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What is gender role socialization?

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Individuals learn their gender roles through socialization. Gender socialization' begins at birth and continues throughout life. In most' Kenyan communities, gender is reinforced from infancy by the selection of sex-specific clothes and toys. Baby-girls are, often dressed in pink; boys in blue. Infant girls are given dolls while boys are given model cars. This sends signals, right from infancy, that vehicles being to men (that may explain why many women avoid driving later on in life). Among the Agikuyu community in Kenya, the number of ululation when a boy is born differs from that of a girl birth. The boy child gets more ululations. This inequality that starts right from infancy is translated into unequal power relations between men and .women at all levels of society.

Society holds different expectations for boys and girls. In most cases, little boys are expected to be adventurous, assertive, aggressive and active while their female peers are expected to be polite., gentle and passive. Parents and community members will express concern over a passive boy and an aggressive girl. Differing gender expectations extend to school and career pursuits. Males are expected to be good at mathematics and science and be mechanically inclined. Females are expected to excel in languages, social sciences and art. A man who chooses art is viewed by many as being Mess' of a man. Men are not supposed to show their emotions; tears from a man raise eyebrows. For women, it is considered normal to be emotional. Society reinforces the two positions.

Some careers have been a male domain for a long time. The military is an example. Women's participation, if at all, was limited to nursing, clerical work and laundry. When women were later integrated, they could be discharged upon marriage or pregnancy. However, some people still feel that military service is a career for males, They argue that pulling . women in the army undermines national security. They believe that during combat, servicemen will be hampered in their duties by trying to ;protect service women It is also argued that women lack the strength .'and endurance to perform effectively in combat. The most unfortunate bit is that girls and boys are made to internalize these expectations. Therefore, the prophecy that women are inferior to men tends to be reinforced because children are socialized to view and think differently.
Much gender socialization occurs in the family, mostly with parents, siblings and close relatives. Through the immediate family's conscious and unconscious actions, children learn the roles expected of them. These roles are later reinforced by school, peer’ groups and society.

francis1897 answered the question on August 22, 2022 at 11:04

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What is gender role socialization?

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