Describe the process of gender and socialization

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

We learn gender-appropriate behavior through the socialization process. Our parents, teachers, friends, and the media all serve as gendered institutions that communicate to us our earliest, and often most lasting, beliefs about the social meanings of being male or female and about thinking and behaving in masculine or feminine ways. Many parents prefer boys to girls because of stereotypical ideas about the relative importance of males and females to the future of the family and society. Research suggests that social expectations also play a major role in this preference. We are socialized to believe that it is important to have a son, especially for a first or only child. For many years, it was assumed that a male child could support his parents in their later years and carry on the family name. Across cultures, boys are preferred to girls, especially when the number of children that parents can have is limited by law or economic conditions. In China, which strictly regulates the allowable number of children to one per family, a disproportionate number of female fetuses are aborted. In India, the practice of aborting female fetuses is widespread, and female infanticide occurs frequently. As a result, both China and India have a growing surplus of young men who will face a shortage of women of their own age. In the United States, some sex selection no doubt takes place through abortion. However, most women seek abortions because of socioeconomic factors, problematic relationships with partners, health-related concerns, and lack of readiness or ability to care for a child.