Sociology and Socialization: Gender Differences Examined Birthday

Sociology and Socialization: Gender Differences Examined

Birthday Cards

Go to any card shop and take a look at the birthday cards. Birthday cards display numerous messages about society's attitudes toward gender, age, mental status and more. Most of the birthday cards available in a typical Hallmark store, the store examined, display what might be considered gender 'norms'. For example, girl's birthday cards are mostly offered in pink, showing pictures of flowers or bunnies or other soft items. Male birthday cards often depict pictures of sporting items, blue colors, or even women. The cards available suggest that differences exist between what men and women like, and emphasize that these 'norms' have become social institutions. The messages provided in cards suggest that women want to hear flowery messages of love and caring, whereas men would rather here a good joke or look at a picture of a member of the opposite sex.

Inequality isn't necessarily evident in birthday cards, though the notion that getting older is unacceptable or at minimum something to be made a mockery of is evident in many of the birthday messages. Phrases like 'geezer' are typically used to describe people advancing in age.

Human consciousness is in part a direct reflection of the images and messages that are sent to people by the media. Social control is maintained via messages, which suggest for example, that people get feebler minded as they grow older. Birthday cards are far more abundant for young people and for older people, suggesting that entertaining youth is a priority and poking fun of aging is equally important.

Infant Clothes

Gender starts to count from day one. In the infant clothing store you will see clothing labeled from 0-3 months, or from the time a baby is born. And from that time, clothes are differentiated by color and style. Much like cards, girl's clothes are often soft and feminine, while boys are cleaner cut and 'masculine' depicting sports or other hobbies typically considered 'male oriented.' From an early age girls are socialized to be 'ladylike' and feminine, as evidenced by the number of frilly dresses and soft clothing available for girl babies.

Most babies would do nothing more than spit up on the frilly dresses offered at the baby store. Girls clothing is much more impractical than infant boy clothes, given that most baby's do nothing more than eat, sleep and poop in the first few months of life. However despite this even at a young age female members of society seem inundated with the message that they need to dress up, look great, and maintain an image that is both feminine and cute. Boy clothing is much more practical and oriented to the types of activity children should be engaging in, such as playing, sleeping and tumbling about.

Social inequities are apparent from this early age. There is a far greater selection of clothing for girl babies than boy babies, suggesting early on that girls be more concerned with their appearance than boys. Miniature versions of stockings are even available for girl babies to wear. While barrettes and hair clips are abundant for little girl babies, few if any accessories exist for little boy babies.