GENDER AND

7
MODUL
E SOCIALIZATION

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the lesson, the students must be able to:

a. Identify current issues in the country.

b. Conveys positive support on the different gender spectrum

c. Apply gender sensitivity by correcting inappropriate gender expressions

a.

INTRODUCTION

Gender socialization is the process through which individuals learn the behaviors,
expectations, and roles associated with their assigned gender within a society. This process
often begins from a very early age for most people. It is thought that children are aware of
their gender by the time they are 3 years old, long before they come to recognize any other
type of group they may belong to.The central idea of gender socialization is that the societies
have their own ideas of what gender is. People and cultures throughout the world recognize
that there are different gender groups and they have assigned roles and
responsibilities.Through thew gender, people develop their own beliefs about gender and
ultimately from their own gender identity. People may not be consciously aware of the gender
norms descision that they make. Gender roles and norms are often built into the script of what
a man/woman should do or be.
 EXPLOR
Activity 1.1.
DIRECTION: Look and observe the pictures below and tell weather what
comes to your mind when you see these pictures.

EXPLAI

LESSON 1 Agents of Gender Socialization

Gender Roles
As we grow, we learn how to behave from those around us. In this socialization process, children
are introduced to certain roles that are typically linked to their biological sex. The term gender
role refers to society’s concept of how people are expected to look and behave based on
societally created norms for masculinity and femininity.

Gender role socialization begins at birth and continues throughout the life course. Our
society is quick to outfit male infants in blue and girls in pink, even applying these color-coded
gender labels while a baby is in the womb. This color differentiation is quite new—prior to the
1940s, boys wore pink and girls wore blue. In the 19th century and early 20th century, boys and
girls wore dresses (mostly white) until the age of 6 or 7, which was also time for the first haircut.

Socialization
A process in which people learn to behave in a particular way as dictated by societal
values, beliefs, and attitudes.
Children learn at a young age that there are distinct expectations for boys and girls. Cross-
cultural studies reveal that children are aware of gender roles by age two or three. At four or five,
most children are firmly entrenched in culturally appropriate gender roles (Kane 1996).
Like adults, children become agents who actively facilitate and apply normative gender
expectations to those around them. When children do not conform to the appropriate gender
role, they may face negative sanctions such as being criticized or marginalized by their peers.
Though many of these sanctions are informal, they can be quite severe. For example, a girl
who wishes to take karate class instead of dance lessons may be called a “tomboy,” and face
difficulty gaining acceptance from both male and female peer groups (Ready 2001). Boys,
especially, are subject to intense ridicule for gender nonconformity (Coltrane and Adams
2004; Kimmel 2000).One way children learn gender roles is through play. Parents typically
supply boys with trucks, toy guns, and superhero paraphernalia, which are active toys that
promote motor skills, aggression, and solitary play. Daughters are often given dolls and dress-
up apparel that foster nurturing, social proximity, and role play. Studies have shown that
children will most likely choose to play with <gender appropriate= toys (or samegender toys)
even when cross-gender toys are available, because parents give children positive feedback (in
the form of praise, involvement, and physical closeness) for gender normative behavior.

Agents of Gender Socialization

Agents of socialization are the people, groups, and social institutions that affect one’s
self-concept, attitudes, and behaviors.Gender socialization occurs through four major agents of
socialization: family, schools, peer groups, and mass media. Each agent reinforces gender roles
by creating and maintaining normative expectations for genderspecific behavior. Exposure also
occurs through secondary agents such as religion and the workplace. Repeated exposure to these
agents over time leads men and women into a false sense that they are acting naturally rather than
following a socially constructed role. Becoming aware of gender socialization strengthens your
self and social awareness skill by gaining insight into which behaviors are organic and which are
learned through society, and how these differ among cultures.

FAMILY
Family is the first agent of socialization. There is considerable evidence that parents
socialize sons and daughters differently. Generally speaking, girls are given more latitude to step
outside of their prescribed gender role. However, differential socialization typically results in
greater privileges afforded to sons.
For example, sons are generally allowed more autonomy and independence at an earlier age than
daughters. They may be given fewer restrictions on appropriate clothing, dating habits, or curfew.
Sons are also often free from performing domestic duties such as cleaning or cooking and other
household tasks that are considered feminine. Daughters are limited by their expectation to be
passive and nurturing, generally obedient, and to assume domestic responsibilities. Even when
parents set gender equality as a goal, there may be underlying indications of inequality. For
example, boys may be asked to take out the garbage or perform other tasks that require strength
or toughness, while girls may be asked to fold laundry or perform duties that require neatness and
care. It has been found that fathers are firmer in their expectations for gender conformity than are
mothers, and their expectations are stronger for sons than they are for daughters.
Gender Roles and Expectations:
Masculine roles are often associated with strength, aggression, and dominance.
Feminine roles are typically linked to passivity, nurturing, and subordination.
These roles are derived from societally created norms and cultural traditions.
Adherence to these roles demonstrates fulfillment of social expectations, but it doesn’t
necessarily reflect personal preference.
Remember that gender, like race, is a social construction with real-world consequences. Our
understanding of gender roles is shaped by the interactions and expectations we encounter
throughout our lives. As we grow, we learn from those around us, and our families play a
significant part in this process

SCHOOL
Schools are influential agents of socialization. They play vital roles in how we make
meaning of the world around us, significantly affecting how we perceive ourselves and others, as
well as differences across race, languages, disabilities, and gender. Teachers tend to discipline
boys more severely and provide them with more praise and feedback than girls. They praise girls'
works mostly for physical appearance, such as neatness, cleanliness, or artistic quality, instead of
content. In subjects like language arts and art, girls receive more teacher interaction than boys
because these subjects are considered "feminine."
Thinking back to your own school days, you might remember specific differences in the
way teachers treated boys and girls, such as being reprimanded more severely or being required
to perform more. Though many teachers do not deliberately decide to treat boys and girls
differently.
Gender Roles and Expectation:
Students also navigate gender roles—the behaviors, attitudes, and expectations associated with
being either male or female. These differences have to do with physical behaviors, styles of social
interaction, academic motivations, behaviors, and choices

PEER GROUP
After family and school, the peer group is the most significant agent of socialization.
Individuals learn how to conform in order to be included and the group bonding affirms the
feeling of belonging. In interactions with peers, children first begin to divide themselves into in-
groups, out-groups and reference groups. Early friendships and peer interactions are how people
learn to form relationships with strangers, to get along with and adapt to others, and to rally as a
group, as well as what it feels like to be different in new situations. In learning to play together,
children first play with others who are similar to them in interests. Over time, children who keep
playing together become more similar in many ways - including gender. New interests get
introduced to the fledgling group by the experiences of children in the peer group when they are
outside of the group. New tendencies and trends are spread through social ties within the peer
group. Gender roles and expectations are built within the peer group, and an ideal type emerges.
Gender Roles and Expectations:
Peer groups serve as venues for teaching gender roles. Through peer socialization, group
members learn about sex differences and cultural expectations.While boys and girls differ
significantly, there isn’t always a direct one-to-one link between sex and gender roles. Males
aren’t always exclusively masculine, and females aren’t always exclusively feminine .

MASS MEDIA
While children learn about gender roles and stereotypes through direct interaction with
families, peer groups, and schools, mass media are also a powerful source of early information
about gender expectations. Media communicate messages about gender through what they show
and through what they don't show.
Research indicates that in the ten top-grossing G-rated movies released between 1991 and 2013,
nine out of ten characters were male. Even when they are present, women tend to have less
significant roles and are often portrayed as wives or mothers. When women are given a lead role,
it often falls into one of two extremes: a wholesome, saint-like figure or a malevolent,
hypersexual figure.
When a small child is just beginning to think of themself as a girl or a boy, they are watching
children's shows and movies whose characters have an exaggerated masculine or feminine
appearance, such as a superhero's big muscles or a princess's long hair and skirts.
Television commercials and other forms of advertising also reinforce inequality and gender-based
stereotypes.
For example women are almost exclusively present in ads promoting cooking, cleaning, or
childcare-related products. Men are predominant in ads for cars, travel, banking services and
alcohol.

RELIGION
Religious practices impact how individuals behave based on their gender. For instance,
conversion to new religions can lead to changes in gender norms.
Gender roles are often constrained and shaped by religious practices. These roles define what is
expected of men and women within religious contexts.
Structuring Ethics and Practice:Gender itself structures religious ethics and practice. While
many global religions exhibit patriarchal relations, this isn’t universal.
Some religious orders prioritize cooperation and respect for women over hierarchy. Others
indirectly provide women with ethical identities and spiritual positions, allowing them agency
and forms of power.
Religion both reflects and shapes gender norms, impacting how individuals perceive themselves
and interact within their communities.

WORKPLACE
The workplace performs its socialization function through onboarding. This is the
mechanism through which new employees acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and
behaviours to become effective organizational members.
Gender Roles and Expectations:
Men and women experience differences in perception in the workplace. women perceive that
individual work styles should be collaborative, where everyone works as part of a whole. Men,
on the other hand, perceive that work should be completed independently without the assistance
of others. Women also tend to be more supportive managers, whereas men are more direct.
 EVALUAT

A. MULTIPLE CHOICE
DIRECTION: Choose the correct option for each question.

1. It is the process through which individuals learn the behaviors, expectations, and roles associated
with their assigned gender within a society.
a. Agents of socialization
b. Gender socialization
c. Socialization
d. Gender Roles

2. Those are the people, groups, and social institutions that affect one’s self-concept, attitudes, and
behaviors.
a. Family
b. Peer
c. Agents of socialization
d. Religion

3. The term ________ refers to society's concept of how men and women are expected to act and how
they should behave.
a. gender role
b. sexual attitudes
c. gender biaz
d. sexual orientation

4. Which of the following is the best example of a gender stereotype?

a. Women tend to be overly emotional, while men tend to be levelheaded
b. Women are typically shorter than men.
c. Men do not live as long as women.
d. Men hold more high-earning, leadership jobs than women.

5. Which of the following is the best example of the role peers play as an agent of socialization for
school-aged children?

a. Peers serve as a support system for children who wish to act outside of their assigned
gender roles.
b. Boys are more readily encouraged by their peers to defy gender roles than are girls.
c. Peers tend to reinforce gender roles by criticizing and marginalizing those who
behave outside of their assigned roles.
d. Children can act however they wish around their peers because children are unaware of
gender roles.

B. ESSAY
DIRECTION: Answer the following questions in 3-5 sentences.

1. In what way do parents treat sons and daughters differently? How do sons and daughters
typically respond to this treatment?
2. How is children’s play influenced by gender roles? Think back to your childhood. How
“gendered” were the toys and activities available to you? Do you remember gender
expectations being conveyed through the approval or disapproval of your playtime choice?
3. What can be done to lessen the sexism in the workplace? How does it harm society?
 REFERENCE

 Gender and Socialization | Introduction to Sociology (lumenlearning.com)

 Gender Socialization: Examples, Agents & Impact (simplypsychology.org)
 https://www.slideshare.net/TCPLibrary/gender-socialization-239295094
 https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-introductiontosociology/chapter/gender-and-socialization/