Gender Roles in Socialization Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gender Roles in Socialization Process - Essay Example Some brands even have gender-specific designs on their diapers: rocket ship details and ribbon details for boys and girls, respectively. Then of course, when the baby grows a bit, the hairstyles can be more telling as well. As in boys should have short ones and the girls should have long ones. These are also part of the gender socialization process, and ironically, the baby, being the participant in the whole interaction thing, does not even know that he is being conditioned to be a â€Å"boy† according to society’s definitions. I’m sure it occurred similarly for me. As a boy growing up, I have been conditioned to like the certain things that boys are supposed to like: toy cars, action figures and the like. I might not know what color my baby things were when I was an infant but I am quite sure that they were not pink. Society has a very strong influence on a person’s gender socialization process. Not only they are the first ones to take on the child’s first gender identification process, but they also reinforce it. Schools, the community, and peers also influence the child too. I am thankful that my family, even if they are traditional, is not as strict with their expectations of me as a boy growing up. Sure, I have been exposed to â€Å"boy† objects and activities that are essentially rough and tumble in nature - and labeled for â€Å"boys†. I have had friends who were from the opposite sex when I was growing up, but then as a young boy, we did not play together not because we were forcefully separated because of our genders; we simply had different toys. I think this is because of the society’s strong influence on the gender differentiation. This influence is even felt in the workplace, or at least when one working. There are expectations for me at work, as I am a man and a manager in a dental office. Although most employees in our office are females, the manager (me) is a man.