Gender Socialization Essay
Introduction
Socialization of gender in children starts at birth. Gender socialisation is a process that develops with age, reaching its peak intensity when a kid reaches puberty. It plays a crucial role in the unfair treatment of people based on their gender in workplaces, educational institutions, in terms of employment chances, and in terms of general empowerment.
The idea at the heart of gender socialisation is that society expects men and women to behave and act in distinct ways. Additionally, this phenomenon has a propensity to socialise boys and girls differently. The boys are brought up by society to act as what is expected of men.
The Process of Gender Socialization
Gender socialisation has ingrained itself into our everyday lives. Specific gender roles are allocated to people through this procedure, and those people are expected to adhere to these roles to the letter. In order to successfully adapt to the culture of the individuals, it internalises the values of the society.
The meaning of the terms “male” and “female” is categorically defined in the great majority of cultures around the world. People define themselves as girls or boys as a result of the process of classifying or defining gender roles. People of both genders are required to behave in accordance with their assigned genders, and these assigned gender roles are rigorous in nature.
For instance, males have historically been given positions based on their propensity for dominance, aggression, and strength. Women are supposed to be empathetic, understanding, docile, emotional, and caring, on the other hand. A child is instilled with these gender norms from birth. As the child gets older and observes how people of different genders behave and act, these values become even stronger. It is also evident in the types of toys given to the boys. These toys frequently exhibit aggression and violence and are large in size and noisy.
Instead, soothing toys that stress nurturing qualities like dolls and dollhouses are provided to the girls. As the kids become older and play with these toys, they therefore start acting in ways that conform to socially prescribed gender roles, both consciously and unconsciously.
When a child turns two years old, their gender identity is established. It is the age when a child starts to imitate a parent who is the same gender as them, according to Sigmund Freud. Therefore, if parents strictly act in accordance with the gender roles that are expected of them, the child will start to feel that it is their duty to behave in the same way.
The Agents of Gender Socialization
As a child gets older, the process of gender socialisation becomes more intense. The child is influenced by a variety of agents to adhere to specific gender roles.
Gender Socialization Essay
Family
The immediate family is the first group that has an impact on a young child. It can be viewed as a complete world in and of itself, and the child learns by interacting with it. In addition to biological needs like feeding and protection from the outside world, the family environment has a significant impact on how the child will behave depending on the gender assigned at birth.
The initial socializational setting for a youngster is their family. The young child gains an understanding of gender roles. The child is treated according to the gender assigned to her or him by the family members, particularly the parents. The various toys that boys and girls are expected to play with are a remarkable illustration of this truth. Robots and cars, among other toys that the boys play with, are symbols of power and aggression. While the girls are given toys like dolls or similar items that tend to enhance their femininity and capacity for nurturing,
The majority of the time, parents’ instilling of gender roles in their children’s minds results in those children continuing to act in ways that are acceptable to society for the rest of their lives.
Negative Impact of Gender Socialization on Females
The greatest harmful effects of gender socialisation are experienced by women. They are given the responsibility of providing care. Women are supposed to take responsibility for their actions and support the men in their life at all times. Girls’ growth is negatively impacted by such a representation of the female gender. They are confined to specific roles and viewed as less powerful than males. Additionally, they are anticipated to be in charge of raising the kids. This way of thinking places a lot of pressure on working women because it forces them to put in a lot of overtime before they can even get home and rest.
Gender Socialization Essay
It is not a sufficient treatment because it places a lot of pressure on women to perform. In terms of the onset of depression or other effects on physical health, this pressure may have an impact on the women’s health.
Conclusion
In conclusion, gender socialisation can be effectively described as a bad thing. It establishes in advance the gender-specific duties that a person is expected to adopt. Women suffer the most since they are not treated equally to men and are expected to be the ones who provide for the family. In addition, women face significant pressure from society to demonstrate their value while still having very few job opportunities available to them.
