Barbie vs. Action Figures: How Gender Roles and
Stereotypes Affect Children
Barbie Vs. Action Figures
How gender roles and stereotypes affect children
Table of Contents:
1. Hypothesis pg. 3 2. Abstract pg. 3-6 3. Conclusion pg. 7 4. Acknowledgements pg. 8 5. Reference List pg. 9
Like most people I have nieces and nephews. Whenever I take my niece to McDonalds she always orders the Happy Meal. Without asking whether we wanted a girl or boy toy, they automatically gave her the Polly Pocket Doll, instead of the Smurf toy that she actually was hoping for. Being a girl, the cashier assumed that she would prefer the doll over the Smurf toy. This sort of incident happens more often than you would think. It really made me, wonder how gender roles and stereotypes affect children in their everyday lives. Gender roles and stereotypes have a significant effect on children. They are constantly bombarded with images of what a girl is supposed to act like. The same thing is portrayed to the boys. They are taught that they are supposed to be tough individuals, while girls are seen as little weak beings who are obsessed with superficial things. In the long run these images of what they are supposed to act like eventually shape who they become as adults. Gender roles refer to the set of social and behavioral norms that are considered to be appropriate for individuals of a specific sex in the context of a specific culture, which differ widely between cultures and over time. Gender stereotypes are simplistic generalizations about the gender attributes, differences, and roles of different groups or individuals, According to Joan, Ferrante, Seeing Sociology: An Introduction 2011. They are relevant in more ways than most people even care to recognize. Sources such as advertisements, television, sports, and even parents are where children pick up most of their behavior traits. These factors could affect sexuality, growth, development, personality, and job choices. There are several ways for children to be
How gender roles and stereotypes affect children
Table of Contents:
1. Hypothesis pg. 3 2. Abstract pg. 3-6 3. Conclusion pg. 7 4. Acknowledgements pg. 8 5. Reference List pg. 9
Like most people I have nieces and nephews. Whenever I take my niece to McDonalds she always orders the Happy Meal. Without asking whether we wanted a girl or boy toy, they automatically gave her the Polly Pocket Doll, instead of the Smurf toy that she actually was hoping for. Being a girl, the cashier assumed that she would prefer the doll over the Smurf toy. This sort of incident happens more often than you would think. It really made me, wonder how gender roles and stereotypes affect children in their everyday lives. Gender roles and stereotypes have a significant effect on children. They are constantly bombarded with images of what a girl is supposed to act like. The same thing is portrayed to the boys. They are taught that they are supposed to be tough individuals, while girls are seen as little weak beings who are obsessed with superficial things. In the long run these images of what they are supposed to act like eventually shape who they become as adults. Gender roles refer to the set of social and behavioral norms that are considered to be appropriate for individuals of a specific sex in the context of a specific culture, which differ widely between cultures and over time. Gender stereotypes are simplistic generalizations about the gender attributes, differences, and roles of different groups or individuals, According to Joan, Ferrante, Seeing Sociology: An Introduction 2011. They are relevant in more ways than most people even care to recognize. Sources such as advertisements, television, sports, and even parents are where children pick up most of their behavior traits. These factors could affect sexuality, growth, development, personality, and job choices. There are several ways for children to be
Bibliography: 1. http://www.sociology.org/media-studies/care-bears-vs-transformers-gender-stereotypes-in-advertisements 2. http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/gradeschool/pages/Gender-Identity-and-Gender-Confusion-In-Children.aspx?nfstatus=401&nftoken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&nfstatusdescription=ERROR%3a+No+local+token 3. http://www.extension.purdue.edu/providerparent/Child%20Growth-Development/AvoidingStereo.htm 4. http://www.unc.edu/~dcderosa/STUDENTPAPERS/childrenbattles/toysrusdenise.htm 5. http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/Gender-Stereotypes.topicArticleId-26957,articleId-26896.html 6. Seeing Sociology: An Introduction, Ch.9