The literature review in this article is in the beginning of the piece. It explains many of the differences between men and women’s bodies in physique and self-perception. The author then goes back to childhood and explains how some of these differences are reinforced from a young age. Some of the reasons for differences are because of the way boys and girls are taught that they are different from each other. Other differences between the genders are because of the physical differences that exist between females and males. The author then introduces the main concept of the article, the hidden school curriculum, just before the section on data and method is explained in the article. This placement does help the author’s position in that the background is informative in how many gender roles are taught from childhood, whether consciously or subconsciously, from a variety of places in society. The younger a child is when these lessons begin, and the more sources this information comes from, the more likely the information will be accepted by the child as a child and later in life.
A literature review is critical in academic writing because the basis of support is needed to establish credibility on the topic. There has to be a demonstration that other scholarly works have been published that also supports the author’s point of view, the type of material being presented, and the basis for the study. Without previous published work, there is a lack of credibility that this information is relevant, important, or credible as an area that deserves the current or further studies.
Work Cited
Martin, Karin A. "Becoming A Gendered Body: Practices Of Preschools." American
Sociological Review 63.4 (1998): 494-511. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 21 Oct. 2012.
