Gender role socialization and behavioral development in childhood

Gender Behavior

The fabric of the human condition is the determination of sexual reproduction. For this reason and many others sex and gender, independently and together make up a huge body of human interest and an equal if not greater amount of confusion and controversy. The first thing question asked when we are born is: "is it a boy? Or is it a girl?" There are many expectations to gender behavior according to people's norms. How do we act? How do we dress? How do we behave? All of those questions define our gender. Some researchers even argue that gender role assignment begins even before the traditional question asked in the delivery room.

Gender-role expectations and assignments are set forth at birth, sometimes even prenatally, for many American couples elect to find out the sex of their child during the mother's pregnancy. Early preparations can then be made, such as the selection of nursery room color and decor and the purchase of gender appropriate toys and clothing. Traditionally, the predominant color for newborn boys' clothing, bedding, and/or room has been, and continues to be, blue. Similarly, the traditional color representing girls is pink. While children of both genders may initially receive soft, cuddly toys to play with, it is considered most unusual for the growing female child to be given male toys, such as footballs and trucks.

Denmark, and Nielson 455-456)

These perceptually simple actions, on the part of parents accompanied by the social normalcy of peer encouragement to follow these guidelines show a perfect example of the innate social foundations of the gender role system.

In the article "Doing Gender" Dan Zimmerman and Candace West argue that we actually "do gender" throughout our everyday lives as prescribed by social relationships, mores and taboos as well as role model and peer and adult relationships, with both our own identified and the "other" identified gender. We do gender while socializing with other people in our society. Zimmerman and West contend that gender expression is a choice, rather than a strict set of rules that are determined by the biology of the sexed being. (383) it is also clear that gender displays are also more fundamentally connected to socialization, than was once believed, at least as general concepts, such as mothering. (380) From a research perspective the differentiation between sex and gender is an important aspect of social development, as Zimmerman and West proceed through an extensive review of traditional and modern differentiation between gender, i.e. The identified role as male or female and sex, the biological expression of the same. (381-382) What seems to be most interesting about the emphasis on these two aspects of social consciousness is that viewpoints do not seem to change the rigidity of gender role assignment and gender display.

If for example one takes boys and girls on a playground, both genders have different behaviors and interests and frequently gravitate toward different games and activities. According to a rather simplistic, though universally accepted model, in assumptions and research, boys are known to be strong and alert, seeking out games or activities that are active and physical while girls are less interested in physical play and more interested in social play, such as role playing or mimicry of idealized or observed social situations. Many would call such observations, be they real or perceived, applications of sex role stereotyping:

Sex role stereotypes are widely-held beliefs about those behaviors and characteristics (Singleton, 1987). The stereotypes to a large extent become the roles. Society forces people into certain roles simply by expecting that those roles are proper and enforcing them. In general, the roles prevalent in modern Western society prescribe that men should be domineering, aggressive, and superior at the maths and sciences, should become successful in their careers, and should control and suppress their feelings. Women, on the other hand, should be submissive, nurturing, gentle, better at languages and the humanities, emotional, and desirous of nothing more than a happy family and a husband to provide for her, while she remains at home and tends the house. (Feldman NP)

It is in fact dangerous to attribute all gendered actions of children or adults through the eyes of these persistent stereotypes, many of which we are actually not consciously aware of even holding, and may actually be excessively and openly resistant to in our conscious thought. The development of these gendered roles, can even be said to be exaggerated during the school aged years, as children are experiencing a period of growth and development that requires active role play to acculturate themselves to their potential perceived social situations.

Denmark, and Nielson 459) the differential socialization of boys and girls and how children are rewarded and punished for different sets of behaviors according to their gender. Adults may praise a girl for helping her mother and a boy for exhibiting independence from his mother. Similarly, boys may be admonished for crying and girls for engaging in rough play. Modeling and imitation is a second approach to the understanding of a child's gender development that has been discussed by numerous researchers (e.g., Brannon, 2002; Golombok & Fivush, 1994). Children observe the behaviors of adults and peers who share their own gender. They also note those behaviors that are rarely seen in one sex, but often seen in the other. Children then use these observations to shape their own behavior according to what they believe is typical for girls and boys. Finally, Block (1984) suggested that parents play a crucial role in shaping their children's behaviors in ways deemed appropriate for each sex.... many parents choose different clothing for their children, encourage them to play with gender-typed toys, and divide household chores along gender lines.

Denmark, and Nielson 453)

As gender roles are considered integral to the development and maintenance of society the strictness in which they are adhered to is as rigid as almost any other social phenomena. This is something that can be seen clearly in the previous discussion about the world of work and adult satisfaction, as it applies to men and women.

Gender roles as they are assigned by society are clearly demonstrative of culture, and yet in a culture where so much has been challenged with regard to tradition, including but not limited to gender roles, there seems to be little "progress" in the way of either allowable deviation of gender roles or gender mobility. No matter how the researchers and educators define sex and gender it is so absolutely crucial to the maintenance of society that it continues to be a determined and dichotomous social situation, frequently defined by traditional ideals, i.e. gender stereotypes regardless of their truth. The standard colors for the nursery, will likely remain the same and grandparents and siblings will likely continue to buy pink or blue, based on the known gender of the child. Additionally, women will likely continue, for the foreseeable future in a role of conflict between productive and reproductive responsibilities all of which mitigates the continuation of rigid gender roles.