GENDER

SOCIALIZATION
AND THEORIES. GROUP# 7
AIZA MOHSIN 03 HAFSA AYOUB 09
ARSHIA 21 SAFIA 25
MAHEEN FATIMA33 ADEELA IJAZ 35
HAFSA WASEEM 39 MARWA FAROOQ 49
MEHWISH KHALIL 55

THE WOMEN UNIVERSITY MULTAN

•
INTRODUCTION
GENDER SOCIALIZATION IS  A PROCESS BY WHICH
INDIVIDUALS DEVELOP, REFINE AND LEARN TO 'DO' GENDER
THROUGH INTERNALIZING GENDER NORMS AND ROLES AS
THEY INTERACT WITH KEY AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION, SUCH
AS THEIR FAMILY, SOCIAL NETWORKS AND OTHER SOCIAL
INSTITUTIONS.
• EXAMPLE: AN EXAMPLE OF GENDER SOCIALIZATION IS HOW
TOYS ARE GENDERED, BEING MARKETED TOWARDS BOYS
AND GIRLS. IN MANY TOY STORES, THERE ARE OFTEN
SEGREGATED 'BOY TOYS' AND 'GIRL TOYS. AS CHILDREN
GROW UP THEY FORM A GENERAL SENSE OF SELF AND
THE ABILITY TO RELATE TO OTHERS AND PLAY A PART
IN SOCIETY. IN THIS PROCESS THEY ALSO DEVELOP
BELIEFS ABOUT THE ROLES AND EXPECTATIONS THAT
ARE ASSOCIATED WITH EACH SEX GROUP (GENDER
ROLES) AND A SELF-IDENTITY AS A MEMBER OF ONE
SEX GROUP OR THE OTHER (GENDER IDENTITY).
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• GENDER SOCIALIZATION APPEARS TO BE ONE OF THE MOST BASIC ASPECTS OF THIS

LARGE AND COMPLEX PROCESS. IT REFLECTS THE FACT THAT CHILDREN'S REALIZATION
THAT THEY ARE MALE OR FEMALE TENDS TO COME AT A FAIRLY YOUNG AGE. LONG
BEFORE CHILDREN UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF RELIGIOUS GROUPS, OCCUPATIONS, OR
SCHOOLING, THEY REALIZE THAT THERE ARE TWO SEX GROUPS AND THAT THEY BELONG
TO ONE OF THESE GROUPS.
• THE CENTRALITY OF GENDER SOCIALIZATION ALSO REFLECTS THE FACT THAT OUR
SOCIETY, AND ALL SOCIETIES KNOWN TO SOCIAL SCIENTISTS, ARE GENDERED. PEOPLE
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD RECOGNIZE THAT THERE ARE DIFFERENT SEX GROUPS AND
THEY ASSIGN DIFFERENT ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES TO MEMBERS OF THESE GROUPS,
AS WELL AS DIFFERENT RE-WARDS AND VALUES.
THEORIES OF GENDER SOCIALIZATION:

• THE THEORIES USED TO ANALYZE GENDER SOCIALIZATION WERE PRIMARILY DEVELOPED TO DEAL WITH
SOCIALIZATION IN GENERAL. THAT IS, THEORIES THAT CAN EXPLAIN HOW WE DEVELOP A GENERAL SENSE
OF SELF OR HOW WE LEARN ROLES AND EXPECTATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH SCHOOL OR WORK ARE ALSO
USED TO ACCOUNT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF GENDER IDENTITY AND GENDER ROLE EXPECTATIONS.
• THEORY AND RESEARCH REGARDING SOCIALIZATION IS ALSO MULTIDISCIPLINARY, REFLECTING WORK IN
ACADEMIC PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOANALYSIS, AS WELL AS SOCIOLOGY. BECAUSE GENDER IDENTITY
AND VIEWS OF GENDER ROLES FIRST BEGIN TO APPEAR AT VERY YOUNG AGES, MUCH OF THIS WORK HAS
FOCUSED ON CHILDREN. WE ARE GOING TO DISCUSS THREE THEORIES OF GENDER SOCIALIZATION WHICH
ARE
• 1.BIOLOGY AND GENDER SOCIALIZATION
• 2. SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY
• 3.COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY
1.BIOLOGY AND GENDER SOCILIZATION

• HUMANS APPEAR TO BE BIOLOGICALLY PROGRAMMED TO RESPOND TO

OTHERS IN A SOCIAL MANNER.
• THEY LEARN LANGUAGES THAT HELP THEM TO INTERACT WITH OTHERS IN A
PARTICULAR SOCIAL SETTING.
• SOCIAL EXPERIENCES INFLUENCE BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND
CAPABILITIES.
• IN GENDER SOCIALIZATION, THE TERM SOCIALIZATION REFERS THE WAY TO
DEVELOP INDIVIDUALS' ROLES BY SOCIETY AND GENDER REFERS TO THE
SOCIAL CONSTRUCT.
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• GENDER SOCIALIZATION IS AN INTERPLAY BETWEEN BIOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL

FACTORS.
• BIOLOGICAL FACTORS SUCH AS HORMONAL IMBALANCES IN BOTH SEXES CAN
ALSO CAUSE BEHAVIORAL DIFFERENCES
• LIKEWISE DUE TO DIFFERENT SOCIAL FACTORS, THE BEHAVIOR OR ROLES OF
MALES OR FEMALES CAN CHANGE OVERTIME.
• THEIR ROLES CAN BE VARIED FROM ONE SETTINGS TO ANOTHER.
• FOR EXAMPLE PAKISTANI MEN MOSTLY SHOW THEIR INTEREST IN OFFICE WORK
BEYOND HOUSEHOLD CHORES THAN ANY AMERICAN MEN.
2.SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY:

• SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY EXPLAINS THAT CHILDREN IMITATE THE WORDS AND LANGUAGE
PATTERNS THEY HEAR BY WATCHING AND LISTENING TO THE MODELS, CAREGIVERS , AND FAMILY
MEMBERS IN THEIR LIFE.(BANDURA,1989).
• SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY EXPLAINS BEHAVIOR THROUGH OBSERVATION AND REINFORCEMENT.
HUMANS ARE SOCIAL BEINGS; WE PICK CERTAIN BEHAVIORS FROM THOSE AROUND US.
• SLT EXPLAINS HOW SOCIAL NORMS BOOST THE EXPRESSION OF MALE-AND-FEMALE LIKE
CHARACTERISTICS THROUGH BEHAVIOR.
• LEARNING CAN TAKE PLACE PASSIVELY OR ACTIVELY.
• PASSIVE LEARNING OCCURS THROUGH OBSERVING THE BEHAVIOR OF A PERSON OF THE SAME GENDER.
• ACTIVE LEARNING INVOLVED REINFORCEMENT, NEGATIVE OR POSITIVE.
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• POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT OCCURS THROUGH GIVING REWARDS WHEN THE

PERSON BEHAVES IN A WAY THAT FITS THEIR ASCRIBED GENDER.
• NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT OCCURS THROUGH NON-GENDER CONFORMING
BEHAVIORS.
• EXAMPLE: A PARENT MAY PRAISE THEIR SON FOR NOT CRYING WHEN UPSET, AS '
BOY'S DON'T CRY '. THE SON WILL THEN TRY NOT TO CRY THE NEXT TIME THEY FALL
DOWN. THIS IS ACTIVE REINFORCEMENT. THE YOUNGER BROTHER WITNESSING THE
SITUATION , WILL AIM NOT TO CRY THE NEXT TIME HE FALLS DOWN AND HURTS
HIMSELF , ALSO, WHICH IS AN EXAMPLE OF PASSIVE REINFORCEMENT
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• BANDURA: SOCIAL LEARNING
THEORY OF GENDER
• ALBERT BANDURA WAS A
CANADIAN -AMERICAN
PSYCHOLOGIST WHOSE SLT
SUGGESTS THAT OBSERVATION
AND MODELING PLAY A VITAL
ROLE IN HOW AND WHY PEOPLE
LEARN. SLT CAN ALSO HELP TO
EXPLAIN HOW THE MEDIA WE
CONSUME AFFECTS GENDER
EXPRESSION. BANDURA
DESCRIBED FOUR PROCESSES
THAT TOOK PART WHEN GENDER
WAS DEVELOPED THROUGH
SOCIAL LEARNING:
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• 1. ATTENTION: THE INDIVIDUAL NEEDS TO PAY ATTENTION TO HIS/HER ROLE

MODEL'S BEHAVIOR.
• 2. RETENTION: THEN, THE INDIVIDUAL WOULD NEED TO ENCODE AND RETAIN
THE GENDER-APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR.
• 3. REPRODUCTION: THE INDIVIDUAL WOULD NEED TO REPLICATE GENDER-
APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR.
• 4. MOTIVATION: LASTLY, SOME KIND OF REINFORCEMENT WOULD NEED TO
TAKE PLACE FOR THE INDIVIDUAL TO BE MOTIVATED TO CONTINUE THE
BEHAVIOR .
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FOR EXAMPLE, A YOUNG PAIR OF MALE AND FEMALE SIBLINGS GO TO DISNEYLAND AND SEE A
REAL-LIFE VERSION OF BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.AS THEY SEE THE CHARACTERS, THEIR
ATTENTION IS SHIFTED TO THEIR BEHAVIOR:THE BEAST HAS A MALE CONNOTATION, ALTHOUGH
IT IS A MYTHOLOGICAL FIGURE, AND PRESENTS STEREOTYPICAL MALE BEHAVIORS OF
PROTECTION TOWARDS BELLE, THE BEAUTY. BELLE IS WELL-MANNERED AND BEHAVES IN
STEREOTYPICALLY FEMININE WAYS. THE CHILDREN OBSERVE THE BEHAVIOR AND RETAIN
THEM.
LATER IN THE DAY, THE BROTHER REPRODUCES THE BEAST'S BEHAVIOR AND PROTECTS HIS
SISTER. THE PARENTS, IN TURN, REWARD THE BEHAVIOR WITH VERBAL POSITIVE FEEDBACK.
AFTER SUCH AN EVENT, THE BROTHER IS MORE LIKELY TO SHOW MORE MALE-LIKE GENDER
CHARACTERISTICS AND THUS DEVELOP A MALE IDENTITY, ACCORDING TO BANDURA'S THEORY.
3.COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT THEORY:

• COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT THEORY IS GIVEN BY "JEAN PIAGET".JEAN PIAGET WAS A SWISS

BIOLOGIST, PHILOSOPHER AND PSYCHOLOGIST. HE WAS AMONG EARLIEST VOICES IN THE
FIELD OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY.HE IS ALSO REALISED AS FATHER OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY.
• LAWRENCE KOHLBERG EXTENDED PIAGET'S NOTION OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
THEORY BY APPLYING IT TO GENDER SOCIALISATION .
• KOHLBERG RECOGNIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING.
• KOHLBERG GAVE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE RELATED TO:
1- HOW CHILDREN PLAY GENDER ROLES?
2- HOW CHILDREN BEHAVE TOWARD GENDER RELATED THINGS?
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STAGES OF KOHLBERG COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT THEORY:-

1-GENDER IDENTITY OR GENDER LABELLING
2-GENDER STABILITY
3-GENDER CONSISTANCY
CRITICISM:
• AT THE AGE OF 2 OR 3 I.E. BEFORE GENDER IDENTIFICATION; CHILDREN START BEHAVING AS
PERGENDER.
• CHILDREN DEVELOPS THEIR PERSPECTIVE TOWARDSWORLD ACCORDING TO GENDER...... BUT WHY?
• GENDER DEVELOPMENT DEPENDS UPON THE ASSUMPTION THAT GENDER IS CONSTANT; BUT OTHER
RESEARCHERS SAID HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IS VERY COMPLEX AND DEPENDS ON MANY FACTORS.