Mckie: Article Analysis

In the article, McKie says there are no major neurological differences between the sexes. Male and female ability differences are based on socialization and not genetics; old fashioned stereotypes are what cause most Americans to believe that differences between sexes are actually based on genetics. (Mckie, 2010). Although there are slight variations in the brains between women and men, that wiring is soft, not hard. It is flexible, malleable, and changeable (Mckie, 2010). Children don’t inherit intellectual differences; they learn them. These differences are results of what society expects a boy or girl to be. People may think these are based on genetics because most boys are a certain way and most girls are another way, but our social norms for boys and girls are so concrete …show more content…
From the very start parents dress their newborns according to gender- for example, blue blankets for boys and pink blankets for girls. Parents continue to reinforce gender role socialization by offering approval or disapproval for behavior or toys given to the children (Hanly, 2013). When children transition into school, the reinforcement continues. Parents are told that boys have poor chances of acquiring good verbal skills and girls have little prospect of developing math skills. This is a serious and unjust obstacle that is put in the paths of children’s educations. Also, since girls are anticipated to be more emotional and talkative, their verbal skills are emphasized by parents and teachers, while boys are encouraged to be strong and good at sports which improves their spatial skills (Mckie, 2010). Lastly, schools also come with new peers, which also encourage gender role socialization. They do this by calling each other names such as “sissy” if they are interested in doing “girl” things such as going to a tea party (Hanly, 2013). Gender socialization seems to be ingrained in our