Jul 08 2007
Blog 5 Gender Differences and Gender Roles
The topic I chose this week is gender differences and gender roles. This topic has been a large issue between many parents as they try to understand and raise their child the “right way”. The text states that parents treat their child different based upon their sex and the sex of the child. Boys tend to run around and play roughly, while girls are calmer and are less fussier. Gender roles begin to play a part in a child’s life as little as age one when infants are able to idenitify the difference between males and females. Boys are often pushed toward trucks, trains, and other “male” toys, while girls are often able to play with dolls and cars and are not viewed as having something wrong with them. I have witnessed this statement with my nephew. His dad will not let him have his favorite blanket or puppy stuffed animal at his house, because boys shouldn’t walk around with a stuffed animal. It took at least two months for my sister to convence him that it was his security object and that he needs to have it. Also, when he was an infant he was not allowed to wear outfits that had bears or ducks on them because it would make him look like a girl. My nephew loves his cars, but also likes to have his puppy to hold at night.Â
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The roles may not always come from the parents. When my daughter was an infant, I thought that ruffles against infant skin must make for an uncomfortable baby, so she wore a lot of soft knit clothing. I had one outfit in particular that I loved. It had pink flowers and bugs, but was a deep ocean blue color. Every time I would take her out of the house, people would comment on my cute little boy. I would reply thank you, but she is a girl. Thier reply was usually along the lies of why did you dress her in blue then. It was infuriating, but the gender role thing is a societal thing. My son plays with dolls (how better to learn how to be a nurturing caring father) and my daughter plays with cars (she will own one one day). They have a lot of learning, and what better way to learn that by trying out multiple things when they are young!