Gender Roles Research Paper

Boys Don't Cry: Boys and Sexism in Education details the stereotypes and gender based biases that young boys endure when going to school. It addresses the idea of sexism taught to children in a subconscious fight to keep gender roles fluent. (Summary)

Askew and Ross clearly identify the gender biases that toys create when they say \"Girls are always shown playing either with toys which copy adult 'women's' roles, such as toy cookers, toy hoovers, or they are shown with soft cuddly animals.\" (Quotation)

It is also said in this book that the toys made for boys promote physical activity, restless behavior, or gross/unhygienic actions

Dara Chadwick explains her views on how girls are taught that they must show signs of integrity, good manners, and classy behavior even though this standard is what stifles them from being able to progress. (Paraphrase)

Chadwick identifies her definition of being \"ladylike\" by stating, \"I learned that there were lots of things 'nice girls' didn't do - nice girls didn't talk too loudly or stay out too late. Nice girls didn't talk back to their parents or take their bad moods out on other people. Above all, though, nice girls didn't talk about their accomplishments (i.e., bragging) or insist on getting their own way all the time.\" (Quotation)

Chadwick explains her frustration when she says, \"We're expected to assert ourselves, but not be too assertive. We're expected to shine, but not at the expense of others. Oh, there are women who'll do it, out there on the edge.\" (Quotation)

Eliana Dockterman talks about the debate for more gender-neutral toys after an engineering toy for girls called \"GoldieBlox\" hits the shelf. The toy raises many speculations about how toys affect the minds of children. (Summary)

According to Dockterman there is a much smaller percentage of women involved in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and although there is no way to be sure that toys are the cause of this the GoldieBlox toy was a good place to start. (Paraphrase)

Dockterman hit the nail on the head when she stated, \"Most experts agree that the pink aisle does have a negative impact on girls' interest in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects. 'Wanting to be a doctor or architect or cook, that really begins when you're young and walking around with a stethoscope or playing with an Easy Bake oven,' says Richard Gottlieb, CEO of toy industry consulting firm Global Toy Experts.\"

In the article \"Gender Identity and Gender Confusion in Children\", it explains what to expect as a child learns about their own gender and the behaviors that are found to be usual. (Summary)

According to the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics), \"Before the age of three they can differentiate sex-stereotyped toys (trucks, dolls) that are identified with boys or girls. By three years of age they have also become more aware of boy and girl activities, interests, and occupations; many begin to play with youngsters of their own sex in activities identified with that sex.\" (Quotation)

The article expounds further on their research saying, \"The gender-role behavior of children seems to be strongly influenced by their identification with the males and females in their lives. All children pick up characteristics from the men and women around them, incorporating these traits into their own personalities and value systems. They are also influenced by TV and sports heroes and adults in all other activities in their lives.\"

Janet Gonzalez-Mena tells us, \"If parents buy girls dolls, dollhouses, high-heeled shoes, and makeup, they give one set of messages. If they buy boys chemistry sets, tool kits, doctor's bags, building blocks, and wheel toys, they give another set of messages. Children learn roles and skills from playing; the toys they have to some extent determine which roles and skills they learn.\" (Quotation)

Gonzalez-Mena talks about how toys create gender differentiation. The article poses suggestions as to how to integrate boys and girls when it comes to their playtimes in a hope to instill the thinking of boys and girls being similar. (summary)

According to Gonzalez-Mena if we find a way to incorporate boys into dramatic play then it can teach them how to be more nurturing and expose them to living with women. (Paraphrase)

Rona Chadwick created a political cartoon that identifies the high level of discrimination when it comes to boys and girls and what they can aspire to become. (summary)

In Rona Chadwicks cartoon the young boy is told, \"You can be anything you want to be when you grow up... an engineer, firefighter, astronaut, pilot...\" then it shows a young girl being told, \"You can be anything you want to be when you grow up... a blonde, brunette...\" (Quotation)

The political cartoon addresses how boys are able to aspire to be whatever great thing they want while girls are taught that the best they can do to better themselves is change their hair color. (paraphrase)

A survey, named \"Gender Roles Survey\" was conducted on teenage boys and girls that asked questions as to how what kinds of things did they learn or gravitate to when they were younger. (Summary)

According to the survey 60% of girls stated that they learned how to cook between the ages of 10-13 as opposed to the 15% of boys.