As early as pre-kindergarten, many children come to school with
             concrete ideas regarding gender socialization. Many girls, for example,
             will not engage in rough play. When a little boy gets hurt during a
             playground, he will do his best to keep from crying, for fear of being
             teased as "a little girl." This trend often continues as the child grows
             up. Boys are more participative in class because they tend to speak out
             more. Many young girls, on the other hand, are more reserved. Though this
             is an unconscious process, many aspects of early gender role socialization
             are difficult to overcome and have long-term effects.
             In many cases, early gender role socialization has very restrictive
             results. Boys learn to suppress their emotions, and it may become
             difficult for an educator to interest them in subjects that are considered
             "affective." This includes subjects like art, music or creative writing.
             Girls, on the other hand, tend to shy away from "hard" sciences like math
             I believe that parents need to develop a greater awareness of the
             effects of early gender role socializing. It is with parents that
             children learn their earliest and often, most influential, gender role. It
             is also at this stage when they are forming ideas about their own
             personality and identity. Restrictive ideas regarding gender roles serve
             to curtail the vast potential of many children. One can only imagine, for
             example, how many future female scientists opted for other, more "feminine"
             The good news is that there is a growing awareness of the problem
             regarding early gender role socialization. However, much remains to be
             done. Parents need to learn that their children pick up on their cues
             regarding socialization. Educators should also be aware of ingrained
             gender roles, in order to recognize and perhaps counter their ill effects.
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