“Parenting is emotionally and intellectually draining, and it often requires professional sacrifice and serious financial hardship” (McLanahan and Sandefur 98). Indeed, parenting is tough. In most cases, children live in one of the two main family types, a nuclear or single parent family. To ensure a bright future for the nation in the years to come, children must grow up in an environment that is conducive for optimal development. After all, they are the next generation. But exactly which family type would be best for a child? In which family type would a child best learn morals, be prepared for the outside world and receive the items needed? Many people have concluded that a nuclear family is more beneficial for a child when compared to …show more content…
“Gender roles are thought to be products of nurture or how individuals are brought up. They are casually constructed” (Haslanger 98). In essence, socializing a child in gender roles is simply a matter of teaching him or her to conform to the gendered norms appropriate to a community. Many people argue that socialization is better taught in a nuclear family because a father can best teach a boy how to act just as a mother can best teach a girl. For instance, a father can best teach a boy how to dress and be a gentleman whereas a mother can best teach a girl how to dress and behave ladylike. Hence, this is why critics say that both parents are adequate in teaching gender socialization. However, these critics also ignore the other agents of socialization. Nancy Chodorow, a former Sociology Professor at the University of California, points out that the community, schools and media play a role in socializing a child with respect to gender roles (214). Therefore, it is apparent that the family is not the only way for a child to be socialized in gender roles. For instance, if a man within the community decides to approach a boy and tell him that his dress code is not suitable subsequently offering advice on what he should wear, the child becomes further acquainted with gender socialization. Even by watching …show more content…
Hetherington and Arasteh, both renowned psychologists who specialize in child development, note, “Necessities such as food, clothes and school supplies must be made available to a child…. It comes as no surprise that on average, approximately twenty percent of a family’s income is spent on the children.” (39). Because of this, a child’s expense is costly. Some critics believe that a nuclear family is superior because there are two parents who can usually provide two incomes, as opposed to the single parent family where there is only the income of the sole parent. In most cases, this is true; the income of nuclear families tends to be more than the income of single parent families. However, these critics do not take into account the alternative means most single parents use to acquire the necessary items their child needs. Hetherington and Arasteh adds, “But there are many ways for parents to provide for children without reaching into their pockets….Each community has certain programs which accommodate and make provisions for people who need help.” (39). Basically, this is suggesting that single parent families can receive help from an institution like social services, which can offer food store and school clothing vouchers to people in need. This will alleviate single parent families food cost as well as clothing expenses. Similarly, in terms of school supplies, the
Nontraditional gender socialisation can help the child develop a more complete understanding of their personality, that takes both their feminine traits and masculine traits into consideration. This can be illustrated by Jeremy telling his mother that he got to be “a complete person” (Bem, 1998, p. 190), when asked how his upbringing enhanced his life. Further this type of parenting allows the child to be more analytical of traditional gender roles and how they might be present and potentially affect their lives. This can make them more aware of them, and could help them avoid or fight against negative effects that might arise from their presents. This can often be advantageous. Bem educated her children about traditional gender roles and their negative aspects, like sexism, and through this allowed them to have the tools to identify them early on, like Emily did in nursery school (Bem, 1998, p. 119-120). When children are being educated about traditional gender roles and their disadvantages they have an easier time identifying them later on and possibly fighting
Over the past decades, the patterns of family structure have changed dramatically in the United States. The typical nuclear family, two married parents with children living together in one household, is no longer the structure of the majority of the families today. The percentage of single-parent families, step-families and adopted families has increased significantly over the years. The nuclear family is a thing of the past. Family situations have tremendous influence upon a child’s academic achievement, behavior and social growth.
Gender may be a universal concept, but the meaning of gender differs between societies. The way humans behave, speak, experience, think, and view the world is the final product of socialization. From the moment the sex of a fetus is known, humans are being molded into the person society wants them to be. Different parts of society have different functions in the gender-socialization process. The familial relationships and interactions one has with their immediate surroundings—peers, school, religion, and neighborhood—are the most influential aspects of gender development. Loosely connected societal influences like mass media, politics, and culture are influential as well. Throughout childhood, one’s family and interactions with their immediate surroundings teach and reinforce gender, while the rest of society acts as a reinforcer. During adolescence, the broader society begins to take on a minor instructor role in relation to the family in the further development of gender. Essentially, family always acts as the main gender instructor and reinforcer, while society acts as the secondary gender instructor and reinforcer.
From a young age , many individuals worldwide are socialized according to their gender and what is appropriate for males and females. Socializing according to ones gender starts from the moment you are born when the nurses give you either a blue or pink blanket to wrap the child in. This allows society to known whether the child is a male or female. The double standard for gender occurs within many areas of development for instance the clothes one wears, the toys that are placed with, the jobs and careers one chooses in their later life. Attachment given by a child's parent reinforces an individual to be socialized and children can also contribute how their parents treat and see them , these are social constructs within parenting (Ambert,2012). All of these things can be gender separated and still are in today's society. Another area where males and females are socialized differently is in the area of sexuality and what is acceptable for males is not always for the female gender. Gender specific norms govern the appropriate amount of partners , when it is acceptable to engage in sexual activity and what motivates ones behavior (Kreager &Staff, 2009). This shows society individuals are socialized according to their gender because males are socialized into behaving a different way than girls but it still be accepted as a norm. Women are taught that it is okay to have sexual relationships but they need a reason, example being in a committed relationship, where as men just need a place. This is a common perception based on ones gender , formed from a western conservative view point ( Fugere et.al, 2008). Gender socialization is a process where boys are seen to be given wings and girls are to be given roots (Myers, Spencer, Jordan...
In the year 1962, a child would have had an 86% chance of having both parents present and living in the home. Many children in today’s generation do not have that privilege. One of the largest shifts in the family structure is the percentage (34%) of children and adolescents living with an unmarried parent. What exactly defines a single-parent household? “A single parent household can be defined as families where a parent lives with dependent children, either alone or in a larger household, without a spouse or partner.” This is an issue that continues to rise progressively each and every year, which in result has become a major concern to social scientists, child psychologists, and public officials across the nation. The effects of adolescents growing up in single-parent homes could be detrimental to their future if it is not handled properly or in a Biblical manner.
When a person is raised through socialization as a certain gender there are roles that they are expected to conform to. Gender roles are defined as “a set of behavioral norms assumed to accompany one’s status as male or female.” (Conley pg. 134) In other words, someone is typically raised as a m...
Child development and growth observation can be quite fascinating considering the uniqueness of each child. As children grow, they normally develop and acquire new skills whether complex or not. The abilities experienced by each child progresses differently that is it depends on the nurturing given by the parent or guardian and on the characteristics that they inherit. Proper development and growth of the child occurs when basic needs are provided by the reliable adult guardians, including such things as love, food, encouragement, shelter and warmth. The essay evaluates child development and growth through observation conducted by myself on my nephew. The essay will include physical development, general health, emotional development,
Since the beginning of time, fathers have had a profound effect on their child’s development. Over the years, the norm for traditional family dynamics of having a father figure in the household has changed drastically, and so did the roles of the parents. It is not as common as it used to be to have a father or father figure in the home. In this day and age, women are more likely to raise children on their own and gain independence without the male assistance due to various reasons. The most significant learning experience and development of a person’s life takes place in their earlier years when they were children. There are many advantages when there is a mother and father combined in a
Over the decades, a significant mark of the evolution of gender is the increasing social phenomenon in how society conceptualizes gender. Gender is a system of social practices for characterizing people as two different categories, femininity and masculinity and arranging social relations of inequality on the basis of that difference (Ridgeway & Correll 2004). Gender-neutral parenting (GNP) refers to raising children outside of the traditional stereotypes of girls and boys. It involves allowing children to explore their innate personalities and abilities rather than confining them into rigid gender roles that society has shaped. It can be argued that it is through socialization children discover how to operate in gendered structures, learn
The cycle of socialization is a process through which social identities are created, and in effect, each individual represents and is affected by their social identity. According to the cycle of socialization, the first stop in the socialization process is outside of one’s control—one is socialized even before they are born. Our social identities are predetermined, and we are born in a world with roles, rules, and assumptions already in place. Our family and role models teach these rules and roles to us, for they are the shapers of expectations, values, and norms. The first step in the cycle of socialization is directly related to mental models. In the beginning of the socialization process, we are taught certain rules and roles to follow. Ultimately, we are taught how to act by our families who raise us, which shapes our mental models. At a young age, my mom dressed me in dresses and put me in dance classes. My girl friends and I were all expected to take dance lessons and to enjoy playing house with each other. My dad taught my brothers when they were young to act tough and to play sports like football and hockey. During my childhood, I never questioned my parents. I enjoyed doing what “girls are supposed to do,” and I felt comfortable doing what all the other girls were doing in my school. I agree that parents are responsible for socializing their children and they have a huge influence on how we act our gender and our social roles. As a result, our mental models, which shape how we act, are created and enforced at a young age. Socialization is reinforced throughout our lifetime not only through our parents and teachers, but also through the messages from institutions and our culture.
There are many ways in which society can influence an individual. An individual can be influenced by the news, family, and friends. However an individual does not think much about how their gender has influenced their life. Gender socialization can be defined as the “process by which individuals are taught how to socially behave in accordance with their assigned gender, which is assigned at birth based on their biological sex” (Boundless, 2015). This is a process that begins from the moment that an individual’s life starts. As a child, each gender is treated differently. Girls are given dolls and are expected to stay clean when playing outside. Boys are given toy cars and are allowed to get dirty when playing outside (Sanderson, 2008). Gender
The introduction of gender roles begins with social agents such us family, education, interest groups, and mass media as we grow. Children are introduced to certain norms and behaviors that are typically link to biological sex. Men and women are expected to act and behave according to society gender patterns. Even today, we tend to guide male infants to fix his toys and girls to cook with mother. Gender socialization occurs to reinforces gender roles by creating and maintaining expectations for gender-specific
According to Ozgen (1995) the process of consumer socializing of children is a combination of inputs like individual factors, socializing factors and learning mechanism in their childhood. The above drawn figure 1.1 explains that all these three factors, individual, socializing and learning mechanisms will act as input for consumer socializing of children across different situations and cultures.
We may be personally responsible for our own misconceptions of gender and masculinity. Our actions about these topics speak louder than words. Sociologist, Ann Oakley argues that parents often mold their children around certain behaviors, with positive and negative consequences, to adhere to the standards that are socially acceptable. Oddly there is a strong back lash to this sort of treatment in females. In a study done conducted by Michael Messner, when asked who was a tomboy and who was a sissy as children, women raised their hands more often to identify with the tomboy image. The tomboy trait celebrates masculinity and restricts femininity. Often children explore many traits about themselves, as Allen explained to Pascoe, “When you’re younger…you’re a kid. You are wide open…You just do what you want” (Pascoe 118). Darnell, a football player, stated “Since you were little boys you’ve been told, ‘hey don’t be a little faggot’” (p 55). Darnell showcasing that males are conditioned very early like females about their roles of masculinity. These children are taught about how masculinity works. In the school Pascoe researched, a faculty member, Mr. Ford, reminded males students through his reply to a backhanded comment made to him from another student that men should engage in sexual actives with women, not men. Another...
Through various cultures, there can be great consistency in the standards of desirable gender-role behavior. At a very early age, children go through the process of gender socialization and learn what it means to be a boy or girl in society. These behaviors and attitudes are generally instilled at home and then reinforced by the child’s friends, school life and exposure to media (Witt para. 1). The ultimate actors, however, are the parents. From their influence as role models, a child may be pushed towards activities and commitments that are meant for their specific gender. Some may wonder why they lean them toward such standards. In fact, with the conformity of gender roles come a wide variety of variables to consider such as possible discrimination,