I use the above family as an example that I think that the socialization of children remains the primary job of the parent and that parents can help determine how external society influences impact their children. Whether society freaked out because of an image of a little boy with pink toenails is not nearly so important as how a family reacts if a little boy wants to paint his toenails pink. The little boy in the family I described accompanies his mom and sister to the salon and I have seen him with green painted toenails (his favorite color) and know there would be no objections if he wanted pink ones. His sister has rejected the "girl" Legos in favor of "boy" sets, but will vehemently argue with you if you suggested that Ninjago was marketed towards boys.
I do not think that there was less gender stereotyping in toys when I was young, though I do believe there was overall less sexualization in toys and cartoons when I was younger. I do not really feel like toys shaped my gender socialization process in a significant manner, because our household was not restricted to gender-specific toys. Therefore, my feeling is that, for kids with households that actively practice equality and refuse to be confined by gender norms, it really is no big deal that Barbie's boobs would make her fall over in real life or that Lego's girl sets are boring. However, in a household where either parent is committed to gender stereotypes placing limits on a person, these toys reaffirm a very dangerous message, a message that is most harmful for children who might naturally be drawn to things outside of gender "appropriate" stereotypes.
References
Klein, M. (2011,...
II. WHAT WAYS to TRADITIONAL GENDER EXPECTATIONS FACILITATE PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT? The traditional gender expectations that have passed through many generations greatly facilitate personal development of the individual. For example, it is well-acknowledged among researchers that girls are less-often geared toward the mathematics and engineering fields by teachers, parents, and other's known to impact the life of the young individual in college and career choices. For instance, when viewing the following two
Gender Development and Stereotyping Gender typing refers to the process through which a child starts becoming aware of their gender and hence starts behaving accordingly through adoption of values and attributes which are associated with members of the sex which they identify as being the one they belong to . This is a very important step to the social and personality development of a child as it has an impact on
In addition, the researcher note that the relatively small sample size in their study did not allow separate genetic analyses for males and females (Coolidge et al.). Environmentalism (social influence). A recent study by Wallien and Cohen-Kettenis (2008) analyzed psychosexual outcomes of gender-dysphoric children at 16 years and older to determine childhood characteristics related to psychosexual outcomes based on various social influences that may be experienced during the timeframes studied.
Even strong women are feminized in the media and in advertising. Burton Nelson notes, "In a Sears commercial, Olympic basketball players apply lipstick, paint their toenails, rock babies, lounge in bed, and pose and dance in their underwear" (Nelson Burton 442). These are all very feminine characteristics, and women feel they must be feminine not only to fit in society but also to catch a man, and that is
Gender and Domestic Violence Discussions of domestic violence almost always implicate modern gender norms because of the assumption that gender norms overtly and subtly promote the idea of violence against women. First, social roles about masculinity mean that, almost across cultures, it is the male role to protect and provide for the family, which includes an element of control over female family members. Next, there is the notion that some societies
The pressures created by single parenting and more specifically the need, by women to contribute economically to the household has also correlated to increase in crime among girls and boys. It is also clear that as the gender roles and expectations of girls as opposed to boys changes and in many ways overlaps there will and have been logical increases in the number of girls in the system and generally
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