Gender and Childhood: how Early Childhood Socialization Defines our Understanding of Gender? – Free Essay Example

Gender as defined by the World Health Organization is the “socially constructed characteristics of women and men.” This can include but is not limited to gender roles and norms and relationships between men and women, and these “socially constructed characteristics change from culture to culture (“Gender”). Sex and gender, while used interchangable in American vernacular, are not synonymous; sex refers to biological diffrences between males and females where as gender is gender is the social and cultural diffrences. Children can distinguish between genders as soon as eighteen months of age and have a solid understanding of stereotypes and norms by approximately age five (“Children and Gender Identity: Supporting Your Child”). Children receive gender socialization in early childhood mainly from their families, peers, media and self-socialization.

Family is the first source of socialization for a child in many aspects including gender. From birth and even before, clothes and toys are bought that correspond to the stereotypes attached to the child’s gender; for example, at the baby shower for a mother expecting a baby boy, one would be hard pressed to find toys or clothing that were pink, a traditional feminine color. A little later in life parents can be observed showing their children descriptive stereotypes, socially accepted patterns surrounding genders, when they make statements such as “boys play sports and girls play with dolls”(Leaper). Behaviours in this manner show children that there are masculine and femine ideas associated to their respective sexes.

Save your time!
We can take care of your essay

• Proper editing and formatting
• Free revision, title page, and bibliography
• Flexible prices and money-back guarantee

Place Order

Another source of chilrens’ understanding of gender comes from their peers. Children general perfer to interacte with peers of the same-sex; therefore, children of diffrent genders have diffrent experiences and learn to interact more with their own gender rather than children of the opposite gender. Overtime, these interactions promote gendered behaviours and interests leading to the development of stereotypes and biases towards the opposite gender (Martin et al.).

In today’s world, children are being exposed to more media than ever before; television and the internet are widespread and commonplace. Media portrayal of men and women offer children examples of gender norms outside of their community of family and peers. Gender stereotypes are often presented in an exaggerated manner thus exasperating the norms that children are taught by parents or peers. For example, men are often portrayed as competitive and powerful and females are portrayed as sensitive and peaceful; this reinforces the statements and actions of parents about what children should or shouldn’t do in play. These stereotypes in media show children that the norms that they experience are not limited to their family and friends but are widespread cultural characteristics.

Finally, children also seek out information regarding their gender and socialize themselves. As children’s understanding of gender increases, the idea of permanence of gender becomes aware of them. Children realize that “ a girl remains a girl even if she wears pants or plays with trucks”. This is not something they are told they learn it through their own personal experiments (Halim and Lindner). This self-socialization teaches children that gender roles allow for flexibility and nonconfirmation to social norms does not change their gender.