Impact of Gender Roles on Children Essay Example

The brain is highly impressionable from ages 4 to 18; it’s easily swayed and influenced by opinions and beliefs. Family and media pass on specific values to children. One of those values being gender roles and expectations. Blue is for boys, pink is for girls; cars are for boys, dolls are for girls. The way children see gender is all taught very early and impacts them for the rest of their lives. The enforcement of traditional gender roles on children is detrimental to their perception of gender identities by preventing true equality between the sexes and rejecting gender variance. 

From the beginning of time, society has stereotypically viewed men as superior and women as inferior. Men have taken the roles of providers and leaders, while women become the caretakers. This idea has been passed down from generation to generation, making the cycle very hard to break. Of course, society has come a long way by granting rights and more opportunities for women, but they are still not equal to men in the sense of pay, positions of power, reproductive health, etc. The deep-rooted ideas of gender roles essentially prevent the true progression of equality, and it all starts during childhood. Children are pushed to follow feminine or masculine ideals. In a speech, actor Justin Baldoni spoke about the toxic expectations society has towards gender.  He also spoke about his childhood and how for him to feel accepted by other boys, he had to “acquire this almost disgusted view of the feminine” (Baldoni, 2:23). Specifically, men are taught to deny any “feminine” qualities in order to prove their masculinity. This negative perception some boys adopt early in life towards girls usually continues into their adulthood, which causes the cycle of inequality to prevail. Women are seen as subordinate, so they receive low wages, are denied positions of power, and are neglected when it comes to reproductive resources.   

Adults have the power to make changes in society, but if the negative perception of women continues, how are we going to change the inequality? 

Gender roles and expectations are also insatiable and prevent people from being themselves. Children are subconsciously and consciously pushed to only adhere to certain qualities and activities that match their biological sex. Boys are taught to be strong, powerful, outspoken, and courageous. While girls are taught to be grateful, gentle, empathic, and sensitive. However, when a child does decide to break the mold of their gender norms, the reaction is different between the sexes. There is a double standard between girls presenting “masculine” qualities and boys presenting “feminine” qualities. When a girl identifies as a “tomboy”, they are generally more accepted by their parents and peers because of the “display (of) masculine characteristics associated with power and dominance” (Grinberg & Larned). When a boy “acts like a girl”, they are not treated in the same way. They are met with much more judgment for the “lower power or prestige associated with femininity traits and behaviors” (Grinberg & Larned).   Due to the imbalance of status between men and women, children are judged and shunned for expressing themselves in a different way. 

Some people may reject the progress made in the more recent years regarding improvements towards equality and growing acceptance towards gender variance. Traditionalists agree on the essentiality of gender roles. Traditionalists may also say gender roles reinforce the definitions of a “man” and a “woman”. However, gender is just a social construct set to categorize and label the sexes. The reason gender roles are still habitual today is due to their continuous subconscious teachings. 

Gender roles and expectations have been big contributors to the inability of women to gain equality. They have also put immense pressure and stigma towards individuals who want to explore their identity. These gender roles are particularly harmful to children because most people's values form during their childhood and adolescence, and if society continues to push these expectations, how certain is progression? College student Anthony Schullo explained that these expectations are enforced during childhood, to provide a “symbolic message as to what it means to be a man and a woman” (Schullo, 1:41). Instead of continuing this traditional, outdated way of thinking, how about embracing all aspects of life, no matter if masculine or feminine. The only way of moving forward is to change the mindset to allow the younger generation to make a change and end this battle.