"Boys will always be boys" is a phrase that has always been used to exonerate men from any loathsome acts they do. Hidden in this statement, however, is the fact that the society has always had a double standard when it comes to holding the different sexes accountable for their actions. Females are easily judged and scolded when they act outside the box of the prescribed female gender roles while the male gender often goes scot-free. The worst part of it all is that the gender standards are often set from the point of view of the male. The double standards in gender have always been with humanity and can date back to the beginning of human civilization. What is clear about the conventional gender roles is that they are taught and learned through a process known as gender socialization. Children learn about the gender roles from very young ages, and the knowledge remains a part of them for a long time, influencing how they think about the world. In the essay titled "Gender Museum," the concept of gender socialization is discussed with a focus on how it affects people amidst the emerging trends on gender issues.
In the essay, gender socialization is defined as "the process of learning social expectations and attitudes and expectations relating to one's sex." This definition is similar to what Emolu (2014) says about gender socialization. According to Emolu (2014), people learn to become members of the society from a young age through a process of social learning. The aim is to ensure that the young people fit into the standards set by the communities in which they live. Young people are often exposed to consistent messages and ideologies that shape their thinking about gender. Four agents of gender socialization have been identified by Emolu (2014). Some of the teenagers become rebellious to the norms and standards that the society set. The agents include school, family members, peer groups, and the media. The message about gender roles is consistently defined by the young people through the four agents during their daily interaction with them.
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The controversy surrounding gender is something that has been in the society for a long a time. In the essay, the question of color association with sexuality is discussed. It is not uncommon to find people associating specific colors with gender roles. For instance, colors such as blue and brown are related to male gender roles while pink and purple colors are associated with female gender roles. Additionally, blue is associated with wisdom and power while pink is associated with cuteness and weakness. In other words, a man wearing pink colors would be considered less of a man and a woman wearing blue color would be regarded as less of a woman.
Sex and gender are two related concepts that are often confused. In the essay, the difference between the two ideas is made clear. According to Virginia Prince (2008), gender is the sum total of a person's identification based on the influence of the society on matters of male and female. On the other hand, sex is purely a biological difference between males and females. Sex cannot be influenced by the society because one is either born a male or a female based on their biological features. Typically, gender stereotypes are learned from a young age and becomes part of an individual when he or she grows up. For instance, women are taught that being beautiful is the only thing that matters. Similarly, men are taught that strength is the most important thing that defines them. According to Knorr (2017), the gender stereotypes are the simplistic ways of defining human beings that ignores the bigger picture. Knorr (2017) argues that a man is not all about strength, and neither is femaleness defined only by the beauty of a lady.
The focus on gender studies has been influenced by the growing concern on the impact of gender roles on individuals. One thing that is clear is that gender roles place unnecessary pressure on boys and girls to act in a certain way or risk being labeled deviants. The male members of the society are required to perform strong and domineering. On the other hand, the females are expected to be submissive and quiet. The question that arises is what happens when individuals fail to meet the predefined gender roles.
The emerging issues in the society today are directly affecting the debate on gender. The clear-cut differences between males and females are increasingly getting blurry with issues such as transgender, bisexuals, and transvestites, among other emerging issues (Prince, 2008). The society must realize that the issue of gender cannot be looked at as a dichotomy, but rather a complex issue that should cover the unique personalities that exist in the modern societies. No one, male or women, wants to be boxed into the narrow perspectives of who is a man and who is a female.
Conclusion
Gender is a highly controversial topic because of the varied opinions that people have on it raising several issues about the moral responsibility of the society. Gender roles are cultivated on individuals through gender socialization, a process that starts from infancy. However, with the emerging issues such as transgender, bisexuality, et cetera, people should realize that gender role no longer a black and white issue. This has made the standards that the society sets to become more complicated.
References
Emolu, E. (2014). Play, Toy and Gender Socialization. Journal Plus Education. 11(2):
Knorr, C. (2017). Gender Stereotypes are Messing with your Kid. Common Sense Media.
Prince, V. (2008). Sex Vs. Gender. International Journal of Transgenderism. 8(4): 29-32.
