FACULTY OF BUSINESS SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION AND MARKETING SCIENCES

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT

REG NUMBER: R246111F

FULL NAMES: Natalie Goto Evelyn

MODULE: GSB211

PROGRAMME: Bachelor of Commerce in Logistics and Supply Chain Management

LEVEL: 1.1

MODE OF ENTRY: Conventional

LECTURER: A.Maviya
ASSIGNMENT QUESTION

: Explain how the following socialization forces construct gender

i) Family
ii) School
iii) Peer group

Explain how the following socialization forces construct gender ?

Socialization as the process by which the individual learns to conform to the norms of the group.
Lundberg says that “socialization consists of the complex processes of interaction through which
the individual learns the habits, beliefs, skills and standards of judgement that are necessary for
the effective participation in social groups and communities”. Gender refers to the socially
constructed roles, behaviors, expressions and identities of girls, women, boys, men, and gender
diverse people. It influences how people perceive themselves and each other, how they act and
interact and the distribution of power and resources in the society Kakar (1978)

i)FAMILY

The family plays a pivotal role in the child’s development influencing both the attitudes the child
will adopt and the values the child will hold. Socialization might not be intentional; the family
may not be conscious of the messages it transmits but these messages nonetheless contribute to
the child’s socialization. Children learn continuously from the environment that adults create
including gender norms. Wharton makes the important point that the doctrine of separate spheres
was as much authoritative as descriptive, providing a powerful cultural justification for women
to stay at home and care for the family .If for some reason a man was unable to work or provide
adequately for his wife and children , he was deemed a failure and an unfit husband and father
.Likewise a woman was expected to center her life around the needs and wellbeing of her family
and it was this investment of love and emotions that also made her ‘unfit’ to be a worker .A
woman who was unwilling to be a full time caretaker was also stigmatized and her ‘feminism’
was held in doubt. According to Chodorow these paths to gender identification are responsible
for the formation of gender differentiated male and female personalities. While girls tend to be
more connected to others and empathize with the feelings of others, boys are more comfortable
with distance and separation and do not develop ‘empathy’ to the same extent as girls. More over
girls are more secure of their female identity whereas boys and men may need to prove their
masculinity every now and then to themselves and to others. The reinforcements of masculine
and feminine identities also take place in terms of training in household chores and tasks. Girls
are trained to do tasks such as cooking, cleaning, washing clothes and helping with child care
because these are deemed to be naturally ‘women’s work’. Males on the other hand are
socialized into placing the continuity of the family at the center of their lives.

ii)SCHOOL

Schooling has the potential to nurture and construct an individual’s behavioral pattern ,roles ,and
sense of responsibilities in terms of societal norms . Dunne (2007:26) said “to be a girl/boy is to
act in specific feminine/masculine ways to assert that gender identity. These gender
performances are a persistent feature of daily life in schools which the organizational structures
frame appropriate gender behavior, and where these structures are also regulated by teachers and
peers”. Gender segregation was evident through management and arrangement regarding space
in the school premises. A strong and persistence way of segregating gender was to use the
physical spaces allocating indoors for girls and outdoors for boys. Apart from gender roles or
duties related to physical spaces, clear discrimination was observed in terms of playing sports,
boys played outdoor games like cricket and football and girls like table tennis and gymnastics.
Data revealed persistent gender stereotyping of subjects which showed boys outperforming girls
in ‘technical’ subjects like science and mathematics and girls performing better in languages and
social studies. Bradley (2007) found that there are people including teachers, students, parents
who believe that boys are more capable in technical subjects whereas girls are capable in
humanities. Such gender stereotyping influenced learners who may have the potentials to do well
in any subject. Firestone (1970) showed how subjects are gendered because of their perceived
masculine and feminine traits. She explained that technical subjects were “associated with
factors such as difficulty, hard rather than soft, things rather than people all which are part of
gender stereotyping of masculinity”. The opposite patterns could be observed in respect of social
sciences and languages which belonged to the feminine stereotypes. The division of labor on the
basis of gender represented an important marker of gender identity. Both students and teachers
were found to play the stereotyped gendered roles that are expected by the society. Girls were
responsible to clean the classrooms, boys were assigned to do heavier duties like bush cutting.

iii)THE PEER GROUP

Peer pressure refers to the influence that peers can have on an individual’s attitudes, behavior
and beliefs .In the context of gender identity ,peer pressure can lead individuals to conform to
certain gender norms and expectations ,for example in male dominated sports teams there may
be pressure on boys to exhibit traditional masculine behaviors such as aggression and
competitiveness .Similarly in female friend groups , there may be pressure to conform to
feminine norms such as appearance and relational skills Lamb (2018) . Social identity theory
suggests that peer group membership plays a critical role in self-appraisal, such that the
individual is motivated to create and maintain the norms of the group in order to achieve a
positive identity . Peer groups often form subcultures where specific gendered identities and
behaviors are reinforced. This can be seen in settings such as high schools where boys and girls
may segregate into different social groups based on gender. These gender subcultures can further
solidify gender identities and expectations influencing how individuals perceive themselves and
others. Peer groups may reinforce gendered identities through subtle cues and interactions, for
example girls within a peer group may receive praise and validation for conforming to traditional
feminine traits such as being nurturing or caring, in contrast boys may be ridiculed if they
display behaviors that are perceived as feminine reinforcing traditional notions of masculinity
Francis (2000). Peer groups also play a role in enforcing informal social sanctions in relation to
gender roles and expectations, for instance a boy who excels academically may face teasing or
bullying from his male peers who adhere to the stereotype that academic success is not
masculine. Individuals may feel pressured to conform to their peer group’s expectations
regarding gender roles and identities even if it goes against their personal beliefs. This can result
in individuals suppressing alternative identities or behaviors that do not align with the group
norms, for example a boy who is interested in traditionally feminine activities such as dancing
may hide this interest to avoid judgement or rejection from his male peers Hughes (2015).

In conclusion the family, school and peer group play a significant role in shaping individuals’
gender identity through various mechanisms. Gender roles are the result of both innate and
acquired interactions and the family of origin has a profound influence on the development on
the children’s gender roles. It can be concluded that the social gender is produced in everyday
life through everyday interactions between people, institutional regulation contributes to the
construction of gender and is usually unconscious. Masculinity and feminism is socially
constructed by the peer group which plays a pivotal role in developing masculinity and feminism
in high school children.
REFERENCES

Bradley, Harriet. 2007. Gender .Cambridge: Polity press

Chodorow, Nancy. 1978. The Reproduction of Mothering. Berkeley, CA: University of

Dunne, M. (2007). ‘Schools and Gendered Identities’ , Commonwealth Education Partnerships

Firestone ,Shulamith. 1970. The Dialectic of Sex. New York:Knoft

Francis, B. (2000). Gender and schooling: A sociological perspective

Hughes, C. et al. (2015). Peer influences on gender identity development

Kakar, Sudhir. (1978). The Inner World. New Delhi: Oxford University Press

Lamb, S. (2018). Gender identity and the peer group: A sociological perspective