According to Andersen and Taylor (2008), "through gender socialization, men and women learn the expectations associated with their sex" (305). Speaking from the perspective of my own upbringing, I consider play, clothes, fairy tales, schooling and mass media to be the major socializing agents in my childhood. Obviously, the fundamental source of this process are parents, who encourage children to play with particular toys, choose clothes that they consider to be appropriate for their children, and educate children by means of fairy tales.
Speaking within the context of toys, as on the fundamental socializing agents, the first thing that should be taken into consideration is that toys for male and female children often socialize them to demonstrate specific behavior and attitudes. For instance, Barbie toys that are extremely popular with female children, promote the importance of feminine beauty, while toy 'soldiers' and other army toys socialize male children to develop strategic thinking and focus on physical power. What is also interesting about toys and gender socialization is that the majority of toys are more divided by gender in the 21st century as compared with such division in the 1920's or 1950's. According to Sweet (2014), "all toys sold on the Disney Store’s website were explicitly categorized as being “for boys” or “for girls”—there was no “for boys and girls” option, even though a handful of toys could be found on both lists" (qtd. in Theatlantic.com).
Various fairy tales read by parents to their children in the early childhood also have a fundamental impact on the process of gender socialization. The majority of fairy tales portray girls and women as domestic goddesses and caring mothers, while boys and men are usually perceived in fairy tales and stories as breadwinners and defenders of their families.
All of the above aspects of gender socialization significantly affect gender-linked behaviors which an individual demonstrates throughout the course of his/her entire life.
Works Cited
Andersen, Margaret L., and Howard Francis Taylor. Sociology: understanding a diverse society. 4th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2008. Print.
Sweet, Elizabeth. "Toys Are More Divided by Gender Now Than They Were 50 Years Ago." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 9 Dec. 2014. Web. 26 Jan. 2017. <http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/12/toys-are-more-divided-by-gender-now-than-they-were-50-years-ago/383556/>.
