Gender Socialization
Instructions:
1) In preparation for this assignment, you will need to visit a childrens clothing store and a toy store so that you can observe the items offered for sale.
2) While you are at the store, pay attention to how clothing and toys are organized. How do you know which items are intended for boys/girls? Make a list of the kids of items intended for boys or girls. Are there any gender neutral or non gendered items? Make a list of them.
3) In a 3 5 page double spaced paper (1 margins), 12pt font, times new roman answer the following questions:
a. Did you find anything unusual or unexpected? What patterns did you see?
b. What kind of things do you think clothes and toys teach children about gender? How do
they teach them to be a boy or a girl? Think about the kinds of clothes and toys intended for each gender and how the clothes might affect, for example a childs movements or how the toys might affect, for example, a childs interests.
c. Based on your findings with respect to clothes and toys, what does it mean to be a boy or a girl? In other words, what do boys and girls look like, act like, enjoy doing, and so on?
d. Are there any ways in which toys/clothing encourage boys and girls to be similar to each other? Explain.
e. Gender in our society is a basis for inequality for assignment people different roles, rewards, and responsibilities, and so on. Discuss how children toys and clothes can maintain this form of inequality.
f. What did you learn from doing this exercise? How much of an impact do you think childrens clothes and toys have on gender socialization and on the perpetuation of gender inequality? Do you think that parents realize what kinds of effects the clothes and toys that they buy for their children can have on them?
4) Be creative
a. Add video, photos, anything to support your paper. If using photos from the internet,
you must cite your sources or there will be a 10 point deduction
