Assignment #4

1) In your blogs: write about whether you believe children "naturally" act like girls or boys or how this behavior might be learned or fostered by the larger society and/or social institutions like education, the economy, government etc. For example, think about toys that children play with or the clothes/colors they are dressed in.
Do you think children want to play with these toys or do we create gender roles by rewarding children for gender appropriate behavior or punishing them when they display gender inappropriate behaviors? Many of you work in day care centers or schools - how do teachers react when boys want to play dress up versus when girls act aggressively? Why do girls like pink and boys blue?

Ans: I do feel that biologically speaking children naturally are born boy or girl but I strongly feel that its society who shapes the way boys and girls should act, dress, look, and even speak. From before we are even born most parents like to know the sex of their baby. Once they find out the sex of the baby, baby showers are centered either surrounding the theme of boys with blue surroundings or for girls with pink surroundings. Family members and friends buy gifts for baby’s on the basis of if the parents are having a girl then we get pink “female Alf its” (skirts, shorts, pink dresses), or maybe princess baby toys, and for boys buy blue boy toys, shirts with cars on them, and action heroes. In schools girls are taught to act like ladies, always sit with your legs closed and never open, some mothers even pierced their baby girls ears even as infants and dress bay girls ears up with feminine earrings. The idea that girls should act like girls and boys should act like boys is definitely fostered by the larger society and/or social institutions like education, the economy government. I do also believe that society creates gender roles by rewarding children for gender appropriate behavior or punishing them when they display gender inappropriate behaviors. An example of this is when boys are seen as normal if they fight or are physically aggressive towards other boys. But girls are seen as tom boys if they fight, show aggression or do anything that’s a gender role of a boy, Even the expression tom boy that is used for girls who tend to exhibit characterizes and behavior considered typical of a gender role of a boy. This is a term that has been socially constructed, why can’t a girl just be a seen as a girl no matter what she likes or prefers to do. In the pre-school I work at teachers when boys want to play dress up which is very rare its allowed even if they want to dress up in the princess al fits. Both girls and boys are pretty much treated equally when it comes to acting aggressive its not allowed and if we see it we automatically address the issue no matter the gender of the child. I think girls like pink and boys like blue because these are distinct colors a lot of parents and families introduce to their children at very young ages. Feminine colors are usually lighter colors (pink, yellow, white), while masculine colors are usually darker (blue, black, green, red). Society does have a tendency to socialize boys and girls, differently based on their gender. Boys and girls are each socialized by gender role “what a girl should do or act like, or what a boy should do or act like.

2-5.) Go to this website: True False Quiz

Women in the Workforce

Directions: Study the Mothers Participating in the Labor Force 1955-2004 table. (The table can be found online at http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0104670.html.) Then read each statement below. On the line before each statement, write T if the statement is true. Write F is the statement is false. Ans: ___F__ In the year 2000, 64.6 percent of mothers with children younger than age 6 were part of the labor force. ___F__ The number of working mothers with children ages 6 to 17 increased by 15 percent between 1975 and 1980. __ F___ During the period 1995 to 2001, the number of working mothers with children younger than age 6 increased by more than 5 percent. __T__ In the last five years on the chart, the percentage of working mothers with children younger than age 18 decreased. _ T____ The number of working mothers with children younger than age 6 went above the 50 percent mark for the first time between the years 1980 and 1985. F____ The number of working mothers with children ages 6 to 17 has not been below 70 percent since 1980. __T___ The number of working mothers with children younger than age 6 decreased between 1997 and 2001. __F __ In 1955, fewer than one-fourth of all mothers with children under age 18 were part of the U.S. workforce. __T___ Working mothers with children younger than age 6 have always made up a smaller percentage of the workforce than those who have children ages 6 to 17. __T__ In the year 2001, more than three-fourths of all mothers of children ages 6 to 17 were part of the labor force.

6.) Do you think women are doing as well as you as expected, less well, or better and why?

Ans: I feel women are doing an excellent job in the workforce. More women are working which is excellent. The increase of mothers in the work force shows that a lot of women are becoming more and more independent and have strong views when it comes to fending for themselves without having to be fully dependent on a man for full financial support. I do feel that although women are getting more and more opportunities in the workforce that they are not being treated still equally with men when it comes to how much they are getting paid in all jobs(ex: Wal-Mart). I feel this is something that needs to be changed soon.