Western Tradition and Gender Roles: The Script

In Western Societies, gender power is held by White, highly educated, middle-class, able-bodied heterosexual men whose gender represents hegemonic masculinity-the ideal to which other masculinities must interact with, conform to, and challenge. The subtlety of it, is not enforced through direct violence; instead, it exists as a cultural "script" that we have all been taught throughout our socialization processes. Western culture is largely indoctrinated with patriarchal ideals and traditions, femininity in Western culture is constructed to be inferior to masculinity. As a result, women, many times, lack the same alignment of cultural, economic and political power as men. 

"All Television is Educational; The Only Question Is; What Is It Teaching? -Former Federal Communications Commissioner Nicholas Johnson

Children are accustomed to watch television at a very early age, about 18 months. Television might be the most influential form of media. It is difficult for children to distinguish fantasy from reality, they are most susceptible to the portrayals of gender types on television, especially cartoon, which make up the majority of children's television viewing between the ages of two and eleven. "Children should be allowed to develop a sense of self in a gender-fair environment that encourages everyone to fully feel a part of society." According to Susan D. Witt, Assistant Professor, School of Family and Consumer Sciences, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio. What are you allowing your children to watch? How much time do you allow your children to watch the media? As parents, are you having conversations with your children even at 18 months, regarding the depictions of television media not having any basis for truth, or reality, that these characters are fictitious and shouldn't be taken seriously? This way parents at minimum are preparing the young kids to have discernment and to make better decisions with the choices they make on what they like and want to watch. These conversations of empowerment are extraordinarily crucial for parents to have with their children if they want to provide an opportunity for them, to be less manipulated, and hopefully to train them young, not to be fully influenced or taken by the media, to a degree that will have major repercussions on their life.

Social Learning Theory (Sociology)

The main way that gender behaviors are learned is through the process of observational learning wherein children learn from observing the people or images of people around them behaving in various ways. During these observations of the way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially toward others, they are internalizing what it means culturally, to be a female or male in society. Generally most children spend most of the day at preschools, or school institutions where they observe their peers and mimic their behavior. This is also an easy place to observe the consequences of one of their peers disobeying and getting sanctioned. This is where the children get to interpret some of those behaviors as being appropriate for females and males. Take a look at this picture, most of the little girls have on dresses, can you imagine if a little boy wanted to wear a dress, that would be kinda cool to see, actually, if that is what they desire. This reinforcement is the process of encouraging or establishing a belief or pattern of behavior, especially by encouragement and reward. Whereas, punishment is the infliction or imposition of a penalty as retribution for an offense. This is where behaviors will most likely occur or stop occurring. 

Parental Behavior Toward Girls and Boys

The most influential and strongest capacity to have an effect on the character, development or behavior of someone or something occurs in the family, with parents or guardians without concealment or secrecy, basically very openly and at times without being openly acknowledged or displayed, but done in secrecy as well. As seen in this picture of a mother and son shopping at Walmart. I noticed this little boy looking at toys in the the section where society considers to be feminine toys. This is generally looked at by the masses as out of the gender norm. Through body language I can only speculate, since they were speaking a different language other than English, I'm not sure what language they were speaking, however, as I was shopping with my daughter, I noticed this experience I was witness to. Considering I'm learning about gender roles, my awareness was more heightened than it ever has prior to this class. I noticed the boy asking the mother while showing her the toy that he found to be interesting if he can take it home. i'm certain the boy was convincing her to purchase the toy for him. As you can see in the capture I took, the boy is putting the toy back on the shelf. He looks a bit discouraged. This is a simple example captured of how much influence and impact we have on our children. What I am studying is constantly done on a daily basis, based on the parental behavior toward girls and boys. 

Gender Cognitive Development

Children learn gender-type behaviors as it is encouraged to them by their parents, relatives, friends, teachers, society. (Social Learning Theory) This constancy emerges somewhere between the ages of 3-7. This means that children's perception, discernment, awareness, learning, understanding, comprehension etc. of gender and gender stereotypes can and most likely will contribute to their attainment of their personal gender role. The picture you see is an example, of a parent (me) purchasing, and showing her child what her gender role is as I purchase these toys, for her to play with. I do my best to have her pick and choose her toys and I personally have gotten her masculine toys as well and I've watched and have observed what she gravitates towards. She does like the typical stereotypical toys of being a female. According to the developmental theory of gender typing suggest that children categorize themselves as male or females with reinforcement from outsiders, and parents, and feel rewarded by behaving in gender-consistent ways from external means. According to Kohlberg, children acquire gender roles after she/he when they begin to attain understanding that there sex is permanent and will never change.