1.

1
Gender socialization “refers to the means whereby social expectations regarding gender-
appropriate characteristics are conveyed to the child. These expectations are often based on
stereotyped beliefs.” It has a dual significance for these children, that is, it provides them with
models for present behavior and it prepares them for adult life (Dekker and Lemmer,1993:9).
Example-There are some significant differences between female and male brains. The language
center in the male brain is usually in the dominant (usually left) hemisphere, whereas females
use both hemispheres of the brain to process language. This may explain why females seem to
have stronger communication skills and relish interpersonal communication more than males
and why, on average, girls learn to speak and read earlier than boys.

1.2
Family and gender roles: different expectations for males and females .From birth, we are
being moulded into the being the family wants us to be. Through socialisation we also learn
what is appropriate and improper for both genders. We are deluged, even as infants, with "Oh,
you're a big boy" or "you are such a pretty little girl" for example. As Freud observed, the first
thing we instantly determine, when meeting someone new, is gender. Indeed, it will probably
trouble us if we can't tell which gender the person is. Maybe this "need to know" has
something to do with "knowing how to act" with this person. According to psychologists such
as Sandra Bem (1993), one cognitive process that seems nearly inevitable in humans is to divide
people into groups. However, the major way in which we usually split humanity is on the basis
of gender. This process of categorizing others in terms of gender is both habitual and automatic
Gender socialisation process ,Socialisation is the process, through which the child becomes an
individual respecting his or her environment's laws, norms and customs (Vuorinen & Tuunala,
1997, p. 45). Gender socialisation is a more focused form of socialisation, it is how children of
different sexes are socialised into their gender roles (Giddens, 1993, p. 165) and taught what it
means to be male or female (Morris, 1988, p. 366).
Gender socialization: differences between boys and girls .Gender socialisation begins at the
moment we are born, from the simple question "is it a boy or a girl?" (Gleitman, Friedlund &
Reisberg, 2000, p. 499). We learn our gender roles by agencies of socialisation, which are the
"teachers" of the society. The main agencies in our society are the family, peer groups, schools
and media. In respect with gender socialisation, each of the agencies could reinforce the gender
stereotypes. Gender differences result from socialization process, especially during our
childhood and adolescence. For instance, before we are 3 years old, there are fascinating
differences between how boys and girls interact (DeAngelis, 1989). Boys attempt to dominate,
to control, to find out "Am I better than you?" They do this by little contests or by being
aggressive, if necessary. They establish their status and then continue to try to use power to
improve their position in the "pecking order” (De Angelis, 1989). In contrast, girls and women
try to establish and improve their relationships, as if they were always asking "Do you like me?"
Because boys and girls want to do different things, boys and girls start avoiding each other at 3
or 4.
The family as a gendered relationships: influences on gender socialization process .It is said
before that parents are the primary influence on gender role development in early years of life
(Santrock; Miller & Lane in Berryman-Fink, Ballard-Reisch, & Newman; Kaplan in Witt, 1997).
Parents encourage children to participate in sex-typed activities, such as playing with dolls for
girls and playing with trucks for boys (Eccles, Jacobs, & Harold in Witt, 1997). In addition to that,
parents might send subtle messages to children on what they think is acceptable for each
gender (Arliss in Witt, 1997). In the domestic chores, parents sometimes expect children of
different gender perform different kind of tasks; boys are assigned to do maintenance chores,
such as moving the lawn and girls are assigned to do the cooking or doing the laundry (Basow in
Witt, 1997). This segregation of tasks by gender lead children think that some tasks are more
male and some more female (Witt, 1997). Parents teach stereotypes through different ways
and behaviour: “the way they dress their children, they way they decorate their children's
rooms, the toys they give their children to play with, their own attitudes and behaviours”
(Hetherington and Parke, 1999).
The young generations: changes of socialization in the family . By now it is wide shared that
the family assumes a fundamental importance during the process of socialization because it is
the first context the child comes to contact and because it contributes in a privileged way to
form the experience of the world and the identity itself (Besozzi, 1993, 125). The relationships
with the adults, in particular the parents, represent " unavoidable points of reference for the
construction of the self and for being able to reach the adult maturity as positively integrated
members in the social life" (Muncie J., 1999, 67-68).

1:3
A UNICEF article about early gender socialization says, “Boys are told not to cry, not to fear, not
to be forgiving and instead to be assertive, and strong. Girls on the other hand are asked not to
be demanding, to be forgiving and accommodating and ‘lady like.’ ”Gender socialization
persists for our entire lives. It determines how we dress, the careers we aspire to, the chores
we’re assigned and the social expectations that cause us embarrassment and anxiety when we
deviate from them. Gender socialization also determines the relationships between boys and
girls, and men and women. Boys are socialized to be dominant, tough and bigger and better
than the rest. But girls are socialized to be dainty, polite and subtle. This poses a bigger problem
than meets the eye. The problem is that boys are socialized to dominate girls. Because they are
constantly exposed to comments like, “Man up” and “Don’t be a girl,” society has automatically
placed women in a subordinate position – men don’t want to be women. In fact, they avoid
engaging in any behavior that would appear womanly. And conversely, this ensures that
women, the “weaker sex,” can rarely gain positions of genuine power, influence or authority
because they can never surpass the most powerful societal entity: a man.

Gender socialization is far more dangerous for women than it is for men because for women, it
emphasizes a denial of self. Women must always be improving physically, constantly altering
their bodies to be more beautiful. Two ways family informs women that they are inadequate
are through eating habits and appearance.Many women have felt guilt when contemplating
their food cravings.Women are therefore socialized to feel inadequate. Because they are
pressured to feel weaker, they are also pressured to fulfill that role by altering their bodies and
minds. This is one of several reasons women may develop eating disorders and become
obsessed with image. Society has socialized women to believe the most powerful thing they can
be is beautiful.In her article titled “Eating: A Manifesto,” Krista Burton of the online girls’
empowerment magazine Rookie Mag discusses this issue with exasperation. She says, “(Do) you
ever, ever hear dudes say ‘I just want a little bite’ or ‘This is so bad, you guys, but I totally ate a
whole pint of Ben & Jerry’s last night’? No! Because it’s OK for men to eat! … Boys are allowed
to grow into men, but ‘attractive’ women in our culture are expected to stay at pretty much an
eternal pre-adolescent weight.”This socialization runs so deep even women will demean other
women for eating. As much as women feel pressure from men to be competently attractive,
women feel pressure from other women to compete in the beauty race. Women are so
socialized to feel guilty for indulging themselves that we feel the need to keep, as Burton says,
“rationalizing our ‘bad behavior’ … with statements like ‘I’ve been really good lately,” or “I’m
gonna need to walk this off later.”

1:4
To reduce gender inequality, then, a sociological perspective suggests various policies and
measures to address the cultural and structural factors that help produce gender inequality.
These steps might include, but are not limited to, the following:
A)Reduce socialization by parents and other adults of girls and boys into traditional gender
roles.
Confront gender stereotyping by the popular and news media.
Increase public consciousness of the reasons for, extent of, and consequences of rape and
sexual assault, sexual harassment, and pornography.
1-Increase enforcement of existing laws against gender-based employment discrimination and
against sexual harassment.
2-Increase funding of rape-crisis centers and other services for girls and women who have been
raped and/or sexually assaulted.
3-Increase government funding of high-quality day-care options to enable parents, and
especially mothers, to work outside the home if they so desire, and to do so without fear that
their finances or their children’s well-being will be compromised.
As we consider how best to reduce gender inequality, the impact of the contemporary women’s
movement must be neither forgotten nor underestimated. Since it began in the late 1960s, the
women’s movement has generated important advances for women in almost every sphere of
life. Brave women (and some men) challenged the status quo by calling attention to gender
inequality in the workplace, education, and elsewhere, and they brought rape and sexual
assault, sexual harassment, and domestic violence into the national consciousness. For gender
inequality to continue to be reduced, it is essential that a strong women’s movement continue
to remind us of the sexism that still persists in American society and the rest of the world.
B) For companies, there are ways of promoting gender equality at every stage of the hiring
process and career progression:
1- Make gender equality part of training and education. Young people should be supported in
choosing jobs that are future-oriented and promising, regardless of their gender.
2-Be proactive about welcoming women. Companies should clearly state that they want to hire,
support and promote women. Salaries and promotions should be monitored and evaluated on
a regular basis to ensure equal treatment.
3-Make flexibility and work-life balance a part of the wider company culture. Too often,
employees have to specifically ask to work part-time or work from home, which can be
awkward. Companies should instead offer a broad range of different options.
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