Women\'s Issues Socialized to Be

Women's Issues

Socialized to be a Woman

The purpose of this paper is to introduce and analyze the topic of sociology and women. Specifically it will discuss the many ways society socializes girls into women in America. Society and the people that make up society have many socialization techniques that compartmentalize men and women from an early age, whether these are intentional or not. Personally, my life has been socialized into being a woman in countless ways.

First, my socialization began very early in my life. I do not remember it, but my mother still has some of my baby clothes packed away, and they are all in pinks or other pastel shades that are common for baby girls. There were no "manly" items like trains or cars in my nursery, only girly things like dolls, ducks, and other baby animals, along with a few fairies and princesses thrown in. Already, I was being socialized, but I did not recognize it, of course. As I grew, there were plenty of other things that helped socialize me as a woman. When I was little, my mother bought my brother cars, and toy soldiers and games that were about war and other things, while I got dolls, books, and dress-up clothes.

My brother got to go outside and play football, climb trees, skateboard, and ride bikes, while my mother encouraged me to play inside, help her around the house doing little things, and play soccer, if I wanted to. My mother did not mean to socialize me against sports and such, but she did, I think without realizing it. She just raised me the way she had been raised, and the way most girls are raised. They are not encouraged to be "tomboys" or seem too masculine in their interests, instead, they are encourage to remain "ladylike" and play like girls at girl-inspired sports like soccer or even riding bikes and hopscotch and such. Boys play football, baseball, basketball, and hockey, and girls watch.

When I got into school, that kind of socialization continued. The boys played on certain equipment and played certain games, while the girls played at other things like hopscotch and jump rope. Sometimes the entire class would play together as a team, but usually not in the most competitive sports. Girls also had different roles in the classroom. Girls were encouraged to read, write, and were usually expected to be better at these things than boys were. They were also given classroom jobs like handing out papers and such, while boys might set up computer or audio equipment and such. There were always subtle differences between girls and boys in the classroom, and a lot of them did not really become obvious until much later in life.

It happens in high school and college, too. In high school, girls play sports like soccer and softball, but they do not play in the "big" sports like football and such. I was a cheerleader and played soccer, while the boys that played football and basketball got most of the attention and most of the dates. Dress is another way that I was socialized early. Dress today is far more provocative than it was even in my mom's day - for girls. Girls dress in low-cut jeans, tight, skimpy tops, and even in shorts and tiny skirts. Boys pretty much dress like they have always dressed - baggy pants and a t-shirt or baggy shirt or sweats. There is a huge socialization difference between how girls and boys dress, and how they see each other by the time it comes to high school. I was socialized to always look my best and always try to be attractive to the boys who paid attention to me. I think women have much more pressure on them to look good and be attractive with whatever it takes - makeup, clothing, hair, and today even plastic surgery for teens. Women are taught from a young age that they have to be attractive to attract a man, and that is the "ultimate" goal in life for most women, to attract a man. Therefore, that starts very early, even earlier than junior high school, when young girls get dolls like Barbie. These dolls establish "norms" for women that might never be attainable, but start the socialization/attractiveness policies very early for most girls. Barbie is beautiful and so she has Ken, and to get a "perfect" man like Ken, girls must be beautiful and perfect.

The socialization process continues in the educational choices most women make. In high school and college, girls are still encouraged to take up more traditionally female occupations like nursing, teaching, and some areas of business. Women in engineering, mathematics, and most areas of technology are still subtly discouraged, although more women are entering those areas, (just as more women are playing more sports). For the most part, society socializes women by telling them where they can succeed and where they will fail, which does not take into account the personality and strength of the woman at all. In high school, I was interested in science and biology, but my guidance counselor gently turned me toward teaching, instead, noting what a good "role model" I was in the classroom. I think that I might have enjoyed those areas of study, and have pursued them in college, but not as much as I thought I would when I was in high school.