Gender Socialization - Essay Example

Gender Socialization Gender roles are attached to given specific societies and cultures. The roles of each gender and the way they relate to each other is also a factor of the contemporary society that is in reference. In this paper, the issue of gender identity shall be explored exploring how the difference in gender determines one’s social life and the way they relate with other individuals in the society. This will be done by looking at various life experiences that can apply to the subject. Every society has very specific culture patterns, values and norms. There are behaviors that determine each gender and the expectations that the society has on each gender. Through globalization, these expectations are becoming synchronized with education becoming a common denominator and the earlier male chauvinism edging out to pave way for a new generation where each gender is believed to have equal chances in the society. According to Shedko (n.d.), gender roles are defined as a set of behavioral norms which are associated with males and females in a given society (p. 82). To understand gender roles, we must evaluate the three types of societies that are found in the current world which include the traditional society, modern society and the cross-cultural society. Gender roles involves a complex process that involves a sequence of norms, social rules and other values that are attached with that gender. Deviation from the same has serious consequences especially in the traditionally set societies. The models of gender role that have been developed to help understand the topic include the total role segregation model and the model of total integration of roles. Gender socialization on the other hand involves the gradual process of learning the behavior and attitudes that are considered appropriate for a given sex. However, it is important to note that the behaviors and attitudes are not fixed and they may be varying from one society to the other. The expectations that are tied to the given behaviors keep on changing. Considering the research that has been done on the topic, the people interviewed express their view that the two genders should have different gender roles. On top of that, they feel that the two should be treated differently. This is a common experience in many societies where the boys and the girls will even have different rooms that are equipped differently and the boys are accorded different duties and responsibilities compared to the ones that are given to the girls. Gender stereotypes are created in this manner. This means that when the society dictates that certain gender should act in a given manner, there shall be the creation of gender stereotypes. Looking at my life, gender socialization started as early as I can remember. Being brought up in an environment where there were girls and boys, the things that we would be bought such as toys were different. Whereas the girls would be bought toys that promote babysitting, the boys would be bought toy cars and bikes. This created a new idea on the minds of the young children (we). Gender socialization is highly affected and influenced by the family. The family on the other hand is a sub unit of a larger society. Therefore, in the society that I was brought up in, there were various expectations that were tied to each gender. This created a certain bias in the way I think and it is only after addressing various issues in sociology that I could view each gender in a different way. Education plays a significant part in gender socialization. In the modern society, education is not only a basic part in human development but also a common feature in many societies. Education helped me change my perceptions that had been developed in the earlier days in the society. The society I was brought in view men as superior to women. This is because over the years men have dominated most fields including the professional one and so it is common to see them as the heads in the society. On top of that, the man is viewed as the head of the family therefore according him a certain supremacy over the rest. Philip & Barbara (2007), describe the human development process as a gradual process that involves much borrowing from the immediate society that one is living in. Cherry (2015) and Crespi (2003) also asserts that according to the psychoanalytic theories developed by Sigmund Freud the childhood experiences one has tend to have long lasting effects to the individuals life. Looking in my life, the experiences I got have lasted but due to the exposure and learning process, I have disregarded some especially the ones that view the females as weaker genders compared to the males. Martha, Gewirtz & Stephen (2008) explain that what a child will do at a given time of their development process is an enhanced process and not defined by their needs. This means that the society one lives in solely defines the available resources and the expectations that one will work to fulfil. Piaget’s developmental theory propose that children integrate and modify the information that they are fed with. This is a clear case of my life where after years having certain perceptions as far as gender development was concerned, a point reached when I could define the two genders differently. I realized that the society has held certain fallacious thoughts that hold the society back. As the radical feminism theory asserts, woman oppression which is common in many societies has been cultured by the social roles and the institutional structures that have been developed from a male dominant society that is common in many societies. Male supremacy originates from the societies that the people in the society have (Graff, 2012). For instance, in the society that I was brought up as I have discussed earlier, the man is the head of the family and his decision is often final. This has been cultured by the society which does not question. However, with education such ideas prove to be fallacious. The social feminism theory tends to address the causes of feminine oppression in the society. Though I have not been a victim of such oppression, there are societies where the females are considered as the lesser gender and therefore they are oppressed to a point of being physically assaulted. The role of patriarchal societies comes out as a significant figure in the social feminist theory. In such societies, the male are seen as supreme and so they easily oppress the females. The beliefs and the values that are held by such societies promote the behaviors. To connect that with the process of human development is the gender schema theory. This theory asserts that the gender characteristics that each individual adopts is borrowed from the society they are living in. This is done by looking at the way the specific individuals of that gender in the society are carrying themselves. While I was growing up, I viewed males as superior to the females. The idea I had of the given genders and the roles they played in the society was a vivid picture of the society that I was confined to. This ascertains the gender schema theory which explains how one gets the gender roles in a given society (Jonathan & Angela, 2011). However, due to exposure in sociological theories of gender development, my perception has changed and I have come to realize that the gender differences are not the standards that should be used to define the achievements one will have in their life. In conclusion, gender socialization is the gradual process of learning the behavior and attitudes that are considered appropriate for a given sex. The process is explained by a number of theories such as the gender schema theory which asserts that a child who is being brought up will borrow highly from the way each gender is perceived in the society. This involves the roles they play in the society and the responsibilities they are given. In my life where I was brought up in a male dominated society, they bondage of the fallacious perceptions as far as gender roles are concerned were broken by education. As the social feminism and radical feminism theories propose, the causes of gender oppression are deeply entrenched on the way a society perceives each gender with male supremacy playing the major role. On top of the factors discussed, emotions also play an important role in gender development in children (Kennedy & Denham, 2010). References Barbara, M. N. & Philip, R. N. (2007). Theories of Human Development. 1st Edition. New York: Psychology Press. Cherry, K. (2015). Theories of Developemnt. Retrived from. Crespi, I. (2003). Gender Socialization within the Family: a study on Adolescents and their Parents in Great Britain. Paper for BHPS. pp. 1-36. Jonathan, P. & Angela, W. (2011). Gender Schema Theory. Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. pp. 690-691. Kennedy Root, A., & Denham, S. A. (2010). The role of gender in the socialization of emotion: Key concepts and critical issues. In A. Kennedy Root & S. Denham (Eds.), the role of gender in the socialization of emotion: Key concepts and critical issues. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 128, 1–9. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Martha, P., Gerwitz, J. L. & Wong, S. E. (2008). A Critique of Stage Theories of Human Development. Human Behavior in the Social Environment. New York: John Wiley and Sons. DOI: 10.1002/9780470373705.chsw002020 Shedko, P. E. (n.d.). Sociological Analysis of Gender Socialization of Minors. Belorussian State University. pp. 82-83. Read More