In 2011, Peggy Orenstein published Cinderella Ate My Daughter to examine how princess culture impacted girlhood. “What Makes Girls Girls?” is a chapter in this book that delves into the implications of sexual difference and whether or not it is rooted in biology. By studying various research projects conducted by professionals, Orenstein discovers that, ultimately, a child’s environment plays a key role in behavior. To pose the question of whether the concept of gender is inherent, Orenstein references several examples that have sparked a considerable amount of discussion about how a child’s gender expression is molded by upbringing.
It is well-known in modern culture that children begin developing gender identities from a very young age. As soon as children are able to comprehend media and the actions of those around them, they are bombarded with examples of gender roles. In fact, they are presented with these examples even before they can comprehend them. Parents may begin reading children books right from birth. The gender roles that are often present in these picture books aimed at young children become ingrained in the minds of the children, kickstarting the development of gender identity.
Burak defines gender socialization as “the process of interaction through which we learn the gender norms of our culture and acquire a sense of ourselves as feminine, masculine, or even androgynous” (Burack, 1). According to Burack, people of different genders behave differently not due to biological factors, but due to socialization that teaches individuals to behave in a particular way in order to belong to a certain gender. For example, women may tend to be nurturing, not because they are biologically programed to be caretakers, but as a result of society teaching them through toys and media to act as mothers. In this way, gender becomes a performance based on expectations rather than natural behaviors or biology, a phenomenon called “doing
Summary The authors conducted a study in regards to the atypical gender development of children. Atypical is a term used to define those who have gender variance and don't yet know what to identify as. Ultimately, the goal of the study is to find if genetic or environmental contributions play a part in the process of defining your gender. To conduct this study, they used the families of opposite twin pairs, along the ages of 3 and 4 to observe the gender development of each.
Is drinking a representation of masculinity? Or does the documentary, “Girls will be Boys” help depict us to believe this. Produced by Tara Brown where this documentary dove into the idea of girls being portrayed as “ladetts.” Young women are being misrepresented. As, irresponsible.
How many books have you read recently that discuss the struggles of a character who is not white or cis gender? Books such as All American Boys, New Kid, and Gender Queer are examples of stories that depict real life situations for black students and students who question their gender identity. All American Boys discusses the issue of police brutality, specifically pertaining to black children. This book shows Rashad’s struggle with being accused of a crime he did not commit and the repercussions that come with it. New Kid also discusses race issues and what it is like to be a black boy in a predominantly white school.
In Rescuing our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood, Pollack lists ideas for parents and what they can do to help their sons overcome conventional pressures from society. Giving sons their undivided attention is to help the son realize that his parents are there for him and that they care about him. Encouraging the expression of a full range of emotions can show a son that it is okay to not always be cheerful, and that his parents empathize and understand with how he is feeling. Parents can also not tease or taunt when their son expresses vulnerable feelings, helping him learn to express and cope with a broad range of feelings. To not use shaming language and use a way to talk to their sons in a way in which they can respond to.
The key aspects surrounding this theory emphasize the genetic and hormonal factors present during the prenatal period which ultimately influence how one is socialized. Parents observe whether their child is a boy or girl and shape certain opportunities and environments to fit this biological essence- it is difficult to separate the two and one must exist for the other to occur. Despite evidence supporting the biological and social interplay, others have argued why children may adopt non-traditional gender identities despite parents socializing against
The definition of morality is principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behaviour. Young children do not have normally have a belief system and take their position from their parents/carers. Children learn what is right and wrong from the carers around them and the reactions they get from their parents/carers towards their actions. For example, a child how breaks their toys will be told off by their parent and will know that their actions were wrong.
From the second a child is born the world begins to nurture that child into performing a specific role. Parents, family, friends, media, toys, society: all work together to shape the attitude and emotional complex of a newborn. The direction of this nurturing and the direction of a child’s gender role, however, is not primarily based on innate gender compulsions, but rather on the differences in how that child is molded based on sex. One vital source of child development, and I would argue of gender development, is not surprisingly the toys with which a child will grow up playing and associating. Such playthings contribute to a child’s cognitive and motor skills as well as social skills (Rommes 186).
Foucault argues that though young boys are seen as objects of pleasure, they are considered as males as long as they participate in homoerotic acts for social status rather than personal pleasure. Greek society considered the penetrated and the penetrator to be in roles similar to the binaries of active and passive participants rather than the male or female genders. In the Hebrew Bible, the book of Leviticus assumes that the male gender is defined by biological sex, not the role which he plays in the sexual act. Specifically, Leviticus addresses male homoerotic acts with specific instructions for males not to penetrate other males: “Do not lie with a male as one lies with a woman; it is an abhorrence…
My perception of the effect of conformity and nonconformity to masculinity norms on interviewee’s well being was mixed. I felt that my father was able to achieve a positive and stable gender identity that had helped him avoid social ostracism, and help find his sense of belonging. However, conforming to certain norms such as emotionless and being stoic has had negative implications on the interviewee’s well-being. Having a long relationship with the interviewee, the topic about health and men in class reminded me a lot of my father. He told me that he has a high tolerance for pain, and has always been able to ignore the pain when it was not necessary to endure.
Children and young adults are identifying with gender roles at a young age due to mass media. Children develop within a society that is gender-specific when it comes to social and behavioral norms. These come from the family’s structure, how they play with others and by themselves, and school. Girls were expected to be more passive while boys were to be more aggressive and expressive with masculine behaviors. “Before the age of three, children can differentiate toys typically used by boys or girls and begin to play with children of their own gender in activities identified with that gender.
Sexual Identity In “Gender Socialization and Identity Theory” by Michael J. Carter, he asserts gender identity originates with the family. The writer maintains that families are the agents of identity socialization. Carter argues that beginning with infancy children are taught how they are expected to socialize primarily by their families, simply due to the continuous contact with one another, boys are dressed in blue while girls are dressed in pink. The author plainly elucidates children gain knowledge of homophily through playmates by self-segregation into homogeneous groups.
Introduction Parents play an important role in guiding the development of their child in the early years, before the influence of teachers and peers comes into play (Diem-Wille, 2014). This influence that parents have on their children would naturally affect the child’s perception of gender roles and stereotypes. Following the approach of the Gender-Schema Theory, the child learns about gender in his or her society by observing behaviours of the people around him or her and then classifying the information as characteristic of different genders (Bem, 1983). The family environment and experience would therefore be central to helping the child construct schemas about gender roles since parents’ actions and attitudes are part of the information that the child receives from the environment that is integrated into the schema (McHale, Crouter, & Whiteman, 2003).
