We live in a world where toys are color-coded blue for boys and pink for girls. TV commercials for certain products food included are focused on men on one hand and others target women. Women have been cultured to be fond of “chick flicks” which are predominantly romantic comedies whereas men are meant to watch action movies and soccer. Roles and plays have been highly gendered. These cultural assumptions have been in existence since time immemorial. Therefore, the thesis by which this paper is guided is two-fold: there is a direct causative relationship between the cultural assumptions on gender and play imparted on children during their infancy and their temperament later in the course of their lives with the implication of suppressing the innate traits unique to individuals. To this end, the paper seeks to critically explore various cultural assumptions revolving around gender and play and how they have evolved over time. Specifically, it focuses on ways in which people have confronted such gender norms across history and in contemporary culture and the consequences thereof. Of particular importance are the works of Miguel De Cervantes, Hobbes, and Ibsen. The paper then sums up by examining contemporary literature on the topic with particular attention accorded on the historical analysis, trends in communication of the cultural assumptions in question from one generation to another and recommendations on the best practices.
The hypothesis that informed the second century Roman society’s practice of instilling wifely dispositions on its women by encouraging young girls to play with dolls has been empirically proven twenty centuries later. It was so confirmed by the study carried out by Wong, Wang, and Melissa Hines. They color-coded toys based on gender typical and atypical colors. It was then administered to children of ages between 20-40 months. It was observed that girls generally elected to play with dolls and pink toys whereas boys resorted to trains and toys considered “boyish” by the society. Therefore, the study concluded that color preferences are acquired by children at early stages of their development. As such it influences their toy preferences later in their childhood.
However, unlike the case was in the Roman society, in the contemporary society cultural assumptions on gender stereotypes are not only instilled in children through gender plays but also through parental talk. To this end, Endendijk and et al conducted a study and wrote a report: Boys Don’t Play With Dolls: Mothers’ and Fathers’ Gender Talk during Book Reading in attempts to deconstruct the trend. Accordingly, a sample of 302 families was studied. Fathers and mothers were asked to read a book, Gender Stereotypes Picture Book, to their children aged between two and four. The study drew out various forms of gender talk characterized by gender evaluative comments, labels and stereotypes. Interestingly, it was found that mothers adopted positive evaluative comments more than fathers from whom the study elicited more evaluative comments confirming gender stereotypes. Therefore, the study provides useful insights as to the role potentially played by parents in instilling gender stereotypes in their children. They indirectly and directly communicate their gender stereotype views to their children. Additionally, such talks are not only limited to parents. Sibling constellation play a crucial in imparting gender stereotypes in children no empirical studies confirming it having been done notwithstanding.
Moreover, cultural assumptions on gender and child play have found generous expression in contemporary TV commercials. Such commercials have had unprecedented impact in communicating gender stereotypes to children given that their target audience is children. In October 2004, Kahlenberg, Susan and Hein conducted a study on a sample of 455 toy commercials aired during after school hours when child exposure is maximized. The study revealed that most commercials were gender specific. The content of some commercials were characterized by gender stereotype notions. For instance, in commercials concerning gender neutral toys, boys were predominantly featured playing competitively outdoors whereas girls were generally shown playing indoor calm and cooperative games. Such adverts engender child play with blatant indifference to individual child’s preferences. This trend goes on despite the fact that numerous studies have shown that child play is learned and not inborn. Therefore, such commercials entrench gender stereotypes among children and deny them the opportunity to learn the plays that interest them as individuals as opposed to members of a certain gender.
The aforementioned argument that child play is not inborn derives generous expression in the work of Thomas Hobbes Leviathan. While portraying the family setting in his time as characterized by gendered chores, Hobbes rejects the idea of engendering family roles by reason of nature. Instead, he asserts that sexualized family roles arise from contractual relationship as opposed to being ordained by nature. Most important insight from Hobbesian account of family has to do with the emphasis to the effect that family roles were gendered as of contracts and not by default. Moreover, Hobbes argues for the liberty of individuals to do as they please devoid of external pressures. In Chapter XIV of part one of his book, he describes this liberty as “the absence of external impediments, which impediments may oft take away part of a man’s power to do what he would”. This view informs the position taken by the paper that children ought to be given the freedom to make decisions based on their personal preferences as opposed to being cultured to conform to certain social norms based on their gender regardless of their innate propensities. However, Hobbes’ account fails to take into consideration the essentially diverse natural characteristics of different sexes in the family that justify engendering of family chores.
In addition, Cavantes ranks in the same pedestal as are, scholars credited for deconstruction of classical cultural assumptions on gender and child play. In his novel, Don Quixote de La Mancha, he attempts to portray the cultural assumption that surrounded the Golden Age, Spanish equivalent of Renaissance period in England. According to Cavantes, Spanish women in the fifteenth through to early seventeenth century were confined to the society’s patriarchal constrains. In a bid to challenge the then prevailing social norms as to gendered roles, instances where women cross dress feature prominently throughout the novel. Specifically, the use of “manly women” in the novel brings out the general theme. Particularly, Don Quixote asserts her freedom to live as he please in the following words; “I was born free, and that I might live in freedom”. Moreover, women with excessive facial hair are assigned manly roles whereas bearded saints are to act as princesses. As a result, Cavantes successfully interchanges primary and secondary sex attributes across gender. Therefore, Cavantes’ works represent the struggles synonymous with a generation of early seventeenth century artists in breaking free from the inherited cultural assumption on gender and play. As such, it contributes to the historical evolution of engendered cultural assumptions.
Similarly, Ibsen in his work Hedda Gabbler discusses gender on the premise of what it means to be a man or a woman in the 19th century. Akin to Don Quixote de La Mancha, the play enshrines instances of inverted gender roles evidencing concerted effort by the writer to challenge the cultural assumptions on gender and play with the use of Hedda as a woman who is in conflict with herself. She is expected to play the role of a perfect wife to her husband Tesman yet her upbringing imparted in her manly traits. As a result, she plays the role of a husband in her marriage. In Act One for instance, Hedda is portrayed as aristocratic and hard to please, traits which are usually synonymous with husbands. Additionally, in Act Two the then pregnant Hedda “plays with her pistols” when bored. This is ironical in the extreme as her society would expect her to play with womanly toys or go catch some gossip. On the contrary, it is Judge Brack who brings gossip from town. Moreover, Tesman who is expected by the society to be the bread winner of his family is financially supported by his aunt Julie. More so, Hedda in Act Three sexually manipulates Brack marking herself as a woman who goes against the cultural assumptions on the position of women by virtue of their sex. In the end, Hedda’s frustrations in trying to establish a compromise between her desire to behave like a man and the need to conform to societal expectations of a woman culminates in Hedda shooting herself rather than living a life that is not truly her own. Ibsen uses the character of Hedda to portray the frustrations faced by those who chose to go against the societal gendered norms.
Moreover, our contemporary society is no different from the classical ones. It continues to condone the practice of conditioning children at their tender ages to “act and behave their sex”. As a result, those who do not conform are treated as social misfits. A case study by Brodkin extends credence to the works of Hobbes, Cavante and Ibsen by showcasing a young boy who is interested in playing with dolls and toys considered by the society to be girls’. Predicated on this observation, the study maintains that the rough and violent disposition associated with boys on one hand and the calm temperament attributed to girls on the other hand is not inborn. Instead, it is gender-instilled by societal cultural assumptions at early stages of a child’s development. Therefore, this paper is of the opinion that the cultural assumptions do not only go a long way in shaping social interactions but also influences child raising trends.
More so, Brodkin’s sentiments are reiterated by Shumer and Tishelman in The Role of Assent in the Treatment of Transgender Adolescents. They explore pertinent issues concerning the impropriety of treating adolescents that depict transgender traits by use of pubertal suppression and cross-sex hormones. Transgender boys for instance develop interest in activities that the society has categorized as girlish such as wearing makeup, playing with dolls and cross dressing. Akin to Brodkin approach, they analyze the struggles faced by a boy aged fourteen in attempts to go against the gender norms imposed on him by the society. It reflects on the forms of discrimination and marginalization inflicted on such adolescents as a result of societal cultural assumptions. Therefore, they confirm the fact that cultural assumptions on gender and child play pose adverse effects on a child’s development. Individuals are unique. There is no ‘one trait fits all’ code for an entire gender. Therefore, generalizations of gender traits lead to cultural prejudices which have the effect of threatening a child’s individuality and uniqueness. It is on this premise that this paper calls for the establishment of environment endowed with equal opportunities for children to realize their unique identity to the fullest irrespective of their sex.
Cavantes, Hobbes and Ibsen attempt to depart from the trend adopted by their counterparts in their respective societies. They all reject the grounded gender roles in their own unique ways. For instance, Cavantes invents a masculine woman and a feminine man who are instrumental in challenging the cultural assumptions as to gender roles in his society. Ibsen on the other hand uses Hedda to portray the frustrations faced by those who do not conform to the gender stereotypes imposed on them by their societies. Besides, he helps assess the cultural assumptions from the perspective of inverted gender roles. Hobbes asserts that the domination of women by men in a family setting in so far as gender roles are the concern thereof is a function of contract as opposed to nature’s default.
Therefore, keeping in line with Hobbes sentiments, this paper is inclined to the position that children ought to be given the fair chance and opportunity to realize their full individually inborn identity. They should not be cultured and sexualized to behave in a certain manner based on their gender. This inclination is informed by contemporary scholarly consensus on the fact that child play is not naturally gender dependent.
In conclusion, this paper confirms the hypothesis and reiterates the historical fact that cultural assumptions as to gender and child play are as old as the institution of family is. They are instilled on children during their infancy by the societal expectations on them. To sum up, this paper recommends formulation of policies that do away with the discussed cultural assumptions in order to create conducive environment for all children to realize their unique individual identity regardless of their sex.
Works Cited
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