Tipping the Sacred Cow of Gender Generalization in Young Boys
Gender generalization in gender-specific activities for young boys is a sacred cow because it is assumed in society that boys can only play with trains and actions figures, have to mask their emotions and should not take pride in their attire. A sacred cow is something that is widely acknowledged in society with no question as to why it is readily accepted, usually without justification. Sacred cows are troublesome in that we should not be blindly following what is “standard” thought. We should be questioning every widely held belief to see if it is accurate and linear with our own ideology. In actuality, it should be completely acceptable for boys to have a kitchen set, play house …show more content…
Even though our boys might one day grow up to be fathers, baby dolls are largely concentrated toward females. Wearing pink clothes or having many shoes and nice outfits are also generalizations we contribute to females. An example of parental gender stereotyping is the proof of more “dolls and domestic items” in girls’ rooms and more “traditionally masculine” toys found in boys’ rooms (Rheingold & Cook 459; Pomerleau et al. 359). This is proof that parents acknowledge gender roles differently in boys and girls in a reaction starting as soon as the gender identity of the child is revealed (Campenni 122). It is also not generally expected of males to cry or express emotion, it is seen as a sign of weakness. According to Huston, “The year between a child's second and third birthdays has been identified as the time during which sex stereotypes for toys, clothing, tools, household objects, games, and work are acquired (Huston 387).” My 3-year-old son received a play kitchen with dishware for his second Christmas, and I was subjected to very negative feedback on the idea of providing a “girl” toy for a boy and with the response that he might end up “gay” or “too feminine”. When in fact, there is an abundance of male chefs in the world that are very successful and worth millions of dollars (and married to females). Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse and …show more content…
According to Campenni (130), the gender schema begins at parturition and is primarily shaped by parental influences. When unquestioned allegiance to certain activities directed to particular genders are formed, parents and non-parents are obstructing the child’s ability to create their own interpretations of objects and people. “Parents serve as the initial and major socializing agents in society”, says Basow (1992), in ways that are both apparent and indistinct. For instance, parents are more than likely to describe their daughters in regard to their appearance and their sons in regard to their physical abilities (Campenni 121). This facet emerged primarily from fathers (Rubin et al.