Socialization into Gender
Barbara J. Risman
Introduction
Children are socialized to behave in gender-defined roles. The effects of living in a gendered (and sexist) society is that boys and girls are differentially prepared for adulthood. Boys routinely are socialized to learn to work in teams and to compete, and girls routinely are socialized to value nurturing. Research indicates that parents participate in gender-typing by rewarding gender-typical play and punishing gender-atypical play.
While several scholars have documented that some families are moving toward shared parenting and more liberal gender socialization for children, we have little information about how effective such changes in parenting style might be in a society in which gendering processes continue to occur. Risman addresses this question of how children in egalitarian families fare within a gendered society.
Key Points
- Risman defines the "an egalitarian family" as one where parents:
- share responsibilities for caring for the home,
- share responsibilities for caring for the children, and
- reject traditional definitions of masculinity and femininity.
- Risman interviewed 21 children, ages 4 to 12, to learn about their identities and socialization inside and outside the home.
- In general, the children in Risman's study adopted the gender ideology of their parents.
- When faced with traditional attitudes outside their home, however, the children adopted traditional roles.
- Only about half the children demonstrated consistency in their attitudes and identity. Peer culture strongly mediated home socialization in its influence on gender identity.
- Risman concludes that children raised in egalitarian families are happy, healthy, and well-adjusted.
- The effectiveness of egalitarian socialization on children's gender identities, however, is limited because of the effects of being exposed to a different culture outside the home.
Discussion Questions
- From a symbolic interactionist perspective, does parental socialization affect the attitudes and gender identities of children? Explain your answer.
- From a structure-functional perspective, does parental socialization affect the attitudes and gender identities of children? Explain your answer.
