How gender roles and stereotypes affect children Essay

Like close to people I throw nieces and nephews. Whenever I seduce my niece to McDonalds she endlessly orders the felicitous Meal. Without asking whether we indirect requested a girlfriend or male child toy, they mechanic wholey gave her the Polly Pocket Doll, quite of the Smurf toy that she make believeually was hoping for. Being a girl, the crack assumed that she would p evoke the doll over the Smurf toy. This sort of incident happens more than(prenominal) than often than you would moot. It really made me, wonder how sex activity roles and stereotypes affect kidskinren in their everyday lives.Gender roles and stereotypes bewilder a significant effect on children. They be constantly bombarded with images of what a girl is suppose to act same(p). The alike(p) thing is portrayed to the boys. They be taught that they atomic number 18 supposed to be knockout individuals, while girls be seen as little weak beings who are ghost with superficial things. In the long run these images of what they are supposed to act like even sotually shape who they sour as adults.Gender roles refer to the set of social and behavioral norms that are considered to be appropriate for individuals of a unique(predicate) sex in the context of a specific culture, which disaccord widely between cultures and over time. Gender stereotypes are simplistic generalizations close to the sex activity attributes, differences, and roles of distinct groups or individuals, According to Joan, Ferrante, Seeing Sociology An Introduction 2011. They are relevant in more ways than most people even care to recognize. Sources such as advertisements, television, sports, and even parents are where children pick up most of their behavior traits. These factors could affect sex activity, growth, development, genius, and employment choices.There are some(prenominal) ways for children to be influenced gender stereotypes. Researchers such as Adrian Furnham and Twiggy Mak, establ ish that advertisement is one of the main factors in keeping gender stereotypes existing in children. Toy commercials are the ones usually perpetuating these roles and stereotypes. Commercials that are tar issue forthed towards girls usually control playing house or cooking. They almost always shake off a doll in their hand. Being popular, beautiful, and passive are key points the media tries to get across. Girls are never seen playing with boy toys such as trucks or guns.In addition, commercials targeted towards boys they are seen as power seekers. Speed and physical force are a huge factor when it comes to the toys that are supposedly for their gender. The children in the commercials are told to act aggressively and independently. Society wants boys to take and require more dominant roles. The boys in commercials will never be seen playing with girl toys.By the time a child reaches four they realize their sexuality and pick toys targeted towards their sex group. That is also honourable to the highest degree the time where they learn the behaviors associated with their specific gender. Children tend to associate the toys they play with to what they see in their environment. If a childs behaviors and interests stray away from what is believed to be normal then they are subject to discrimination and ridicule by their peers and adults.Carol Lynn Martin thinks, approximately children break traits of both sexes. When a child notices that they act outside of what is considered normal for their gender, they become sexually confused. On the inside they tend to question why they are not like most children of the same sex. Most children who show antagonist sex characteristics are often labeled gay. Boys who show more feminine traits are called effeminate. They are seen as the boys who want to be girls. Usually they gravitate more towards female or domestic activities, have all female friends, and tend to cross-dress. Girls who participate in the more male activities are labeled as tomboys. They usually enjoy boyish sports, have all male friends and often wish to be a boy. disrespect universey of our beliefs, parents also influence their children on what is and what is not appropriate for their gender. Children learn a lot of day to day duties and behaviors from what they pick up from their parents. commonly parents tend to treat their children of different genders differently from the time they are born. They always expect different behaviors and reactions. For example, if a little girl falls and cries, she is right away consoled and nurtured. At the same time if this same incident were to happen to a little boy he would be told to suck it up crybaby or crying is for girls. Instead of enforcing societies expectations on the child parents should help them train to become the unique person they are destined to be.Even the color in that a child wears contributes to what are seen as girl or boy colors. Most boys are dressed in blue , red, black, dark green, and brown. In logical argument girls traditionally wear pink, yellow, light green, and purple. If you little boys favorite color suitting so happens to be yellow there is a possibility that you would you settle him and tell him its a girl color. Many would not take his individuality. You should not see your son as less of a man because of a color. Many parents do each and every day.In intercourse to environment, girls tend to pick up on what they see the female show in the house doing. Barbie Dolls tend to heavily reinforce roles such as domestic duties, narcissism, and popularity, which show that there is not much to women besides their outer(prenominal) appearance and reputation. Toys such as Baby Born teach girls that women have babies and stay home to care for and nurture them. Toys such as uncomplicated Bake Ovens teach girls that the woman cooks while the man of the house is at work. Boys always pick up on the behaviors of the male figure in the house hold. Such as taking out the trash, fixing things around the house, and going to work.On another note, toys aimed at boys are usually more aggressive and independent. Guns, tools, and trucks are seen as things that boys tend to gravitate towards because they are all seen as norms as it relates to male hobbies. Male children are more influenced to be strategic thinkers in relation to military based toys and games. From early childishness to adulthood boys are taught to be in charge as idea of the household. Showing authority and superiority are the standard roles and stereotypes that boys are held to.Children are also restrained to gender roles and stereotypes through sports. According to society girls and women are supposed to do more feminine sports. It is rare that you hear about a female football player winning the Superbowl. In the field of sports girls are seen as weak and fragile. Boys are typically seen as disclose athletes. They are being told that they need to be stronger and faster than the next boy by parents and society. Boys are expected to do more contact and direct aggressive sports. A boy usually would not be seen in a dance recital for The Nut Cracker. This is because it is outside of their set of norms.When it comes to gender roles in the work place, girls see on TV that they are supposed to be a secretary, nurse or any other job that is under a male figure. That goes back to the toys they play with enforcing a good and nurturing personality, also that women are supposed to be passive and submissive to men. Most girls see it as they should be the nurse to a male doctor. Boys think they should be the business owner with a female secretary. Boys do not usually see themselves as a hairstylist, but it does occasionally happen. lock in like girls do not see themselves as a valet de chambre famous football player, because of gender stereotypes girls tend not to strive as high in the work place because most liveliness that the ma les should take care of most of the financial needs, since they grow up seeing males as the head of the household.Society and parents should do a better job in promoting gender neutral toys and ideas. Fisher price and leapfrog are striking manufacturers of toys that lean towards no specific gender with toys that focus more on education than anything else. Which is what we as a society should be pushing instead of colors and stereotypical gender roles. Dont let the gender of your child be determined by what color he or she has, or what toys they play with. Kids should not be pushed into a specific form when it comes to their sexuality or gender. America needs to learn that everyone is an individual and has different ideas on how they should think or behave.Overall I feel that kids should just be kids, which entails them making their own life choices when it comes to their personality and sexuality. Their gender and personality should not be determined by what color they are wearing , what toys they conduct to play with or who they hang around. They should be treated with respect no matter what their preferences are. Parents should embrace gender neutral ideas. This would make children more easy with whatever choices they make. There is no reason any child should feel like an outcast in society because their personality does not fit the norms that goes within their gender.Acknowledgements I would like to first and foremost thank my mother. Without her I would not have been as focused on getting this project done as I am now. Secondly I want to thank me boyfriend for making me take time out of our feeling time to make sure I was doing my work as remote as the research and writing process goes. Also I would like to thank the Writers Studio and the Center for Academic Success. polish but not least I want to give a huge thank you to myself for pushing through the toughest times and getting this write up done. Seeing as how this paper has been the biggest obst acle academically this semester, I still managed to persevere and hopefully make a good grade.