It's never too early to force your child into the social phenomena known as "gender'. After taking a walk through our local Walmart, I was amazed to see just how gendered everything was, all the way from children's clothing to adult hygiene products. The first thing I noted was the coloring of each item. The "male" items were largely composed of "male colors" (blues, greens, reds) and the "female" items were largely "female colors" (pinks, purple, & other pastel colors). Upon looking closer I noted the different messages promoted by the different items. The male items usually had things like sports and strong animals, where as the female items usually had princesses and flowers. Immediately this instills the idea that boys are more supposed to be more athletic, and meant to be the stronger than women. The girls clothing reflects delicacy & beauty with the flowers, as well as dependence on a male partner with the princess references. These clothing items instill the idea of gender as early as infancy, and the idea carries on into the teen years and adulthood. This idea influences the gender that we take on. The "Threshold Concepts in Women's and Genders Studies" states, "gender is encoded and maintained through a variety of strong social cues (i.e., naming practices,parenting responsibilities, toys, [and clothing])" (Launus 25). These ideas of gender are framed very early on in life, and both girls and boys are expected to fall into their biologically assigned gender or be shunned as outcasts. If boys are not playing sports, acting tough, or wearing boy clothing then they will be shunned. If girls are not acting feminine, wearing girly clothing, and being reserved then they will also be shunned. While this is a major issue in society, this continues to be a major impact in society. What do you guys think we can do to help this massive issue?
I agree with everything you said. But like you said, it is a massive issue and I think it would be hard to change it because everyone feels different about certain things.
ReplyDeleteAnd is it harder to challenge gender norms when they are encoded before birth?
ReplyDeleteYou pose an important question at the end of your post. I was listening to a podcast the other day about a couple who raised their children in the most gender neutral way possible. It was really interesting to hear the kind of things they did, the responses they got, and how their daughter experienced being raised this way: http://www.npr.org/2017/10/02/555180786/can-a-child-be-raised-free-of-gender-stereotypes-this-family-tried