Example Of Essay On Gender Socialization: How I Met Your Mother

“How I Met Your Mother” is an American sitcom that has proven to be a breath of fresh air amongst television viewers. The airs on CBS but reruns of the show are available on online streaming sites such as Netflix and Amazon. Currently in its 9th season, How I Met Your Mother has been met with critical acclaim and has managed to draw millions of viewers every week it is on air. The how airs on Monday in the United states at 8.pm E.T on the CBS network. The show main characters are a group of friends named Ted, who is the central character, Robin, Barney, Lilly and Marshall. The show mainly revolves around Ted narrating to his future children how he met their mother and his wife. He narrates his experiences with his friends in New York City. Throughout its run, the show explores the various relationships that Ted and his friends go through together and their careers. The show depicts a reversal of gender roles between men and men. Various characters in the show, specifically Ted, Lily, Marshall and Robin for the most part exhibit a reversal of gender roles in the modern contemporary society. Although there are minor occasions when the show propagates some of the traditional gender roles and norms, it challenges most of these norms for the larger part therefore demonstrating the enormous role of the media in gender socialization. The show emerges as a bridge of gender stratification within the modern society whereby the roles of women are no longer that differentiated or have been reversed.
The show appears to be satirizing traditional gender roles. Women are no longer depicted as desperate when it comes to finding long-standing relationships. Instead, the men can also partake on that particular role. Throughput the show, Ted is seen desperately trying to look for a lifelong partner. He is a hopeless romantic who holds the belief that almost every single girl that he meets might potentially be the “one”. He comes across as the person who is stupendously desperate and sacred of being alone and who always wants to have a female partner or girlfriend.
Ted’s character is a juxtaposition of the character played by Robin. Robin comes across a strong willed and independent woman who is not searching for a lifelong partner or a long lasting relationship. Robin’s character is a challenge to traditional gender roles that suggests that it is only a man who may not have the desire to be married or even have children. For the larger part of the show, Robin does not wish to get married nor have children (although she gets married later in the show). This can be seen to be an unnatural trait for women that for a long time have not been existent within pop culture. She almost exhibits “masculine” characteristics when it comes to relationship, family and commitment.
The other character Marshall Eriksen also challenges the traditional norms of gender socialization. In spite of husky and manly appearance, Marshall is extremely sensitive and emotional, traits that can be assumed to almost feminine. The only time he perpetuates his masculine traits in his role as his family’s breadwinner. In all other occasions, it is actually his wife really who controls almost every aspect of their relationship and marriage.
Lily who is Marshal’s wife is an extremely empowered woman who almost wears the pants in her marriage with Marshall. She is the more mature one in the relationship and throughput the show, she acts as the peacekeeper. Although there are times in the show when her maturity can also be question, she is however for the most part very mature and her marriage stability can almost be credited to her sorely. Lily can be seen as an advocate of feminism where she takes more power and control in her relationship in spite of the fact that her career position is almost inferior to that of her husband (she is a kindergarten teacher while her husband is lawyer).
The final character in the show is Barney Stinson; Barney is womanizer who is also extremely fearful of commitment and relationships. This trait is almost similar to Robin’s and this would explain why they have hooked up numerous times throughout the show. Barney is the only character who depicts modern masculine characteristics and traits. Barney is wealth driven and is constantly using his power and good looks to hook with numerous women to sleep with throughout the show.
Most of the ads displayed in the show seem to support the show’s message on gender socialization. The ads show women in reversed roles with men. The women are no longer displayed as hopeless romantics and neither do they play second fiddle in their marriages and relationships. From these ads, it appears that the show is mainly aimed at the modern adult contemporary audience (25-40 years) to show that that a shift in the traditional gender socializations norms has occurred.
In conclusion, “How I met Your Mother” is a depiction of one aspect. The modern society has undergone a gender shift and the traditional gender norms and roles do not apply any longer. Women can take on what was formerly considered female roles and women can do the same when it comes to male roles. The show can therefore be seen as urging the society to embrace this shift in gender socialization.