Analyzing Gender Socialization by Julee Pettis
As mentioned in the prompt, “We live in a very consumer-based culture, and much of our ongoing gender socialization, which comes from our participation in [what parents buy for their children” (Prompt). Sex is defined as the “...biological differences that distinguish males from females” (Conley 279). In addition, we are born with the sex we have unless a person changes it (Conley 279). Gender is defined as a “…social position; the set of social arrangements that are built around normative sex categories” (Conley 279). Furthermore, gender is the “…psychological, social, and cultural aspects of being a male or female” (SOC 150 Lecture). Another important concept are gender roles, which are defined as sets “...of behavioral norms assumed to accompany one’s status as a male or female” (Conley 287). For example, boys are expected to have blue toys, and society expects girls to have pink toys. …show more content…
The two websites that I researched on are Toys “R” Us and Target. The main difference between boy and girl toys were the color of the toys. For example, toys intended for young boys are blue, green, and red. On the other hand, toys intended for girls were pink and purple. Another major I noticed was the differences between the types of toys intended for boys and girls. For instance, boy toys included are toy cars, bikes, Legos, and race cars. However, girl toys consisted of dolls, dollhouses, horses, castles, and a teacup set. I was not really surprised by the research results because the toy aisles at Walmart are very similar to what I observed on the two