Page 106 - Essencials of Sociology

Socialization into Gender 79

The gender roles that we learn
during childhood become part of our
basic orientations to life. Although
we refine these roles as we grow
older, they remain built around
the framework established during
childhood.

Boys are more likely to get guns and “action figures” that destroy enemies. Girls are
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more likely to be given dolls and jewelry. Some parents try to choose “gender neutral” Activity: Single Parent Households
toys, but kids know what is popular, and they feel left out if they don’t have what the
other kids have. The significance of toys in gender socialization can be summarized this
way: Most parents would be upset if someone gave their son Barbie dolls.
We also learn gender through play. Parents subtly “signal” to their sons that it is okay
for them to participate in more rough-and-tumble play. In general, parents expect their
sons to get dirtier and to be more defiant, their daughters to be daintier and more com-
pliant (Gilman 1911/1971; Nordberg 2010). And in large part, parents get what they
expect.
Our experiences in socialization lie at the heart of the sociological explanation of
male–female differences. For a fascinating account of how socialization can trump biol-
ogy, read the Cultural Diversity box on the next page.
Gay and Lesbian Parents. Do the gender messages that homosexual parents give
their children differ from those of heterosexual parents? The initial findings indicate that
there are differences. In their play, the children of lesbian couples and gay male couples
show less gender stereotyping. That is, the boys show more behaviors that are tradition-
ally considered feminine, and the girls more behaviors that are traditionally considered
masculine (Goldberg et al. 2012). This research is in its infancy, though, and this par-
ticular study is limited. It was based not on observation of the children but on reports
from the parents, which can be quite biased.
If these initial findings hold up, an area of research will be how the parents give their
gender messages. It is likely that these parents show less stereotypical masculine and fem-
inine behaviors and are more tolerant of their children’s behavior that does not conform
to traditional ideas of masculinity and femininity.

Gender Messages from Peers

Sociologists stress how this sorting process into gender that begins in the family is rein-
forced as children are exposed to other aspects of society. Of those other influences, one
of the most powerful is the peer group, individuals of roughly the same age who are
linked by common interests. Examples of peer groups are friends, classmates, and “the
kids in the neighborhood.”
As you grew up, you saw girls and boys teach one another what it means to be female
or male. You might not have recognized what was happening, however, so let’s eaves-
drop on a conversation between two eighth-grade girls studied by sociologist Donna
Eder (2007).
CINDY: The only thing that makes her look anything is all the makeup . . .
PENNY: She had a picture, and she’s standing like this. (Poses with one hand on her hip
and one by her head) peer group a group of individuals,
CINDY: Her face is probably this skinny, but it looks that big ‘cause of all the makeup often of roughly the same age, who
are linked by common interests and
she has on it.
orientations
PENNY: She’s ugly, ugly, ugly.