Summary: Movements and campaigns that promotes gender neutral toys did not start as early as the gender equality movement started. So, adults are keen to their traditional thinking to evaluate toys in a gender way.…
The article “Gender, toys and learning” was a good starting point for discussion and understanding elements of how media can truly impact the roles projected to the observer, usually children that are at a very impressionable age. Studies show that 3-year-old children could accurately separate toys with over 90% accuracy to what their parents believed was appropriate and acceptable. At age 5, children could perfectly identify gender-specific toys in accordance with their parent’s beliefs (Freeman, 2007). It’s easy to blame toys and media for categorizing the roles of different genders. Those businesses have a primary goal of making a profit. And keeping abreast of what consumers want is good for earnings. The conclusion I have reached is that gender typecasting begins at home, whether it’s through parental involvement or them being disengaged, role models make a huge difference in who we grow up to…
As an Assistant Daycare Teacher to children aged 15 months to 10 years, there are many situations I see daily that illustrate the key role of socialization in childhood development. For example, children of various age groups and genders approach the idea of “dress up” differently. When entering a preschooler room, it is not uncommon to see boys playing with stereotypical female centered toys, such as princess dresses and kitchen utensils. In contrast, girls can be seen playing with stereotypical male centered toys, such as cars, trains and dinosaurs. However, when entering a school-age classroom with older children, it is evident that they have undergone the enculturation process as they only participate in the “normal” activities that are in accordance with their gender. As they progressed through the school system, they were socialized through institutions such as media, family and religion that determined their place in society. This provides an outline on how they as individuals are expected to identify themselves, either in their behaviour, language, demeanor or…
What Nathaniel Bacon did has been in question for years. Some people agree with his actions while others think it was unnecessary. The research included in this essay will educate the reader on the important aspects of Nathaniel Bacon’s life. The information will explain who Nathaniel Bacon was, what he did that made him so well known today, why he did what he did, and what the results of these actions were.…
In the article, Learning to be Gendered by Penelope Eckert and Sally McConnell-Ginet, the effects of upbringing and society on a child’s gender identification are analyzed. Throughout the child’s development, they are often guided by the world around them into gender classifications. Society decides on norms for the child to follow based on their gender, then they would grow up to better match those ideals. This is important because if society pushes us towards these labels, it limited our ability to decide on what we perceive ourselves as without outside forces acting upon us. Some studies on the development of gender identities in children seem to show evidence towards the nurture side of gender. Often parents would speak to their child differently depending on their physical gender (740) or set their playing tendencies around gender specific toys (743). This sort of mentality seems to be heavily ingrained in our societal conventions, even those who attempt to do away with these patterns fail to overcome them.…
Gender plays an important role in the way children are raised in today’s society. The common stereotype that feminine toys are for girls and masculine toys are for boys is prevalent, even with all of the political advancements our society has made to try to free the world from these stigmas. It starts as early as when a child is in the mother’s womb. Most women will celebrate the arrival of their bundle of joy with a baby shower. Pink colors will be used for baby girls and blues for baby boys. In toy stores you will find aisles filled with toys separated by gender: baby dolls for girls and action heroes for boys. During ages three to five children enter their peak playing ages where their minds are most vulnerable to absorb everything and anything at once. Due to a failing economy, many more families are depending on early childcare programs to care for their children while they are forced to have both parents enter the workforce. During this sensitive, and impressionable time in a…
Professor Blakemore of NAEYC did a survey. She asked people to check whether the toys she presented to them were very feminine, somewhat feminine, gender neutral, somewhat masculine, or very masculine. She found that toys that are very gendered are usually not conveying educational or positive messages - very feminine toys are focused on physical beauty, while very masculine toys focus on aggression and fighting. On the other hand, somewhat gendered toys help teach children skills for adulthood - somewhat feminine toys teach about cleaning, cooking and taking care of children, while somewhat masculine toys teach about building. No matter a child’s gender, they need somewhat gendered toys for both genders to teach them important skills for the…
Parents tend to treat their own offspring differently, according to their gender, boys are reinforced in different ways to girls, and fathers usually react more negatively than mothers to their son’s feminine top play (Idle et al 1993). Evidence comes from studies such as Smith and Lloyd (1978) who found that first time mothers responded differently to a newly-introduced child depending on whether they believed the child was either male or female, selecting gender appropriate toys and using more/less vocal interaction. However, the study was lab-based, and the validity can be questioned, as it does not tell us how the parents would respond to their own child in a natural setting. Further support comes from Fagot et al (1992) whose natural experiment found that parents who show the clearest patterns of differential reinforcement have children who are quicker at developing strong gender preferences. This study was higher in ecological validity due to the setting, however, it cannot discount the role of culture or…
When new technology is displayed children want the newest technology and parents not becoming aware of how it would affect their social interactions get it for them. Parents believe that children should have a cellphone because there could be emergency and they are able to check up on their children. It is a great concept to instill when it comes to raising children, but phones now a days are designed to have thousands of applications, send messages, facetime, listen to music, and etc. This causes children and teenagers to become wrapped up in technology to the point they would rather be on their phones than to go outside and play with their friends. This leads to the development of social isolation. Social isolation is the complete or near-complete…
Many parents, teachers, and gender reform have not been successful in rooting out male behavior they regard as harmful. For example, an “equity facilitator” tried to persuade a group of nine-year-old boys in a Baltimore public school to accept the idea of playing with baby dolls. According to one observer, “Their reaction was so hostile; the teacher had trouble keeping order (Sommers 366).” Sommers’ present’ research that asserts that the nature of men is a matter of biology, not conditioning, and schools should stop attempting to change natural gender roles in society.…
My paper titled toys and gender, is based on the toys of today and how they relate to gender socialization. I decided to go to the local Wal-Mart in Cookeville, Tn. I chose this store because it is a worldwide known large retail store. I concluded that it would be a good store to analyze because it is thought of as a family store where many families go to shop. Therefore, I knew that there would be a wide variety of toys to analyze and collect data. I went to Wal-Mart December the 3rd. I analyzed the toy sections of Wal-Mart and how the toys are associated with gender, color sound, types of play they encourage, types of interactions they cause, and what they prepare children for. With the exception of preschool toys that were sometimes offered in gender-neutral packaging, kids’ toys were largely segregated into different aisles according to gender. And within those aisles, the markings of gender were clear. The “girls’” section resembled the aftermath of an explosion of Pepto-Bismol. In the “boys’” section, there seemed to be a profusion of aggressive, hyper-muscled, weapon-wielding action figures. And in both realms, the majority of toys seemed to be explicitly tied to movies and television…
Although changing one’s sex is a biological process and often unchangeable, changing one’s gender is a fluid social process. It is hard to distinguish so-called natural and social qualities of one’s gender or sex since culture strongly impacts what society believes to be natural (TAW Social construction of gender 26). The social construction of gender is important to note when thinking about domesticity, because girls are taught from young age to believe they are naturally better suited for family work rather than market work. For instance, toys for toddlers mimic gender norms as toys directed for girls involve care-centered play, such as pretend vacuums, kitchen sets, and baby dolls. On the other hand, toys for young boys involve science experiments and building blocks, toys that help to develop cognitive skills (39). The differences in toys relate to the different skills boys and girls learn at a young age; girls tend to learn nurturing skills while boys tend learn motor skills. As a result, the difference in toy design, as well as the fact that there are toys made for one gender over the other, are examples of how domesticity pervades US society. Girls grow up to believe that they are more suited towards…
Ann Oakley, a feminist sociologist suggested that there are four ways in which gender socialization takes place during primary socialization. These are manipulation, canalization, verbal appellations, and different activities. Manipulation is when parents encourage behaviour that is seen as normal for the child's sex and discourage the behaviour associated with the opposite sex. For example, mothers may encourage girls to pay more attention to their appearance than boys. Canalisation is when children are 'channelled' by their parents towards toys and activities seen as appropriate for their sex. For instance, girls may be given toys such as dolls and miniature kitchen that encourage an interest in being a mother and doing housework. Of course, boys may get these toys as well, but they are more likely to have 'boy toys' like trains and cars and so on. Verbal appellations are the ways parents talk to children, this tells them how important at an early age gender is. Examples of such are when they are referred to as, 'good girl', 'naughty boy' or ‘my brave soldier’. Also, boys and girls are encouraged to get involved in different activities. Girls are expected to help their mother indoors while boys get greater freedom to roam and play outdoors. Also, children tend to observe gender differences inside the household, such as the mother usually doing most of the housework and cooking whereas the father tends to…
As I walked through the toy section of Target, I felt like I saw what I’ve seen ever since I was young enough to shop for toys in this section with my mom. When I was little I would go straight to the pink, Barbie aisle and then venture into the other pink aisles as well. This time, though, I looked through all of the toy aisles (including the boy section) and looked at the toys and dolls and games through a different lens. The color choices for the toys themselves and then the packaging as well are very specific to the gender they are targeting. And each age range appeals to its buyers in different ways. When I looked even closer into the details of the toys, appealing to specific races and social classes were more apparent than I had realized as well.…
“From birth until death, gender shapes human feelings, thoughts, and actions. Children quickly learn that their society considers females and males different kinds of people, by about age three, they begin to think of themselves in these terms.” (Macionis, 2014) With just these thoughts in mind from such a young age affect how each people think about females and males, which treat them differently…