User talk:Katie.mackiewicz

The page you are about to explore is about gender roles in our society. Basically it covers the adaptation that almost every child is involved in based on the expectations of society, and how that can in turn shape their future. I am interested in how children are raised based on the methods parents do or do not use and how it affects them in their adult years. If you have any suggestions please feel free to let me know!

GENDER NORMS

Gender norms; we are all familiar with them. They appear in our everyday lives in ways that we might not even give notice to, or even a second thought. It is the way we wrap baby girls in pink blankets and baby boys in blue. It is the way that the toys in a store are divided into section based on gender that prompts gender norms in the minds of young children. Yes, based on appearance and sexual characteristics boys and girls differ, but in all reality they should still be able to choose what they want to be involved with.

Since gender is a term we associate in society, it becomes a different definition than just associating it among the masculine and feminine characteristics. The masculine and feminine qualities started to become a topic of interest during the 1960’s when the emergence of feminism was developing (Stanford University: 2013). Women began to realize that they too could hold power in society, which started the movement to be different and rival males. During these years they defied the stereotypes which directly related to or within the gender norms. Instead of accepting what society had already deemed acceptable for their gender, they went ahead and pushed in a different direction stating that the gender norms given were not worthy of all the qualities a women possessed. This started the role of gender and how the existence of the concept of gender roles has continued to be an important factor in society. It becomes a topic of interest in the lives of many people. Whether it be fulfilling or detesting them for yourself, or encouraging your children, or others in your life to do the same.

A perfect gender norm placed by society is the “real men don’t cry” stigma given to men. This simply implies that regardless of the circumstances, there is never an excuse for a man to show his emotional side. If this is expressed in front of others, the person may be made fun or and seen as less of a man. Johansson and Olsson conducted a study in 2013 identifying the common issues associated with men hiding emotions. They came to the conclusion that a healthier man was able to outwardly express his emotions with little fear of judgment. The encounters they had with depressed boys led them to believe that the inward expression of emotions is detrimental to health. Their study proved that going against a gender norm proves to be needed within certain boundaries.

All gender norms and stereotypes relate back to the crucial development of a child. A young mother writes a recent article describing her pregnancy and the issues she felt occurring in society as she was expecting. Finding the sex of a child is the thing to do. We are a society who plans every little thing down to the tiniest detail, so why wouldn’t we want to know the sex of our child? Berrigan shares the constant badgering she received when she told people she did not want to know the sex of her child. She then goes on to share how detrimental the effect can be if you bombard your child with constant things associated by their gender; pink or blue for example. She advices to lay low and allow them to determine what they like and do not like, however, realizing it is almost impossible for parents to step back and let this happen. She later describes the Pop child in Sweden. This child decides what their gender is. THEY choose of they want to be a boy or girl, or something in between (Ferrigan: 2013). This idea is extreme, but interesting to see how parents are discouraging gender norms to dictate the lives of their children.

There is still a debate whether or not parents should allow their children to mix gender norms; for instance, boys playing with Barbie dolls. The Barbie example is interesting because it outlines the focus of most gender studies. Typically, girls are more accepted if they play with ‘boy’ toys, but boys are less accepted if they play with ‘girl’ toys. An interview conducted questioned a father whose son was interested in Barbie’s and shared his reaction. He admits that initially it was difficult for him to accept that his SON wanted to play with Barbie’s, but later accepted that it was what made him happy. Jan Hoffman wrote an article describing the change that occurred in this family, while comparing them to a family who did not allow their son to engage in girl play. They made a strict decision to not condone his behavior in fear that they would be accepting or pushing him in the wrong direction.

The trend continues through later adolescence and trickles into adulthood. In our culture social media is a big influence in the lives of our youth. Society places expectations on our youth based on their sex. What girls should be doing at fifteen is much different than what boys should be engaging in. It also creates division among the sex. Multiple ‘genders’ can be created within the female gender. Based on the expectation of society, it shows girls that in order to get anywhere they need to posses particular qualities and dress in a distinct way. Tortajada, Araüna, and Martínez conducted a recent study (2013) determining the effects of advertising and social media on gender norms. They determined that the focus has now become set on outward beauty instead of expressing how a woman can develop in her own way. There are stigmas in place that outline the expectations young girls are expected to follow. Although the expectations are not written rules, they are followed due to the success rate exhibited if they are met.

It is proven that the male gender is seen more negatively than the female gender. Esnard and Dumas (2013) conducted a study where they sat down with individuals and had them read a criminal case that involved a tragic event. During that time they were asked to identify who they thought the victim and the perpetrator were. The researchers found that the people involved in their study depicted men to be the one’s at fault over women. Even with different circumstances, the men seemed to always take the blame and the females are usually the victim.

Gender norms are formed and experienced from birth. An individual has little or no input when they are young. The trust is in their parents and those around them to help guide them the right direction. However, it becomes very different when they are of age and can make their own decisions. What is expected becomes a demand and anything less than normal is seen as wrong.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Johansson, A., & Olsson, M. (2013). Boys don't cry: therapeutic encounters with depressed boys and factors contributing to success. social work In mental health, 11(6), 530-541. doi:10.1080/15332985.2013.812539 This article describes the gender norms that are associated with males; young boys in particular. I found this study useful because it reveals that going against the gender norms proves to be effective in the lives of many men. The common gender norm referring to male emotions is, “real men don’t cry” and this study defies those odds and shares that expression of emotions is healthy.

2. Drury, K., Bukowski, W., Velásquez, A., & Stella-Lopez, L. (2013). Victimization and gender identity in single-sex and mixed-sex schools: examining contextual variations in pressure to conform to gender norms. sex roles, 69(7/8), 442-454. doi:10.1007/s11199-012-0118-6 The correlation of gender norms based on social context is evaluated in this study. Young girls are studied to determine just how much they are affected by this trend. The results imply that it is in fact society that can have such a wide role in partaking in the gender norms. The young girls are surveyed and evaluated by researchers to determine the results.

3. Tortajada, I. I., Araüna, N. N., & Martínez, I. J. (2013). Advertising stereotypes and gender representation in social networking sites. Comunicar, 21(41), 177-186. doi:10.3916/C41-2013- 17 The media represents an additional factor to the gender norms in society. As generations have changed, the constant advertisements, social media, etc has aided in the development of some major issues among young girls. When they see an image that may differ from what they are, they strive to posses the desired qualities.

4. Esnard, C., & Dumas, R. (2013). Perceptions of male victim blame in a child sexual abuse case: effects of gender, age and need for closure. Psychology, Crime & Law, 19(9), 817-844. doi:10.1080/1068316X.2012.700310 This study done by researchers was aimed to identify the different issues when looking at different aspects of a rape case. All parties within the study were manipulated, as well as the genders who were studying the case. In conclusion, males and females had significantly different ideas of who to blame (victim or perpetrator) and the difference in their assumptions are important to relate to gender studies.

5. McGowan, M. (2010). Why Sex Equality Is So Hard. Conference Papers -- Law & Society, 1. This study is basically the bones of my gender evaluation. It sets the stage regarding the differences in genders and some explanation as to why they are that way. We are all aware of the male and female differences on a general level, but diving into the topic a bit deeper can show the work that needs to be done to change the gender expectations and norms.

6. Berrigan, F. (2013). Who needs gender norms? Not children—that’s for sure. The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frida-berrigan/who-needs-gender-norms-no_b_3806302.html The beginning of a child’s life is expressed in this article. It is written from the perspective of a mother, who shares her feelings while pregnant. She explains the constant questions asked by society, her friends, and her family. When she and her husband decided that it was not important to know the gender, many asked how they would be prepared. I found her reaction important to the developing life of children; the example starts with the parents.

7. (2013). Gender. Gender Innovations, Stanford University. http://genderedinnovations.stanford.edu/terms/gender.html This site discusses the basic concept of gender. The social construct was established in the 1960’s and has evolved ever since. It has formed and been under consideration due to the constant change and development that occurs each and every year with the developing generations and the always changing society.

8. Hoffman, J. (2011). Boys will b e boys? Not in these families. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/fashion/new-challenge-for-parents-childrens-gender-r oles.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 A completely opposite stance than the article projected below. In this families interviewed in this article, they share their experience of the gender norms being abandoned in their families. They allow their young boys to share their obsession with Barbie’s or girl toys not because of force, but because that is what they find interest in. Instead of rejecting the less than normal behavior, it becomes accepted.

9. Grinberg, E. (2012). When kids play across gender lines. CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/27/living/harrods-gender-neutral-toys Children are the start of any change or difference when it comes to establishing gender norms. “Toy Kingdom” shares how different toys are marketed to children based on their sex. It is unacceptable or frowned upon for a young boy to take notice in boy toys because it projects different expectations than what society sees useful or normal.

10.Bruini, F. (2008). Old gender roles with your dinner? The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/dining/08gend.html?pagewanted=all An incredibly interesting observation that is relevant today, but was established years ago. It discusses the “rules of treating a lady” and takes a different spin than most article, stating that it provides inadequate treatment towards the men. It analyzes behavior in a restaurant and examines who is treated differently; in this case the women is given more attention.

11. Coontz, S. (2013). Why gender equality stalled. The New York Times. This http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/opinion/sunday/why-gender-equality-stalled.html This New York Times article outlines the pivotal movements in the last half century that have helped women gain independence. It briefly outlines the important events that are still discussed in feminist groups around the country. It provides explanation as to why this was important and how it drove women to find out who they are and what they can and will be.

12. Keleher, H., & Franklin, L. (2008). Changing gendered norms about women and girls at the level of household and community: a review of the evidence. NCBI. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19288342 This study was done in order to determine the prominence of gender relationships and how differently women are treated when compared to men. There is not basic right or wrong way, but Keleher and Franklin seek to identify the differences between men and women. From household chores to the workplace, it helped me establish the current study of how women are viewed in the ever changing world.

The topics that I am interested in studying are the feminine beauty ideal, matrix of domination, and gender variant roles. I am particularly interested in the gender roles placed on our society from the current and past societies. Women are my main focus, due the constant pressure they are under to look, perform, and act in a certain way.

````Katie

PEER RESPONSE POST!

I enjoyed reading this and learned some new things! You also made some very valid points! The only thing I would change are a few spelling and grammatical things. First, in the second paragraph where you say "defied the stereotypes which..." I would include a comma after stereotypes! Also a couple sentences down, I would change "a women" to "woman" just because it makes more sense to read it that way and the end add an "s" to "victims" but other than that great post! :) -Mari Mathews — Preceding unsigned comment added by Marimathews (talk • contribs) 04:06, 18 November 2013 (UTC)