Socialized sexism
Socialized sexismRunning Head: SOCIALIZED SEXISM
Abstract
This paper asserts that sexism in America is socialized. Examples of sexism in America from a very young age to an old age are given to support the idea that sexism is engrained into American society in an endless loop of discrimination and harassment.
Socialized Sexism
Results of Yale University’s Implicit Assumption Test (IAT)
On the gender test I received a score of: “You have a moderate automatic preference between females and science.” That score places me in the 3% of those who have taken the test who believe the same as me. This number is alarming for many reasons. Not only does it display the perceived gender gap in the sciences and liberal arts, it can be applied to many jobs across America.
The family, education system, workplace, and media directly and indirectly socialize society to have deep-seated stereotypes and prejudices. The effects of these prejudices are often seen much later in life, where an employer or co-worker makes a harmful decision based on the gender of the applicant. It can also make a worker uncomfortable when confronted with a workplace dominated by the opposite gender.
The family is the first place that a child is subjected to sexism and the indirect domination of one gender over another. The first hint at a sexist difference is the bearer of the children. Children see their mom as a place where they can take comfort, be safe, be relaxed and soothed, and be protected. The father is seen as the person who goes off to work and provides for the family. He is also the child’s playmate, showing it the different types of gender specific toys. From the start, a child is indirectly socialized to see that men and women are different and that the mother is the care-taker of the family and the father earns the money. Later on in life, the child may carry out this indirect gender socialization by the way that he or she treats and expects to be treated by members of the opposite sex. Many people find a over-dominating women offensive, because the woman does not fit the description of their mother. Accepting a strong willed woman becomes difficult in our society because of the indirect socialization through our mothers. The way that children are supposed to act is also supported through the parents. When a little boy rushes home with tears in his eyes because of cut or scrape, the ill fated words, “Be brave, little boys are brave.”, will come out. If the same were to happen to a little girl, she would be cuddled and hugged and allowed to finish crying. This indirectly socializes children that boys are tough and girls aren’t. Boys aren’t allowed to cry, or show any emotion seen as negative by society. The fate of the children’s future lies in the parent’s hands because if they allow there little boy to show emotion and get used to be nurtured and cuddled later on he will pay for his parent’s good intentions through emotional abuse of his peers. It is every boy’s nightmare to be picked on, to be the one that is called the girl. He will focus on this harassment and how to stop it rather than his school work, causing his grades to drop. Now his parents have a child who is the model for all children, likes to be nurtured, likes comfort, isn’t afraid to cry, but can’t succeed due to the fact that the other children who were taught directly that boys are tough and shouldn’t cry pick on him.
The child’s association between males and science comes from the toys that each gender plays with. Male children play with toys that are complex, that allow the child to think spatially, and allow the child to take the toy apart and put it back together again. Female children receive toys which are associated with house-keeping and the house. Many of women’s hobbies that are considered liberal arts take place in the home and the child sees this. They see their mother reading a book and sewing and cross-stitching, witch are liberal arts.
In education many of the same indirect and direct socialization occur. Teachers reinforce the fact that little boys are tough and girls aren’t. They say the same things when a child comes in from the playground in tears from a cut. Females are often herded into fields that have to deal more with the home and liberal arts, like humanities, ceramics, history, art, and home economics. Many of the clubs that are available to kids are unintentionally segregated. The Future Homemakers of America is a female dominated club that stresses the home and children. Again, the females receive assurance from society that females are supposed to stay home and take care of the family. The Future Farmers of America concentrates on farming techniques and crops, but largely the equipment of the trade, which are complex machines. These boys also receive further assurance from society that men are supposed to deal with mechanical and scientific things.
When children or adults watch the television, they see many aspects of the workplace. They see that most of the scientists that work on important cures for diseases and work for NASA are men. They see that television hosts of kid’s shows are women, and then see that all the main characters in the show are male. In the popular comedy, “Dharma and Greg”, Greg is the professional who goes away as a lawyer and makes the money. Dharma is seen as the ditzy blonde who stays at home. Another comedy, “Will and Grace”, also has the main male character as a lawyer, whereas Grace works as a furniture designer, which is liberal arts. When children see a commercial for a dish detergent or a laundry detergent, it is the woman who is always at home cleaning the house.
These deep-seated stereotypes can be found in all facets of our society, starting at birth and ending up until the day we die. Everywhere you look, there is an example of males being associated with science and females with liberal arts. This socialized sexism will continue to plague our society as long as those who believe that males are scientific and females aren’t stay the majority. If a parent tries to help society out buy not subjecting these indirect and direct socializations upon their child, their child will pay in the long run. The only cure for this is mass movement by the media to portray society wrong. Society is dominated by males in science and the majority of women do stay home and take care of their children. The media is not changing America on the television, simply portraying it.
In the long run, these prejudices may not exist, but only if there is a mass effort on parents part to have children which are more gender neutral orientated, and if the media and schools showed these examples.