Gender Socialization Theory Analysis

Gender identity formation is the process we follow because of dominant norms that influence us to act, speak and perform a certain way that will benefit us within our society (Lei, 2003). The term gender performativity created by a post-structuralist philosopher named Judith Butler suggests that we are not born with a specified gender, yet she believes we are born with a specific sex that has socially constructed assumptions attached to it. The actual term gender performativity believes we can perform against our gender script. For example men can wear makeup and women can play sports, yet many avoid this and choose to follow this script in order to feel included within our human culture (Wells, 2015). Many people believe that gender identity …show more content…
Children view other males and females interactions and behaviours which allows them to understand what is expected of their sex (Wells, 2015). This theory also believes that parents have a big impact on children’s understanding of gender roles as parents will noticeably act differently towards different sexes, supporting these socially constructed beliefs. From the way they decorate their child’s room, to the types of toys they allow their child to play with, they may not notice but they are teaching gender roles to their children (Wells, 2015). In lecture we learned about some of the problems with this theory as it enforces the idea that gender is biological and that these attributes are permanent as anyone who resists these characteristics are seen as gay, lesbian, a tomboy or a sissy. Comparing Judith Butler’s “gender performativity” to this theory is interesting as they are two different points of views. Judith argues that individuals can perform against these gender scripts, ignoring social influences whereas the socialization theory believes all of our actions are influenced by …show more content…
This divide between male and female is seen as something that is biological, and these theories prove to people how gender is not biological and how it has been constructed throughout different cultures. These theories prove how our peers, families and society have led us to become more like the dominant gender we are assigned to. Gender performativity challenges these gender constructs by suggesting how we perform is our true ‘gender’. Our interests, hobbies and actions should not be defined as masculine or feminine, and gender performativity supports the idea that we should perform in ways that allow us to feel most comfortable in our true