gender role

MY GENDER DEVELOPMENT AND OUTLOOK ON LIFE

WOMEN IN COMTEMPORARY SOCIETY

SOCIOLOGY 2000

Gender Role development / Agents of gender

Just like almost all people my gender role development to have been immensely influenced by the same prevalent agents: Family, Peer group, school and media. Born and raised in Nigeria (West Africa), immersed and socialized through my teenage years in a different culture makes the fact that I turned out not very different in my thoughts, actions and expectations of gender and gender roles from that of an average American Male is quite interesting and testifies to the almost universal uniformity of gender roles.

Both my parents held jobs outside the home. Both of them worked for the leading banks in country and that created an early acceptance in me that both men and women could do just be as successful in a corporate setting and according to the cognitive development theory was It was the only natural inference to make as that understanding fit into that particular stage of my cognitive development (Lindsey, 1997).

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The idea that the fathers are the head of the family and must love and protect his family are notions I subscribe to. There is always an underlying message that reinforces long held attitudes.

Effects of Gender role socialization:

Love and Marriage:

Although not currently married, I have many thoughts on love and marriage. in majority of homes in that society, there was no confusion about the ranks and strata in the home. At that age I loved doing those things it would have been unimaginable to stand around with girls or play with dolls. In school I learnt that when a task was going to require some strength boys were always called upon to do it. And true to studies the pressures are kind of subtle and almost benign when one is younger days and reaches its crescendo in the teenage years.

Educational Aspirations and Achievement

I have always set high aspirations for myself and have never felt limited in anyway. From home I learned early on from my parents that it somewhat “okay” for boys to be uncouth, rough and tough. Boys were supposed to bow (with hand in front and back) when they greeted teacher and elders, girls on the other hand were to courtesy. Boys flowed to technical courses and girl toward more life and caring courses whenever there was a choice to be made. It was clear that the majority ruled and nonconformists could only expect to be ostracized and ridiculed. They helped out in kitchen and were responsible for most of the quotidian chores and strangely they were expected to be more responsible. We were not only expected albeit subtly to not only be stronger but smarter.

Approximate Word count = 1695
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

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