Canadian society is made up of people from a broad range of backgrounds. These persons engage in socialization with various groups with the aim of making life better. It is factual that mingling plays a crucial role in the life of individuals. The reason why socialization is essential is that it comes with many benefits in the political, social, and economic aspects. In light of this fact, there is a need for the government to enhance socialization in this country by offering a conducive environment for people to intermingle. In this speech, I will address the benefits that come with socializing while elaborating and comparing Gilman’s ideas regarding the effects of gender-based forms of socialization and power to Foucault’s analysis of how social regulation and self-regulation, as forms of socialization, are tied to power and social control.
According to Gilman's view of Canadian society, the mode of socialization is based on the sex distinction. She avers, “We have been socialized to see boys and girls behave differently because of sex. Maternal and protective instincts are engrained into young girls while boys are encouraged to be playful, though young girls should have as much maternal instincts as much as young boys do with paternal instincts” (Gilman, 2017). Here, society tries to accentuate the differences in female gender and the male one. Gilman exposes a Canadian society that works to make the male gender superior while the female one inferior by sexuality. She uses several examples, for instance, that of the biological nature of children. Children, whether male or female, are asexual. However, society introduces the sexual distinction in these children very early. For example, parents strive to have their girls to emulate the caring and protective traits that their mothers exhibit, which is a preparation for motherhood. On the other hand, society tries to make male children be free and engage in playful activities. Gilman laments that this move seems to impinge upon the social life of the females since society condemns them to motherhood while the male gender is given liberty to explore the various aspects of the society. From the foregoing, Canadian society has made the male gender more human than the female one. Besides, the social path taken by society empowers the male gender in all aspects of life. This trend is dangerous to the female gender as it prevents their control in the spheres of power.
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Gilman looks at a society whose social structure does not favor the female gender. It is upon the government of Canada to establish proper social policies that will see the female gender emancipated from the adverse social structures that aim at putting the female gender under the thumb of the male gender. This initiative is essential as it will see young girls and boys grow up knowing that they are equal and they have corresponding opportunities in the future.
In his discourses on self-regulation and societal regulation, Foucault focuses on knowledge and power as a means of controlling society. He posits, “ Knowledge linked to power, not only assumes the authority of 'the truth' but has the power to make itself true. All knowledge , once applied in the real world, has effects, and in that sense at least, 'becomes true ” (Appelrouth, 2013). He states that for one to be able to control power in a society, they must possess the knowledge, which is an integral aspect of life as it enables one to understand the occurrences in society. A comprehension of the socio-political and socio-economic aspects of society puts one in a position to control most attributes of society. Once someone wields power, he or she can also influence knowledge. Therefore, Foucault looks at society to be divided into two groups. The first group is that which has acquired knowledge through education. The second segment of the society is that which does not have access to education, hence possess limited knowledge. The former group regulates activities of the society, thus wields power. The latter group does not have the power to control society. Therefore, those in power regulate the second group. Contemporary society is made up of people with knowledge who grow into great leaders, and they take part in the governmental activities of their countries. In this case, Canadian communities, which embraced education, have a huge number of their people in the government. These people often make decisions that favor their regions. On the other hand, those localities that did not embrace education for their people to get the knowledge to have few or no persons close to power.
By comparing and contrasting, Gilman and Foucault put across their points, which have been illustrated in the preceding sections. With regards to similarities, the two tried to expound on how forms of socialization affect how one gains social control and power. However, their approaches were not similar. For instance, Gilman used sexual distinction. This approach is juxtaposed with the Canadian society that seems to put more weight on the male gender by making it more human at the expense of the female one. On the other hand, Foucault uses knowledge, and he claims that knowledge is analogous to power. Individuals or groups who have access to knowledge automatically gain power.
In summary, Gilman and Foucault played a significant role in accentuating how the socialization trends in society affect movements of power. Particularly, Canada is a country where social implications are prevalent in society's corridors of power. From the look of things, the Canadian government is doing well by offering education to a large segment of its population. However, it should do better when it comes to rectifying the traditional structures affecting Canadian males and females on matters of socialization.
References
Edles, L. D., & Appelrouth, S. (2013). Sociological theory in the classical era: Text and readings . Los Angeles, California: Sage.
Gilman, C. P. (2017). Women & Economics: The Economic Relation Between Men and Women as a Factor in Social Evolution . Musaicum Books.
