Gender Stereotypes In Childhood

Still engulf in the fantasy of superhero’s, and fairy tales, the division between gender behaviors, in regards to toys, remains a mystery. Researchers still have not been able to pin point why girls tend to play with dolls while boys tend to play with action figures. Nor have they figure out if the preconceived notion that cross-gender play fosters some children’s confusion about sexual orientation or gender is true or false. According to Renzetti and Curran, both respected professors in the field of sociology, studies have shown that from the moment of birth parents began interacting with there child based on sex. They began to identify and label them with colors and based on the child’s sex and even go as far as to began formulate different …show more content…
Two opposing ideologies being imposed laid heavy on my shoulders weighing me to the ground. It was difficult trying to fulfill the opposite expectations of both my parents. My father who was stern about me fitting the restraints of a male gender role implored me to be a future star quarterback, or a soldier. Then there was my mother who was neutral in when it came to gender roles and could careless if I wanted to be a dancer, or doctor. I recall the Christmas about 4 years after my parents had got a divorce, I asked my father for the GI Joe. Although, it was slightly outdated, he didn’t pose many questions. In fact, I’ve never seen him so excited to put up money for a toy; he had a habit of being a bit of a cheapskate. I guess he saw it as some type of conformation or confession that I wanted a solider, but I simply wanted to complete the collection of the many unwanted model war ships, fighter jets, and tanks he had bought me over the years. I had a real pet peeve about leaving things incomplete so I needed a model soldier to finish the …show more content…
My father was more to impose his beliefs whereas my mother shared he beliefs with me and encouraged me to make beliefs of my own. Because my mother was neutral I began to become more defined in my neutrality. The spectrum between boy toys and girl toys became oblivious, toys where simply toys. I began to play equally with just as many gender specific boy and girl toys, as well as gender neutral toys too. Of course this was subconsciously done at the time because I didn’t have didn’t have a clear understanding of the influence others expectations of me was having on my choices of things so simple. I do have the understanding now that because I played with toys deemed for girls or gender neutral toys in no shape or form do I feel such actions made me question my sexuality or