Penelope Eckert Learning To Be Gendered Summary

Childhood is a critical period of individual growth and exploration, and is driven by the limitless force that is a child’s imagination. Yet that imagination is greatly influenced by what the child is exposed to, specifically the gender dichotomy that pervades our society. Through the restriction of what a child can play with or behave based on their sex forces children to conform to their assigned gender. This can lead to inner conflict within the child when they do not agree or adhere to what has been decided for them. In order to avoid such distress, the trend of gender neutral parenting has taken the nation by storm, fostering the notion that children should be free to express themselves without fear of judgement. Therefore, parents should
Penelope Eckert and her article “Learning to Be Gendered” explores the various behaviors parents exhibit when interacting with children, and how those behaviors correlate to the child’s gender. An example of this can be seen in the speech parents employ when speaking to infants. Eckert states that “parents use more diminutives (kitty, doggie) when speaking to girls than to boys --- and use more direct prohibitives (don’t do that!) to boys than to girls” (Eckert 740). This type of speech suggest that boys are perceived to misbehave more often than girls, whereas girls are assumed to lack the comprehension to understand substantial words such as cat or dog. This discrepancy in conduct affects children in a drastic manner, teaching boys and girls to believe that they are fundamentally different. Of course, there are certain biological differences that are present, yet Eckert argues the root of these disparities is “supported and exaggerated by the social system” (Eckert 743). This proposes that gender is a socially constructed idea and that society pressures children to self-identify as either male or female. By limiting a child’s selection to only two options, society is subsequently inhibiting a child’s perception of their true identity, adding more confusion to an already confusing time in life. Therefore, in order for children to embrace freedom of choice and expression, the public discourse must deconstruct the notion of a binary gender system. As with any other polarized issue, there is understandably an opposing side. The article “The Futility of Gender Neutral Parenting” written by Debra Soh counters that regardless if gender neutral parenting is employed or not, children are biologically wired to behave as their assigned gender would