In our second unit we are looking at the socialization of gender in children.
This article argues that intentionally or unintentionally parents play a big role in socializing children into traditional gender roles. Children can pick up on even informal cues from parents and other adults at a very early age. Is it bad if parents socialize children into traditional gender roles? In the fictional story, "X: A Fabulous Child's Story," the parents need a huge manual to raise X. What would parents need to raise a genderless child in the real world?
12 comments:
To raise a genderless child they would need a bubble and a miracle. The whole world is already targeted at making that child a specific gender.
Parents would need a lot of strength, a tough armor so that all the comments they get would not reach them and a clear goal. The goal being wanting more for their child. Not being afraid of knowing they deserve more than they are supposed to have in society's eyes.
i think the parents would need to be in touch with themselves first.They must not care about seeking others approval.They must be leaders.Any child-minder who lets a child be a child,crossing roles of gender through play,is changing our societies expectations for the future!
I dont think there is any way not to raise children without the weight of gender bias. At least not in America. Any toy store or childrens clothing store you go into is seperated into girl or boy. By the time children understand what they are, they no exacatly who they are (boy or girl) and what is expected of them based on their gender. I think the only way to raise a child without gender interference is locking them in a closet there whole life ( im not really being serious).
We would need to erase the deep seated learning of gender roles for ourselves first, but I don’t think we have enough life time left to accomplish this, especially our own. We would need a miraculous scientific breakthrough that would erase the brain cells that housed all the learned behaviors, then isolate these de-gender-ized beings from society.
How freeing that would be, not being molded into a defined set of do’s and don’ts.
as a parent it was enjoyable to read the x story but i think unattainable. with so many outside social influences it would be close to impossible to raise a genderless child. sports, cloths, movies, history, our education system (meaning what is taught), just society as a whole would make it close ti impossible. you would have to be raised genderless to raise a genderless child and we know that will not ever happen.
I agree with the other post that in order to raise a child in a genderless environment-it would be nearly impossible. Maybe if a family were to move away to the wilderness with no outsider involvement like the media, newspaper, books, magazines, friends, family (no outside contact at all) and a set of parents that were trained to be NON-GENDER-LIKE a child might have a slight chance of not discovering blue is for boys and pink is for girls. The parents would have to share all jobs, care giving and emotional support. If for some reason an incidence arouse that required bravery they would have to equally divide that quality as well as the thousands of others that are classified as male-like and/or women-like.
I do not think it is bad that parents socialize children into gender roles. They just do not have enough strenght or other choices to deal with it. Gender sozialization is everywhere; one would need to live in an isolation to avoid it. Even if parents were really good and determined to raise a genderless child (using a manual), the child will still get exposed to gender stuff in its environment and every day life. No way parents can avoid it at this time. They sure can keep trying. Good luck!
In response to the first question, No. I don't think a child should be put in a gender specific role. If I had a child, I'd let them figure out what their likes and dislikes are and not just introduce them to gender specific norms. As for raising a child with no gender specific, I guess I'd do the same. Let them figure out who they are. I'd talk to them, inform them of the hard labeling world around them. I'd always encourage them to make the decision that's right for them. After all, what they decide is what's important.
Raising a baby genderless is harder then most people would think. It goes way beyond blue and pink. By trying to make a genderless baby, you would be affecting everything like the friends they play with, the schools they might go to, their social status in school, if you were to be successful. I mean do you really want to raise a genderless child? Remember that anything that is different is met with hostility and cruelty. Kids that are different are made fun of, picked on, etc. Do you really want to do that. Not to mention the fact that if you were able to succeed, how do you know the child wouldn't want to live a normal gender specific life? What if by raising your kids that way, you cripple them socially, not allowing them to experience life. A perfect example is kids that are home schooled. Parents have this idea that home schooling their child is beneficial. In some kids yes, but i would say in most cases, those kids turn out a bit off, not connected to reality. Do you think that those kids would rather want a life of segregation or to fit in and have a chance to find themselves without the influence of the family. By creating a genderless baby creates the same answer but with different formulas. The whole point is to not make boundaries for your children, but at the end of they day, its you who makes them.
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