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Gender Socialization

In Nancy Chodorow's essay Family Structure and Feminine Personality she examines the development of gender identity and personality. Except for the stereotypical examples I have given above which again are e stablished by the parents, Chodorow states that the development of a child is basically the same for boys and girls until the age of three. During those first three years the mother is the dominant figure in the child's life. The father plays a limited role until the child reaches the so called Oedipal period (beyond age 3). It is at this stage that children begin to try to separate themselves from the clutches of their mother and establish their own identity. Chodorow examines how different this is for boys and girls. KFRC radio disk jockey Ron Parker recently reported that out of a survey of one hundred fourth grade boys and one hundred fourth grade girls, the boys receive an average weekly allowance that is approximately 50% higher than the girls receive. On the average, the boys receive $4.18 as compared to the $2.67 paid to the girls. To look even further, the survey reported that the boys only perform three household chores to earn their weekly allowance whereas the girls are performing twel ve or more. Why are the girls expected to do four times as much work around the house than the boys are? Chodorow writes that a young boy is usually unable to identify with his masculinity through his father. The father isnt as readily available to th e boy as the mother. Without the father to follow example, Chodorow concludes that a boy will identify masculine characteristics be doing that which is not feminine. This could be an explanation for the big difference in the number of chores the girls d o versus the boys. Though you might disagree with the morality of this statement, you have to admit that it is socially accepted that household chores are feminine duties. Young boys are bound to realize this and following Chodorows theory, will refuse to perform a lot of chores in an attempt to become more masculine.


Essays Related to Gender Socialization

1. Gender Socialization

... are the behaviors and attitudes considered appropriate because one is male or female. According to a study done in 1969, it was shown that mothers tend to implement and enforce gender socialization at a very early age. Mothers kept their daughters close and encouraged their sons to be more aggressive, even reprimanding for passiveness. (Henslin, 78). Just as parents play a role in leading a ... child down the right path of gender socialization, media also has a part. "Advertising directed at children depicts boys as more dominant, active and aggressive than girls. Girls are more likely ...

  • Word Count: 678
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Gender Stereotypes

... of women and men that is directly attributable to their biological differences. Almost every society has fashioned a division of labour around sex that goes far beyond childbirth and nursing. Socialization involves acquiring a gender role. Gender roles refer to traditional or stereotypic behaviours, attitudes and personality traits that society designates as masculine or feminine (Plotnik, 1999, p.340 ... themselves through observing the social world around them. Because of a desire to "fit in" to the society, the individual becomes a partner in the process of gender role socialization....

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3. Gender Equality

... such as anxiety and shame related to all things feminine, the development of rigid traditional male roles, or male gender role conflict {(O"Neil, Helms, Gable, David, & Wrightsman, 1986) Mahalik 1998}. Looking at male emotional socialization from the framework of the gender role strain paradigm, many boys are required to block their feelings and restrict the expression of their vulnerable and caring ... an situation instead of dealing with the problem, men tend to fall back on the stereotypical masculine gender roles. Men hold their emotions inside and although they may not be immediatel...

  • Word Count: 1467
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4. Education and Secondary Socialization

... given an equal opportunity to succeed' The purpose of this essay is to discuss the above statements in detail, explaining the differing educational achievements of social groups, specifically class, gender and ethnicity. Socialization is the process of social interaction that teaches the child the intellectual, physical and social skills needed to function as a member of society. 'Secondary ... to be steered towards vocational courses such as NVQ's which teach skills, rather than the academically-weighted route through A-levels. Further research by the department suggests that fail...

  • Word Count: 1664
  • Approx Pages: 7
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5. Gender Socialization And Its Affects On Society

Society channels our behaviors through gender socialization. By expecting different attitudes and behaviors from us because we are male or female, we humans nudge boys and girls in separate directions in life. This foundation is so deeply ... and roles to their children, sometimes without even realizing it, because these concepts are so thoroughly instilled. The mass media is a very strong agent of gender socialization. The sorting process that begins with the family is reinforced when the child is exposed to other aspects of society. Television, for example, portrays twice as many men as wo...

  • Word Count: 285
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

6. The Life Socialization Process

... modern times. Children who attend day care, school and after school activities tend to spend a lot of time with their peers. These groups are an important part of socialization because children learn gender socialization through interacting with one another. For example, "children develop a strong preference for playing with members of their own sex – girls with girls and boys with boys ... ." (Hockenbury and Hockenbury, 2013, P.415). Peer groups also influence gender socialization through communicating bodily changes with each other. Through this process the peer group becomes the new...

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7. Gender Roles

... men and women are happier when fulfilling the roles nature determined for them. Women are to be nurturing and men are to be providers by nature. An individual gender role is molded through socialization. Individuals learn the ways, traditions, norms, and rules of getting along with others. A person environment has a big influence on the roles deemed accurately for men and women. ... Parents, media, teachers, and peers are important socializing agents for teaching the young their gender roles. Children are viewed through "Gender-Colored" glasses by their parents that focus on gender diff...

  • Word Count: 1375
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

8. gender roles

... or a woman, usually determines how we will lead our lives. Often, because of our classification and socialization when we are children, we get into many communication problems with the opposite gender. The way children are socialized and how they interact with different things, will affect how they do ... girl. Everything that surrounds kids is filled with hidden messages that contribute to the differences between the two genders. Colors also play a role in child socialization. I do not know how society began this stereotype, but I know for a fact (because I do it myself), that colors ar...

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  • Approx Pages: 7
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9. Gender Equality in the Classroom

... boys in "nearly every measure of achievement, but by the time they graduate high school or college they have fallen behind." (Reay, 2001) Reay went on to say that the "socialization of gender within our schools assures that girls are made aware that they are unequal to boys." (Reay, 2001) When a teacher lines up or gives a seating arrangement based on ... each of the groups of girls defined their own femininity in relation to boys." (Reay, 2001) Her study shows how gender socialization of girls happens by accepting there are different behaviors acceptable from boys and girls. Another to...

  • Word Count: 2741
  • Approx Pages: 11
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  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

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