The picture above depicts the traditional gender roles children follow and learn even in such an advance time period like today. The girl is playing with a doll which teaches girls from a young age that they should act domestically and caring towards small children. The boy is playing a violent shooting game which teaches boys from a young age to be aggressive and violent. The children in this picture take up very little space in the picture to show how little people think about the traditional gender roles children learn and are still taught today. The girl is playing with a traditionally feminine toy, a doll, while the boy is playing a shooting video game. The two toys are different in time periods but still teach girls and boys the different gender roles they are expected to follow. Another key element of the picture is the color, when people think of old or traditional things they usually think of black and white. The color also symbolizes the clean cut, or black and white, differences expected from boys and girls and the gender roles they are taught to fit into. The fact that the picture is of a boy and girl clearly shows the main point of the photo being gender roles. The way the children are focused on their toys shows how boys and girls unknowingly learn the traditional roles of gender from the toys and games they play every day. To the kids the toys are just fun and harmless but anyone who understands stereotypes and gender schemas would understand that these toys and games teach boys and girls how they are expected to act in society when they grow up.
1 comment:
I believe that the advancement of boys’ toys vs. the advancement of girls’ toys is another sign of how boys and girls are socialized at a young age. The boy is using a video game, a relatively advanced toy, and the girl is using a doll, something that has been around for centuries. It seems more work has been put into innovation in boys’ entertainment than that of girls. This reflects the socialization techniques used on the two sexes. Boys are socialized through materials, like games, while less of an emphasis is placed on learning from the same for girls. Girls learn and socialize through interaction, which is why girls are typically better with relationships.
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