Questions On Different Types Of Behaviors From Boys And Girls

Dis. 6 Coursework
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Answer Both Questions Separately (3 Pages Per Question and 3 sources Per Page )
1 What do you remember about when you first understood that boys and girls were different and that there were different expectations for boys and girls? What are your views about how boys and girls ought to be socialized? Should parents and teachers expect different types of behaviors from boys and girls? Should boys and girls be encouraged to develop different kinds of competencies? What are implications of sex-segregated play for the development of gender-role attitudes and behavior?
In most societies and cultures that existed, the differentiation between gender roles and expectations have always been present. Most of the time, these expectations are linked to the “perceived” differences in terms of “sex” – which refers to the biological differences – as well as their perceived physiological effects on a human’s body. Even in our culture, where the concept of gender equality have been present and taught to children ever since they were young, these differences are present and are practiced by parents in child rearing. More specifically, these differences are present in the belief that girls should act more feminine and demure, by engaging in play which is closely related to performing household tasks (e.g. dress-ups, play dates, cooking games, etc.), while boys should play with more “manly” stuff which emphasizes themes of fighting and decision making (e.g. action figures, video games, guns, etc.). Aside from these, it is also notable how the society acts based on these expected gender differences and how it “balances” and/or “correct” any kind of diversion from its prescribed roles. A good example of this corrective process could be seen when a girl who acts manly or a guy who acts a little feminine, gets shunned or teased, thus making them act accordingly (Frost, Wortham, & Reifel, 2001). This phenomenon aims to coerce someone into following their prescribed gender roles and are done by the society as well as its members both consciously and unconsciously.
Nevertheless, these days, it is apparent that there has been a significant change in this kind of thinking and child-rearing process. The author of this paper believes that widespread globalization as well as the significant amount of studies, which were focused on child rearing, and the importance of gender equality (Zosuls, Miller, Ruble, Martin, & Fabes, 2011) have caused this change. In line with this, he believes that socialization of both sexes during childhood (more especially during play) is important for kids to learn early on about their gender differences, without creating gender stereotypes, as well as develop better socialization skills with people from any and all genders. In a study done by Frost, Wortham, and Reifel (2001), they emphasized the importance of socialization of different kids in developing a sense of “gender identity”. This development, in turn, is said to be essential for the children to interact and associate more with people reducing the type of gender prejudice and stereotypes which are associated with one’s culture.
Aside from what has been stated above, another highly debatable topic in the field of child development is whether boys and girls should be reared and motivated towards different competencies. In line with the studies done on this subject matter, the author of this paper believes that it would be best if children were motivated towards different competencies, by the time that they are already grown up and showed a particular inclination towards a field as compared to traditional measures of achievement (McKie, 2010). In other words, what this means is that instead of creating measurements of competence based on gender differences (e.g. boys= decision making, girls= housekeeping), it would be best to motivate children with the same kind of competence during childhood, then differentiate them as they learn their own fields of interests. Nonetheless, this aim would be difficult to achieve with sex-segregated play. This is because, through sex-segregated play, competence differentiation based on gender happens both consciously and sub-consciously (Elliot & Dweck, 2013). As children from the similar gender interact with each other, they create a strong sense of gender-identity and reinforces the traditional notion of how they, as a member of that particular group, must act in order to “fit in”. Usually, competence in this sense refers to how much a child act in accordance to the expected roles and status of their particular group, which in the first place, is gender-biased. In real life situations, this phenomenon could be seen when a boy is appreciated dearly by his parents when he wins his soccer game, or a when a girl aces her ballet competition. However, as stated earlier, the problem with this is that it does not only reinforce the gender expectations and roles, but it also adds to the re-instilling and reification of gender stereotypes and biases. Lastly, in connection to what has been said about the creation of gender expectations and roles, Sweeting et al. (2014) have found out, that the main importance of being able to have a good GRA (Gender-Role Attitude) is its ability to help develop an individual’s well-being, in many aspects of life such as social, psychological, and emotional.
2 Theory of mind emerges at about age four, but many adults still have trouble understanding other people’s thoughts and motives. Ask a few people why someone in the news did whatever he or she did (e.g., a scandal, a crime, and heroic acts). Then ask your informants how sure they are of their explanation. Compare and analyze the rea...