Gender Stereotypes And Gender Identity Essay - 1310 Words

From the moment they are born, parents, peers and advertisements bombard children on what a males and females should look and act like creating stereotypes and societal norms. Males are groomed to be leaders and protectors and women to be nurturers and housewives. These stereotypes control not only young children but the adults that are raising them. Lois Gould, author of X: A Fabulous Child’s Story, details how it would be difficult to be a unisex child not only because of peer alienation but also because the judgement parents would inflict because they too are slaves to societal norms. These societal norms negatively affect gender identity in adolescents by pressuring them to uphold gender norms. Firstly, children’s personalities are†¦show more content†¦A study done by Meenakshi Menon, a professor at the California School of Psychology, showed the contrast in teachers praises between genders in a pre-kindergarten setting. Teachers were shown to praise girls for their helpful attitudes as well as passive behavior, while boys were praised for their participation and academic abilities (585). The study concluded that while boys were disorderly, they received more attention from the teacher and as a result the teacher scored the boy twice as high in academic abilities than a girl. Furthermore, teachers were shown to rebuke females when talking out of turn but to stop and listen more often to males in a classroom setting (587). Teachers praise and scoring of children can either grow or lessen the self-esteem of the child. Not only are females praised for docile attitudes they were reprimanded for anything less. These personality molds limit girls to be passive and boys to aggressive and insensitive. In addition to conforming to personality traits according to sex, children are also influenced to uphold domestic traits as well. In a study with over 250 families concluded that boys learn from their fathers to play a particular role in the family. Results showed that fathers worry more about finance and discipline than mothers, who worry more about the emotional state of the family. These same worries are what teach children their role in their family. The male’sShow MoreRelatedCultural Myths About Gender And Sex Essay1484 Words   |  6 PagesAre gender and sex in the same concept? This topic is complicated because countless people confuse these two as the same, but they are two absolutely different concepts. There are several Cultural Myths about gender and sex. 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