A fairy tale…
Once upon a time there lived a beautiful, innocent, and demure princess captured and left stranded on a cursed forest by the evil Queen. Her only hope was to be saved and kissed by a fearless and bold prince on the third day before sunset or else she would be turned into an old dying stump of a tree. Sound sort of familiar? This is a classic example of the many fairy tales we’ve heard growing up. This is just one example of how children learn about gender roles through observation, in this case media. Beautiful…demure…bold…fearless…passive…active…. are some of the characteristics of males and females we hear constantly in our everyday lives.
Gender roles can be defined as the social and behavioural norms that are suitable in society and culture for people of different genders. At a young age, children are learning and understanding about the different characteristics of being a male and female which is vital for their development socially. Children learn through observation and interaction in their daily lives which is where their understanding and forming of gender roles occur. Gender roles are not natural but rather are influenced by family, peers, society and the media.
Influence by family…
Right from birth, parents are usually the first exposure children have when pertaining to gender roles. Starting from how children are dressed, gender specific clothing forms the physical components of gender segregation. For instance “only girls can wear dresses” or “pink is for girls and blue is for boys.” Selecting gender specific toys, parents encourage children to partake in gender type play such as boys playing with cars and girls playing with dolls. Play is an essential element to a child’s development and parents usually engage in a more gender suitable play with their children. For example fathers play aggressively with their sons building a sense of toughness in them versus soft delicate play with their daughters forming a sense of passiveness and gentleness in them. Chores also impact gender segregation. For example, girls observe and are taught by their mothers to do most or all of the household chores such as cleaning, cooking and laundry. Whereas boys are given chores such taking out the trash and mowing the lawn.
Monkey see monkey do. Children really learn through mimicking and following in the footsteps of their parents, especially when it comes to the same sex parent. Every action displayed by the parent, the child observes and will experience it for themselves. For example, a mother preparing dinner and a father mowing the lawn.
Influence by peers and society…
The interactions with peers and society have a major impact on the way children express themselves. Depending on the peer culture, interactions can be different between children. Grade school classrooms are mainly gender segregated where children learn from each other, their teachers and the environment around them. What usually results from these interactions are stereotypes. The traditional roles of women being more passive, kind and nurturing contrasting with men as being independent, active and bold is taught consciously and unconsciously in society today and is being reenacted by children. This establishes gender expectations and what is acceptable or not to the peer group and determines whether a child will continue on to perform a certain activity or interaction.
Rejection is the last thing a child ever wants which puts major pressure on gender roles and preferred same-sex groups. In a gender role study with children, Fagot (1990) found that boys who played with dolls instead of trucks were five times more likely to get harassed than the “norm” and girls who chose to take on more male occupations than female ones were ignored. Children surround themselves with peers of the same sex to feel an immediate social comfort and acceptance from their peers conforming to what is expected from them. When cross-sex groups come in the picture, it is usually frowned upon by peers. The names “sissy” or “tomboy” play out when different sex peers interact with each other which results in segregation by gender. Activities and games children take part in are also constituted by segregation as boys choose playmates who are more active and loud while girls choose ones that are composed and cooperative. Children are then drawn to peers of the same sex and adapt to behavior that is gender applicable.
What affects a child’s behavior and attitude towards gender now will have its consequences in the future. This can set limits on future occupations, for instance boys wanting to become nurses or girls wanting to become firefighters are discouraged. This can lead to an unsatisfied and unfulfilling career and future.
Influence by media…
The media (television, books, radio, magazines, etc) are a huge concern in today’s society when it comes to the segregation of gender roles. Mass media is something that children are exposed to every day of their lives and as a result draws the fine line between boys being portrayed one way (masculine) and girls the other (feminine). Picture books more so for the younger children, give off most male characters as a more active, brave and independent role than female characters as they are more passive and caring. This influences children on how males and females should act and sets the expectations high. Focusing on television, the Disney Princesses give young viewers mixed messages about how the only way to find love is through beauty and to marry a bold and courageous prince. The message portrayed is that boys are expected to fill the role of Prince Charming and girls to fill the role of a Princess. These vulnerable young minds are being shaped by the powerful messages of media.
Therefore as you can see, Gender roles are not natural. They are influenced by family, peers, society and the media. They are learned through observation and interaction. You can say that they are socially constructed.
Watch this interesting video on gender roles from a kid’s perspective!
Children, Youth & Society 