How Does Gender Stereotypes Affect Children

Men and women throughout time, typically follow a set of rules or general attitudes that are accepted by society, this is known as gender roles. This mindset is not naturally instilled and must be taught from generation to generation. How children are raised can affect their mindset as they grow up over time. Children can be influenced by many factors, such as; parents, media, location, and social standing. Parenting, along with the environment can be viewed as key factors that affects youth development and instill mindsets, such as gender roles.

While parents have a heavy influence over children, it may not be their intention to instill gender stereotypes. In the Journal of Adolescence, Susan Witt states “… the strongest influence on gender

role development seems to occur within the family setting, with parents passing on, both overtly and covertly, their own beliefs about gender” (Witt 253). One example can be viewed even before a child is born. After knowing the sex of a child, parents will get gender-based clothes, and paint the room a color based on his/her gender. While this seems normal, it can instill gender roles down the road. Once the child grows up they receive toys based on gender and learn to behave a certain way. For example, a girl receiving a doll and playing house, while a boy plays with cars or a ball outside. Schools whether intentional or not, also enforce these roles. Boys are seen playing sports while girls are supporting as cheerleaders. Film can also show us how parents influence gender roles within a certain time-period.
Splendor in the Grass, a film produced by Elia Kazan, can give us an insight to gender stereotypes and parental influence in the 1920’s. The 1920’s was a time of change as the Progressive Era was underway. What was considered the average life changed due to modernizations and changes in social standing. People wanted to earn an education and live a better life. This lead to people creating businesses and moving to the city, rather than working on a farm or ranch. This also leads to parents pushing new goals into children’s lives, to live a better than themselves. The effect of these changes can be seen through the main characters in the film Wilma Dean Loomis and Bud Stamper.
The film is about a pair of high school students who are in love and in a relationship. This relationship becomes strained over time due to the wishes of their parent’s. In a review by Hodgens, she states “The screenplay concerns a nice girl and a good boy who are dominated by Neanderthalish parents, fear, and ideals” (Hodgens 61). The film is in a time where premarital sex is considered wrong and will damage a person and their parents reputation. A couple will have sex after marriage and start a family. Men are considered the worker and is the provider for the family. Women takes care of the house and cooks for the family. While these ideas may seem dated, it was passed down from generation to generation. During this time, parents raised their kids the only way they knew how. Much of parenting comes from past experience when they were a child listening to his/her mother and father.
A woman’s virginity was a commodity when it came to marriage.

When a family wants to marry into another family of a higher social class, the woman’s virginity was a must. It acted as a symbol that the person was a “good girl” and someone that is respected and “wife material”. In the film, Mrs. Loomis, Deanie’s mother, questions if she is still a virgin. She warns Deanie to be careful with men and states “boys don’t respect a girl they can go all the way with, boys want a nice girl for a wife.” For the opposite sex, this is not true. Men’s virginity was not seen as a commodity. It seems that social class was one of the main points for men to get married. Bud comes from a wealthy family and is seen as the ideal husband in the eyes of the girls in the high school. When Bud started to struggle with all his activities, Ace Stamper, Bud’s father suggests for his son to sleep with an easy woman. It is easily seen that it was fine for men to sleep around, but if women did, they were considered spoiled and not wife material.

Household duties were also defined by gender. It was seen through Deanie’s and Bud’s parents. In both households Ace Stamper and Del Loomis were the breadwinner, the man who supported the family. Mrs. Loomis and Mrs. Stamper was the housewife, the person who cooked, cleaned, and took care of the house. While Mrs. Loomis wants Deanie to go to a good college, she also wants her to marry Bud, have children and become a

housewife.
The couple eventually breaks up, after Bud cheats and sleeps with another woman. This lead to heartbreak and nearly led Deanie to commit suicide. After time apart, both Deanie and Bud marry other people. When they met again in the film they state “I don’t think much about happiness, what’s the point? You gotta take what comes.” What was portrayed as a happy couple that would have had a great marriage got destroyed due to gender roles and ideals instilled through parenting and society. Parents have a powerful influence over children that affects youth culture and the mindset of the next generation.
Boyhood, a film produced by Richard Linklater in 2014, can show us a modern approach to parental influence and gender roles. Boyhood is known as a coming of age film that shows moments of a boy’s life over the span of twelve years. While boyhood is the main theme, it is also a woman’s film, that as Ruby states, “traces the infinitely inspiring and dispiriting stages of a woman’s life from youth into middle age” (Rich 45). The character development over time can show us the effect of parental influence. Comparing both Boyhood and Splendor in the Grass can show us differences over time when it comes to the embedding of gender roles through parenting between the 20th and 21st century.
In boyhood, many of the ideals from Splendor in the Grass are lost or are of less importance. For example, premarital sex, specifically for women isn’t frowned upon by the general public or ruins family reputation. Education is still valued and pushed upon by parents. The goal is still to live a better life than your parents, with successful careers. Gender roles are still somewhat present in Boyhood but have clearly changed when compared to the 20th century. Women have the ability to be independent and successful without being a simple housewife. Olivia, Mason’s mother, is for the most part a single parent. She struggles to support her children with the lack of their father being around and decides to move in order to finish her education and become a professor. After some time, she ends up marrying a professor called Bill Welbrock. It is during this time we start to see gender roles appear.
Olivia, while continuing her education, becomes the caretaker of the family and the house. Bill is seen as the strict person who supports the family, while Olivia prepares dinner and supports her husband. This is similar to Splendor in the Grass, except now we have younger children growing up in this environment. The main change in environment happens when Bill becomes alcoholic and one day assaults his wife. This results in Mason’s family having the move again. Oliva, later on, marries once again to an ex-military man who doesn’t get along with Mason. The environment, along with parenting plays a key role in a child’s development and instilment of values.
Due to the constant change in Mason’s life, he develops an apathetic attitude. Mason has no ambition along with a lack of motivation and a dislike for authority figures. This can stem from his lack of a strong or active father figure in his life. The movie ends when Mason enters college, which makes it difficult to tell the type of person he will become in the future. Similar to Splendor in the Grass, I believe Mason will follow into gender roles based on his experience from his family dynamic. When faced in an unknown situation, we use experience to help guide us similar to Mrs. Loomis.
When comparing both films, we can see the effect parenting has on youth. It plays a crucial role in a person’s development, along with their values in life. As mentioned, the general attitudes or rules that are deemed as normal by society are not naturally instilled from birth. These ideals or mindsets come from several factors, such as our environment and parental influence. One of these mindsets being gender roles. When looking over time, we can see that parenting still holds a strong influence over youth. What is deemed as acceptable by society has changed over time. People, regardless of gender, have a greater sense of freedom when compared to the 20th century as depicted in Splendor in the Grass. Not everything has changed, as some stereotypical gender roles still remain as seen in Boyhood. These examples verify how parenting, along with the environment can be viewed as key factors that affects youth development and instill mindsets, such as gender roles.