Gender Socialization Essay

Socialization plays a huge role in an individual’s life, especially in the early years. Family, friends, teachers and the community surrounding the individual will dictate the information that they are exposed to and the opportunities they have. This paired with gender, race and socioeconomic status can create a huge advantage or disadvantage for someone early in life. Socialization of a child affects all aspects of their life, including what they consider normal or deviant. Actions and values that are promoted by family and friends are often considered “normal” to a child even if it is detrimental to them or others. On the other hand, actions or values that are rejected or the child is disciplined for become deviant in their mind (Baumrind, …show more content…
From gender specific toys and clothing to who I was allowed to hang out with and extracurricular activities, I was expected to adhere to my gender role as a female. This was mainly dictated by my parents, but was also encouraged by extended family and teachers. At recess, girls and boys were often separated into groups by “appropriate” stereotypical activities (Crespi, 2003) for them to engage in. As a female, I was expected to play hopscotch, with dolls or on the swings, where as the boys played kickball, tag, and soccer. This is supported by Crespi’s idea that for females, attachment is valued over achievement while achievement is valued over attachment in males (2003). Also, gender roles promote heteronormitivity, passiveness in females and aggression in males (Crespi, 2003), which can be detrimental for society as a whole. Growing up with strict gender roles being promoted at school and at home taught me as a child that I would be rejected by society if I did not adhere to them. Since moving out of my parent’s house and interacting with individual’s with different life experiences than me, I have learned that it is socially acceptable for an individual to partake in activities that isn’t necessarily within their “gender