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Chapter 2: The Family as a socializing agent
By: Olivia Buttz
A Brief Overview
What is the Family as a Socializing Agent and What Exactly Does This Mean?
A Social Evolution: A Look at Gender Identity Influenced by the Family Unit
Revisiting Examples of Gender Identities Influenced by the Family Unit
Familial Social Influences on Psychological Gender Identity
What is the Family as a Socializing Agent and What Exactly Does This Mean?
Socialization refers to the process of developing gender identity which involves acquiring information about cultural roles and norms (i.e. a social function), then adjusting one’s view of self, one’s role in society, and one’s behavior in response to those norms (a psychological function).
*Quick recap: sex is a set of biological attributes and is assigned at birth, gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, and expressions and identities of girls, women, boys, men, and gender diverse people (Government of Canada…).
Next, the primary vehicle for socialization is communication.
Focusing on gender identity within the larger scope of socialization helps us understand how we develop:
1) our sense of self,
2) appropriate roles and gender behaviors, and
3) our patterns for gender communication.
Notably, the family is the most significant agent of socialization.
The family has the ability to influence the gender identities of the people it makes by reinforcing the status quo or by offering a broader view.
Examples of family influencing gender identities that:
--Reinforce the status quo:
Leave it to Beaver
--Offer a broader view:
Roseanne, Modern Family
Examples (Continued)
“The Evolution of the TV Family:” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YER5Xx-1q-M&feature=youtu.be
Roseanne Reboot (featuring a family atmosphere with a “gender creative” non-binary child):
Gender differences in the treatment of children begins BEFORE birth.
After the birth of a child, the family maintains the major responsibility for socializing the child during their critical years of life.
This is when the child gains a sense of self, learns language, and begins to understand norms of interaction with parents, siblings, and significant others. This is also where sex-typing of babies occurs.
Class Discussion
What characteristics do you associate with the term “son” vs. the term “daughter”?
Has this view changed at all over the course of your life? Why or why not?
What may have caused that change (media, family, co-workers, etc.)?
Gender Norms Seen in the Family
In studies over multiple decades involving infants of similar weight, length, and health, both parents described sons as big, tough, strong, firm, and alert, while daughters were described as cheerful, gentle, delicate, soft, and awkward.
Another masculine term is aggression: a stereotypically male trait of asserting or inflicting force.
Another feminine term is nurturance: a stereotypically feminine trait if giving aid and comfort to others.
Androgyny: blending of feminine and masculine traits.
A Social Evolution: A Look at Gender Identity Influenced by the Family Unit
The social conditions that gave rise to the current stereotypical definitions of masculinity and femininity occurred more than a hundred years ago, and these conditions have changed a lot in the past decades.
Femininity remains linked to the private sphere—home, family, emotional expressiveness, and caring for others.
On the other hand, masculinity remains linked to public areas of work and is associated with power and dominance, emotional reserve, and productivity and is something that is seen as needing to be “attained” and achieved or earned rather than merely socially prescribed.
For instance, if a man loses his job and is unable to provide for his family, his manhood can be revoked. This can end up being damaging to self-esteem and identity.
Revisiting Examples of Gender Identities Influenced by the Family Unit
Culturally traditional definitions of femininity have a history of negative characteristics (e.g. in Leave it to Beaver the son thinks that women are dumber than men and that their purpose in life is to just get married, have children, and perform domestic duties).
However, research shows that perceptions of femininity have evolved in a more positive direction (e.g. Roseanne defying these standard social-gender norms).
Views of what it means to be feminine continue to change, from self-definitions to ideas about body image, athleticism, clothing, and nonconformity, such that a wider range of behaviors, attitudes, and choices may be viewed as feminine (e.g. the non-binary “gender creative” child in the Roseanne reboot).
One significant factor affecting the evolution of what it means to be feminine involves an increasing number of women in sports.
Continued…
On the other hand, men are traditionally seen as having the role of provider, protector, etc. (e.g. why the dad in Leave it to Beaver felt like he needed to grill outside and his wife did the indoor cooking and cleaning).
This can be attributed to sex differences existing in their current form primarily because of centuries of hunter-gatherer cultures where societies were formed of men combing the land, hunting the food, and protecting their families from danger while women had the birthing and child-rearing duties and developed tools to gather and carry the food.
This separation of labor formed the basis of the social structure like the typical family unit (wife, husband, and children) that worked very well and thus has continued to modern times.
Familial Social Influences on Psychological Gender Identity
As children start to understand themselves as individuals separate from others, they begin to understand that others see them and respond to them as people of a particular sex. Theories that have been generated to explain this identity development (with regard to the family unit) include:
Social Learning Theory: Theory about how children learn gender-related behavior from social contacts, primarily parents and peers.
Children model the thoughts, emotions, and actions of others. This role modeling as a powerful effect on how children see themselves and how they form gender identities. Because of the power of parents with this in mind, more resources has become available in recent years to aid in teaching children to grow up without the traditional views of male and female behavior.
Gilligan’s Gender Identity Theory: Theory suggesting that the core of gender identity development rests within the mother-child relationship; involves the development of connectedness in girls and autonomy in boys.
Essentially, this theory states that the female child connects and finds gender identity with the mother, but the male child must find identity by separating himself from the mother (i.e. female identity revolves around interconnectedness and relationship whereas the male identity revolves around separation and independence).
Works Cited
Good Morning America. (n.d.). 'Roseanne' thrusts parenting and gender identity into the spotlight. Retrieved February 01, 2021, from https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/video/roseanne-thrusts-parenting-gender-identity-spotlight-54084048
Government of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research. “What Is Gender? What Is Sex?” CIHR, 28 Apr. 2020, cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/48642.html.
Ivy, Diana K. Gender Speak (6th edition, 2017) Pearson Education, Inc.
“The Evolution of the TV Family” - YouTube. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YER5Xx-1q-M
QUIZ…
1. What is socialization?
A. Communicating with one’s friends and family.
B. One learns gender-related behavior from social contacts, primarily parents and peers.
C. The process of developing gender identity which involves acquiring information about cultural roles and norms (i.e. a social function), then adjusting one’s view of self, one’s role in society, and one’s behavior in response to those norms (a psychological function).
D. The core of gender identity development rests within the mother-child relationship; involves the development of connectedness in girls and autonomy in boys.
2. _______ is the most significant agent of socialization.
A. Communication
B. Family
C. A mother
D. A father
3. The family has the ability to influence the gender identities of the people it makes by reinforcing _____ or by offering _____.
A. Status quo, broader view
B. Gender norms, more support
C. Broader view, status quo
D. Gender norms, broader view
4. What is it called when there is a blending of feminine and masculine traits?
A. Aggression
B. Nurturance
C. Neutral
D. Androgyny
5. What were sons usually described as when both parents were asked in studies over multiple decades involving infants of similar weight, length, and health?
A. big, tough, strong, firm, alert
B. smart, happy, loving, kind
C. cheerful, gentle, delicate, soft, awkward
D. generous, caring, nurturing, cheerful
6. _____ the birth of a child, the family maintains the major responsibility for socializing the child during their critical years of life.
Before
After
7. What is one significant factor that has affected the evolution of what it means to be feminine?
American sitcoms
Women in sports
Job promotions
Clothing
8. Why do sex differences exist in their current primary form?
Television
Conformity
Hunter-gatherer cultures
Status quo
9. What is the Social Learning Theory?
Theory suggesting that the core of gender identity development rests within the mother-child relationship; involves the development of connectedness in girls and autonomy in boys.
Our sense of self.
Patterns for gender communication.
Theory about how children learn gender-related behavior from social contacts, primarily parents and peers.
10. What is the Gilligan’s Gender Identity Theory?
Theory suggesting that the core of gender identity development rests within the mother-child relationship; involves the development of connectedness in girls and autonomy in boys.
Theory about how children learn gender-related behavior from social contacts, primarily parents and peers.
Focusing on gender identity within the larger scope of socialization.
Appropriate roles and gender behaviors.
Quiz Answers
C
B
A
D
A
B
B
C
D
A