FREE ESSAY ON GENDER ROLES

GENDER ROLES

Gender Roles
Children learn at a very early age what it means to be a boy or girl in our society. With
all the gender stereotypes and biases, it is no wonder how sex 
segregation exists. During childhood, children are exposed to many factors, which
influence their attitudes and behaviors regarding gender roles. These attitudes are
learned in the home, in schools, and even at the playground where children play among
their peers. From the time they are born, children have already been assigned a gender.
Blue blankets are used for baby boys, and pink ones for girls. It is difficult for a
child to grow up without experiencing some form of gender bias or stereotyping. When in
school, many of their ideas and beliefs are reinforced by their friends, teachers, and
other adults. For example, when teachers ask their students to form two lines, there is
usually one line for boys and the other for girls. When children play, they avoid playing
with the opposite sex because they prefer the company of their own kind. The result is a
self-imposed segregation between boys and girls. 
Research has been done on this phenomenon. Many sociologists have been trying to explain
gender roles and differences. Some say sex differences are biologically determined and
some believe they are socially constructed. Children behave accordingly to their gender
roles as early as two or three years old. From preschool on up to middle-school, children
live in two separate worlds-- girls and 
boys. Inside the classroom, children often chose to sit with others of the same sex. This
separation is also seen outside of the classroom-- boys played with other boys and girls
with other girls. Barrie Thorne who wrote, Girls and Boys Together...But Mostly Apart:
Gender Arrangements in Elementary Schools, states that the separate worlds exist as a
result of deliberate activity (p. 140). Boys and girls have separate tables where they
sit in the lunchroom. If a boy were to sit on one of the girls' tables, he would be
laughed at or called a girl by other boys. Thorne explains that teachers and aides use
gender as a basis for sorting children and organizing activities. They have math and
spelling contests where boys compete with girls and sometimes children are lined up
separately when walking down the halls.
Other studies have distinguished between aspects of stereotypes by separately asking
about what is typical in girls and boys versus what would be ideal. For example, Rothbart
and Maccoby (1966) assessed parents' opinions about differences that actually exist
between boys and girls and differences that should exist. Similarly, Maccoby and Jacklin
(1974) were interested in comparing parents' beliefs about sex differences in young
children with how desirable certain characteristics are for girls and boys. They reported
that the characteristics perceived as being typical of boys and girls were quite
different. Typical boy behaviors were being noisy, rough, active, competitive, defying
punishment, and enjoying mechanical objects. Typical girl behaviors were helpful, neat
and clean, quiet, well-mannered, crying, and being easily frightened. In contrast,
parents reported that it was important for both boys and girls to be neat and clean,
helpful, to take care of themselves, not to cry, to be competitive, and to be thoughtful
and considerate. These results lead Maccoby and Jacklin to speculate that parents may be
trying to socialize children of both sexes toward the same goals. 
In my field research, I observed children in an elementary school in order to understand
how gender roles are formed, especially at an early age. I went to Hollingworth
Elementary School in West Covina, California. This is the school I went to during my
years in elementary. The school is only a ten-minute walk from my house in Los Angeles.
The children I was most interested in studying were from the ages of six through eight--
first and second graders. I took on the view from a distant position, being a complete
observer. I went to the school during their lunch hour, observing the children during
their recess time. I only had a notebook and pen in order to write down what I observed.
I situated myself on one o the planters located to the side of the blacktop, near the
handball courts. Before starting my observation, I went to the principal's office to
inform them of my research project. They were very accommodating and told me I was able
to observe the children from a distance. I did not spend five hours in one day observing
the children. Instead, I went to the school during the week and observed them about an
hour each time. 
The role I took on as a complete observer did not pose any problems. A few children
looked and stared at me, probably wondering what I was doing there, sitting alone on a
planter. I was very comfortable where I was and had no problems, aside from the looks. I
wondered if my being there caused the children to behave differently but after awhile,
the children went on playing their games and did not seem to notice me anymore. There
were no significant differences each time I observed the children. The setting was the
same-I sat on the same planter with my notebook and pen in hand. 
Through my observations, I have concluded that children learn to adopt to their gender
roles at an early age. Through their many activities, games, and encouragements and
discouragements from teachers, children experience the process of gender role
socialization. There are always some sort of stereotyping of boys and girls, whether it
be the expectation that boys are better than girls in math or the idea that only females
can nurture children. The children I observed proved that at an early age, boys and girls
unconsciously learn to behave according to their gender roles. Their sense of self is a
result of the ideas, attitudes, and beliefs to which he or she is exposed. The teachers
and aides who were watching the children during recess proved this point. For example, a
boy who was playing kickball accidentally ran into another boy when he tried to get to
the first base. The other boy then pushed him and the teacher ran out to the field. The
teacher handled the boys aggressively, pulling them away from each other and telling them
to stand on the blacktop for the rest of their recess. Another instance was with three
girls playing jumprope. One of the girls got caught on the rope and then fell down. The
teacher rushed to her as the girl started to cry. She handled her with more care and
spoke to her with a more comforting voice, unlike the situation with the boys. 
While playing their games, boys and girls tend to play with their own gender. I observed
one situation where one boy started watching the girls playing on the twirling bars. One
of his friends came up to him and said, "What are you doing? That's for girls. Let's go."
The boy looked a little embarrassed and quickly left with his friend to play kickball.
There were a couple of instances where boys interacted with girls. That was when one boy
was chasing two girls. He chased her in the field while the girl started teasing him and
chanting, "Jason has cooties....Jason has cooties." When recess ended, everyone had to
freeze until the teacher blew her whistle for the children to line up to their rooms. In
front of each door, the children formed two lines-one for the boys and the other for the
girls. One teacher encouraged this by reminding them that the "boys on the left side and
girls on the right." As mentioned before, children learn to act according to their gender
roles. They are taught how to behave and how to act amongst their peers. One day, a
teacher actually told a boy to stop crying because "boys are not supposed to cry." I
found this very interesting especially since she did not say the same thing to the girl
who fell while playing jumprope. Children are then told how to behave according to their
gender role. When observing the whole playground, I noticed that girls played nicely and
boys more aggressively. The girls were more courteous when it came to letting others join
in their gams. Boys tended to shout at other boys saying, "You can't play...you're too
late...you have to wait till we're done." 
From this field research project I have learned that children do learn to behave
according to their gender roles. Not only are their ideas and attitudes being shaped and
reinforced by their teachers, but their friends as well. Teachers often act differently
when interacting with boys than with girls. They are more aggressive towards boys and
more comforting and closer to the girls. I also noticed that the girls played in areas
that were closer to their teachers. The boys played out in the field, away from teachers
who could easily discourage them from acting the way they want to act. My field research
was comparable to that of Barrie Thorne's. In Thorne's data, he sometimes found girls and
boys playing together in kickball and other group games. When these children defined an
activity to be a girl or boy's game, whoever crosses the boundary, would risk being
teased. This teasing, according to Thorne, is used to police or control gender
boundaries. There was not much contrast with his observations compared to mine. In
summary, boys take on a more aggressive and rough role than do girls. They are not
supposed to cry or show signs of feminine behaviors. Girls are handled more with care and
they tend to behave more quietly and nicely than do boys. 
If I were to continue with this project, I would take it to another level and observe
adolescents. I would then compare both results to see if teens also behave this way. I
would want to know if adolescents are influenced to behave according to their gender
roles by the friends they hang around with and by their teachers. If I had more time on
my hands, I would observe college students as well. In this case I would take on the role
of a participant as observer. 
Bibliography
Bibliography
Garner, Pamela W., Shannon Robertson, and Gail Smith. 
"Preschool Children's Emotional Expressions With 
Peers: The Roles of Gender and Emotion Socialization." 
Sex Roles: A Journal of Research. Volume 36, June 
1997. Plenum Publishing Corporation 1997, pp. 11-13.
Martin, Carol Lynn. "Stereotypes About Children With 
Traditional and Non-traditional Gender Roles." Sex 
Roles: A Journal of Research. Volume 33, Dec. 1995. 
Plenum Publishing Corporation 1995, pp. 25-27.
Thorne, Barrie. "Girls and Boys Together...But Mostly Apart: 
Gender Arrangements in Elementary Schools." 
Relationships and Development. Lawrence Erlbaum 
Associates, Inc. 1986, pp. 138-141.