposed to entailed stories of male figures. Values were taught from the white male perspective in church. I rebelled against wearing a dress, putting my hair up off my shoulders and sitting quietly in the congregation and a protest of the expectations of conformist behavior and the oppression of the white Anglo-Saxon protestant church. In school, the oppression came in the form of being rewarded for good behavior like conforming and being punished for rebelling against pressures of societal norms. For example, if I wore clothes that were really feminine, I would get compliments on the choice and gratification from my peers and teachers in school. It was the actual response of others that I understood subconsciously. That would influence my decisions on what I would bring to school and wear on unconscious level of the subconscious. Literally, all material elements that you use to express yourself as a schoolgirl became increasingly transparent of gender identity. This included blankets, bracelets, lunch box, pencils with glitter and the stickers I chose to put on my work

The change of my lens and experience through development came from the lack of knowledge that I had and lack of experience that I had made me more susceptible to societal norms. Had it not been for the exposure to parents who held non-traditional values in regard to gender roles. I was raised with an authoritative approach which is a moderate approach setting high standards and expectations in terms of hard work, focus and self-actualization. Simultaneously this approach shows responsiveness and respect for the child as an independent individual with the ability to self-identify.

The core of the cycle of socialization is fear, misunderstanding, insecurity and confusion. The way that I was able to overcome the pressures of institutions outside the home was through the nurturing and structure at home permitted me to choose my gender identity, but was firm and structured in the development of reasoning behind the structures. These structures were the expectations, but the fact that I could question and take a stand against the fear and other negative oppressive forces that acted upon me. The authoritative parenting style allowed me to question these gender roles and gave me reason to understand my own experiences of