ipl-logo

How Family Structure Influences Gender Socialization

1440 Words6 Pages

Gender socialisation is explained as the process in which society influences its members to internalise attitudes and expectations based on gender, which refers to being either masculine or feminine. Even before the birth of a baby names for girls and boys are looked up. They are given titles, are called things like ‘pretty girl’ or ‘strong boy’ in order to give off the stereotypical way in which society has conditioned us to think (Lamanna, 2015).
In the following essay we will look at gender socialisation in depth and its function in society, the micro level of the family and the bigger picture of our diverse county South Africa, we will look at ways in which it has changed and how gender identity is slowly changing in society at large. …show more content…

An explanation on how family structure influences gender socialization
Society expects different attitudes and behaviours from boys and girls. Gender socialization is the tendency for boys to be socialized differently. Boys and girls are raised to conform to the male gender roles and girls are raised to conform to female gender roles.
A family structure influences gender socialization by using certain mechanisms that people adopt without recognizing the patterns they create within social context. Every culture has different guidelines about what is suitable for males and females and family members may socialize babies in gendered ways without consciously following that path. For example, in a modern society, the colour pink is associated with girls and the colour blue with boys. Even as tiny babies, boys and girls are dressed differently according to what is considered ‘appropriate’ to the respective sexes. Even parents who strive to achieve a less ‘gendered’ parenting style unconsciously reinforce gender roles. A family structure acts as the most important agent of gender socialization for children and adolescents as it serves as the centre of a child’s life. Socialization theory tells us that primary socialization- the process that occurs when a child learns the attitudes, values and actions expected of individuals within a particular culture which the most important phrase of social development and lays the groundwork for all future socialization. Therefore, family structure plays a pivotal role in the child’s development influencing both the attitudes the child will hold. Socialization can intentional and unintentional the family may not be conscious of the messages nonetheless contribute to the child’s socialization, for example, if parents buy dolls for their daughters and toys trucks for their sons, the children will learn to value different

Show More
Related

  • Historical Trauma In American History

    1150 Words  | 5 Pages

    In social psychology, we talked a lot about gender roles. At a young age, you are exposed to them regardless if you know it or not.. Starting at a young age, these children learned what they were supposed to be like. Little girls are dressed in pink dresses and bows, while boys are dressed in blue jeans and a t-shirt. Baby girls are talked to in calm, soft voices and told how precious and beautiful they look, while baby boys are told how tough and strong they look in louder aggressive voices.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Code Of The Streets By Elijah Anderson

    932 Words  | 4 Pages

    The most influential agent of socialization I the family. In this chapter this is shown, generally the kids in “street” families had the tendency to act similar to their parents. “The kind of home he comes from influences but does not determine the way he will ultimately turnout,” (105). The kids would be quick to hit someone else if they did not get their way, they would yell and argue in very unorderly fashions, just like they had seen their parents do or other adults they had been surrounded by. Aside from family peers are also a strong agent of socialization, especially in a system like this in which children are raised through accomplishment of natural growth, in which they are surrounded by other children in all their free time and often times children not in their age group.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In Mean Girls

    730 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most toddlers are given one of two categories of toys: those for boys and then those for girls. When parents see that their kids are born as boys then they will probably start buying them blocks, race cars, balls, and action figures while for their daughters they will lean towards dolls, baby strollers, crowns, and kitchen sets. At sight, these toys seem harmless and innocent; that is to say what is wrong with a little boy and girl playing with their cars and dolls; however, these toys are the just the beginning of their molding. These kids are slowly being molded into their respective gender role: which are behaviors learned by an individual as appropriate to their gender. For example, gender norms or roles for a girl would be that they’re supposed to be thin, passive, and submissive to males.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In African American Culture

    1870 Words  | 8 Pages

    The Impact of Culture and Gender Roles Heather Richardson-Barker Drexel University 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, as well as the influence of family, friends and the media have a tremendous impact on how these roles are formed and the expected behavior of each gender role. The term Gender, as defined by the United Nations, includes the psychological, social, cultural, and behavioral characteristics associated with being female or male. It further defines acceptable

    Read More

  • The Pink And The Blues Analysis

    1083 Words  | 5 Pages

    The documentary “The Pinks and the Blues” and the podcast “Can a Child be Raised Free of Gender Stereotypes” discuss the unconscious gender stereotypes and assumptions that our culture places upon children. Children are enculturated with ideas about who they should be, how they should think and behave, and this enculturation has distinct effects upon the child psychology and way of living in the world. The viewer is left with the question: Is it possible to raise a child without gender stereotypes? “The Pinks and the Blues” states that gendered treatment of children begins within 24 hours of the child’s birth. Descriptors for male infants and female infants were different, with boys being labeled as big, strong, and alert while girls were labeled as being delicate, petite, and inattentive.

    Read More

  • Cinderella Ate My Daughter Chapter Summary

    532 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In Tough Guise

    671 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Gender Socialization And Identity Theory Summary

    350 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Sociological Autobiography Examples

    813 Words  | 4 Pages

    From the moment of my birth, I was declared a girl and my parents immediately attempted to raise me to be every aspect of my gender, from behavior to beliefs. In sociology, this is known as gender role socialization, which is the process of socializing boys and girls to conform to their assigned genders’ attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, values, and norms. My parents taught me how think and behave like a girl through the way the way they dressed me, how they did my hair, and the toys they allowed me to play with. However, having been raised with a brother, I also picked up on some of his supposed gender roles. I am exactly who I am due to the way I was socialized by my parents and others around me.

    Read More

  • Describe Gender Roles In Children

    132 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Gender Stratification In The United States

    600 Words  | 3 Pages

    There is a relationship between gender socialization and gender stratification problem in the U.S. society. Gender socialization is the tendency for the boys and girls to be socialized differently such as boys are raise to accept male gender role while girls are raised to accept female gender role. Gender role are define role, behavior pattern, attitude, and personality trait set by society that each gender must display according to their gender. Gender stratification is the inequality that exist between female and male such male having higher income then female counterpart, male getting better position at jobs then female, and stereotyping female. Gender stratification usually support male more than female because of a simple fact that they are genetically different than male.

    Read More

  • Parents Influence On Gender Roles

    1073 Words  | 5 Pages

    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).

    Read More

  • Lady Sarah Ashley Sociology

    1308 Words  | 6 Pages

    Unlike ‘sex’, which typically refers to the biological and physiological differences, gender is a sociological concept that describes the social and cultural constructions that is associated with one’s sex (Giddens & Sutton, 2013, p. 623-667). The constructed (or invented) characteristics that defines gender is an ongoing process that varies between societies and culture and it can change over time. For example, features that are overly masculine in one culture can be seen as feminine in another; however, the relation between the two should not be seen as static. Gender socialization is thought to be a major explanation for gender differences, where children adhere to traditional gender roles from different agencies of socialization. Gender

    Read More

  • Gender Identity Nature Or Nurture

    1093 Words  | 5 Pages

    Although some people believe that nature affects the gender identity, others argue that, based on the education an individual receives, it is actually nurture. For example, John Moore, a teacher at a female-only school, says, “My findings suggest that, in some senses, the single-sex school is strongly feminist” (Moore, 2005). On the other hand, many societies teach the children gender stereotypes to try and limit them from becoming against what the society feels is appropriate. Gender roles or stereotypes are “a set of qualities, behaviors, and attitudes that are considered appropriate for males and females based on their biological sex” (Whalen & Maurer-Starks, 2008). Most of the time, these stereotypes are taught and explained to the children in the early stages of learning, since as mentioned above, gender identity is most likely detected after the child is two years old.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles Of Socialization After Childhood

    3970 Words  | 16 Pages

    Gender can be effected social behavior of each individual. It was assigned to them in accordance to their biological sex start at birth. Thus, gender socialization is the learning process to instruct individuals

    Read More

More about How Family Structure Influences Gender Socialization

Open Document