According to the socialization approach, young children learn stereotypical gender roles from parents, peers, teachers, and the media. The emphasis in this approach is on conscious, social learning. In general, children are taught to think that boys and men are aggressive, competitive, and independent, whereas girls and women are less aggressive, more nurturing, and better at enabling and maintaining personal relationships. From these lessons, children mentally construct the concept of gender. In fact, some scholars argue that gender is such a broad and central identity is should not be considered merely a social role.
Sociologists who take the integrationist approach believe that gender roles need continual reinforcement throughout life. In their view gender differences are reproduced in daily interaction between women and men in settings such as the home and the workplace. Without being conscious of it, individuals do the work of maintaining gender differences.
Many gender theorists argue that gender differences are built into the structure of nearly all societies through patriarchy, a social order based on the domination of men over women. Society, they charge, turns limited sex differences and enshrines them in a sex-gender system. Gender theorists argue that gender should be seen as a basic source of social stratification, as important as race and class. Minority-group women often experience gender, class, and racial or ethnic inequality simultaneously.
Sociologists who study gender have demonstrated that the roles men and women play in families are in part socially and culturally constructed. Indeed, many sociologists would argue that gender differences are almost entirely social constructions. Sociologists have also shown that gender-role distinctions often reflect differences in power between women and men.
Discussion Instructions
This week you have a choice in the discussion prompt…only pick one of these to answer.
Choice #1
Isn’t it interesting that there is an emphasis on “gender reveal” events for new parents now and at the same time a growing number of families are deciding to dress their children in gender neutral clothing and/or give them gender neutral names. What would you decided to do if you discovered you were about to have a child; have a gender reveal event, wait until delivery to find out, and/or raise your child in gender neutral way and why?
OR Choice #2
How do children learn how women and men are supposed to behave? Are some of differences built into us even before we are born? How is that possible?
Response: Respond to at least one of your classmates with a question about their post comparing it to your re