This chapter is about sex, gender, toys’ socialization of gender, and parents control over toys. Some people get confused when it comes to sex and gender. They think that it’s one in the same, but they are different. Sex is a social construct that’s based on biology. Gender is a social construct based ok culture. For example, humans normally have genitalia found on a specific “sex”. While for gender, some cultures like the Native Americans will have more than two genders. Next comes the socialization of said sex/gender. Socialization of sex/gender is loosely being stereotyped based on your sex/gender. For example, a boy’s parents might tell him that playing with dolls is a girls thing and to play with trucks. The reason why he should play with trucks is because it’s a boy thing to do. In society we learn many things from our parents like manners, but we also learn sex/gender from them. Some early signs of gender socialization is what toys you can play with. Normally they tell boys they can’t play with toys that have pastel colors, or are seen as feminine. This means that the toy is nurturing/caring, or has any other “feminine” characteristic. Toys are also advertised by sex/gender, either by color or by the actors themselves. Parents also play a role by allowing the kids what toys they can play with. For example, a boy was playing with his sisters dolls when the dad came home. The dad saw it and was disgusted by the sight. He immediately made the boy stop playing with the dolls and bought him trucks to play with. We all experience sex/gender socialization at one time or another.
4/15/2019
Sociology Blog 