Maryknoll S.

Sumaylo
BS Criminology

 In what way does each agent of socialization influence your concept of gender?

Socialization is the process by which an individual learns about their culture and
learn how to live according to the norms of their society. Through socialization, we learn
how to perceive our world, gain a sense of our own identity, and discover how to
interact appropriately with others. This learning process occurs within the context of
several social institutions like in family, school, peer group, religion or church, mass
media and social media.
Those agents of socialization influence our concept of gender. When we are still little
with our family, they tend to give us things according to our sex, like giving of dolls for
females and robots for the males. As we grow old, they let us learn chores like cleaning
the dishes for females and help in constructing for males. If we engage activities in our
school, they will let females to join feminine activities like cooking and for males they will
let them play sport that needs strength like basketball. In our peer group, we act things
according to our sex too just like females just stay in a room and watch movies while
males play computer games. Our religion or church influence our concept of gender too.
A great example for this is when we visit a church, in which females must use long skirts
without showing off their skin while males must just use their ordinary pants and
ordinary shirts. By watching movies in television, they also influence our concept of
gender. Females often suggested to watch Barbie when we were young while males
watch superheroes. Now, social media has a big contribution with our concept of
gender. There are websites that helps females to fight for their rights and not to be
ignorant of laws that will protect them. There are also websites that will help males learn
how to respect everyone regardless of their gender and also be informed of their rights
as a male.
In our modern days, females continuously prove that male jobs can also be done by
female and still breaking taboos. Females can do muscular works like repairing houses,
play basketball and even computer games. Males can also do work like females,
examples are cooking, cleaning the house and staying in a room while watching
movies. Those agents of socialization that were mentioned above has a big contribution
and influence in our concept of gender. Socialization is just as essential to us as
individuals. Social interaction provides the means via which we gradually become able
to see ourselves through the eyes of others, learning who we are and how we fit into the
world around us.