from: Victoria
So often the socialization of gender is at the hands of parents. Their children are taught to act, respond, and portray an image that they associate with the parent of the same sex. Girls learn how to clean, cook, and shop from mom. Boys are taught to be rough and tumble like daddy. The photo that I found to portray this aspect of gender through socialization is of a girl shopping with her mother. As the two walked past me out of the store the little girl said "I need to hold the balloons like mommy does." It was then that I knew she was looking to her mother for guidance. Even in the picture it shows the mother dressing the girl like her, and even wearing the same hairstyle. Also, the mother guides her daughter on how to walk on the cross walk. This was symbolic to me because it was as if she was telling her to stay in the lines, even to stay in the lines of what a woman does. By her
mother taking her shopping she was taking on the role of a teacher. I also liked the fact that the little girl even had to look at her
mother's footsteps to see if she was walking "right." I portrayed this in the picture when the girl was stepping out into the street on the same foot as her mother. In closing, all too often children learn how to act from their parents. Just by seeing what the parents partake in everyday life, the child learns to associate that this is what is expected of me. This picture shows how much she wants to be like mommy in her appearance, and actions.
1 comment:
I thnk thats the toughest part about breaking gender socialization, kids learn primarily from watching the people around them. The liitle girl has no idea that by copying everything her mom does, it makes her more of a "girl". It goes the same way for boys. I think that parents shold be very aware of what they teach their kids...if kids learn by watching, then i think parents should spend time teaching them that they can be whatever they want.
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