User:Katie.mackiewicz/sandbox

Gender norms; we are all familiar with them. They appear in our everyday lives in ways that we might not even give notice to, or even a second thought. It is the way we wrap baby girls in pink blankets and baby boys in blue. It is the way that the toys in a store are divided into section based on gender that prompts gender norms in the minds of young children. Yes, based on appearance and sexual characteristics boys and girls differ, but in all reality they should still be able to choose what they want to be involved with.

Since gender is a term we associate in society, it becomes a different definition than just associating it among the masculine and feminine characteristics. The masculine and feminine qualities started to become a topic of interest during the 1960’s when the emergence of feminism was developing (Stanford University: 2013). Women began to realize that they too could hold power in society, which started the movement to be different and rival males. During these years they defied the stereotypes which directly related to or within the gender norms. Instead of accepting what society had already deemed acceptable for their gender, they went ahead and pushed in a different direction stating that the gender norms given were not worthy of all the qualities a women possessed. This started the role of gender and how the existence of the concept of gender roles has continued to be an important factor in society. It becomes a topic of interest in the lives of many people. Whether it be fulfilling or detesting them for yourself, or encouraging your children, or others in your life to do the same.

A perfect gender norm placed by society is the “real men don’t cry” stigma given to men. This simply implies that regardless of the circumstances, there is never an excuse for a man to show his emotional side. If this is expressed in front of others, the person may be made fun or and seen as less of a man. Johansson and Olsson conducted a study in 2013 identifying the common issues associated with men hiding emotions. They came to the conclusion that a healthier man was able to outwardly express his emotions with little fear of judgment. The encounters they had with depressed boys led them to believe that the inward expression of emotions is detrimental to health. Their study proved that going against a gender norm proves to be needed within certain boundaries.

All gender norms and stereotypes relate back to the crucial development of a child. A young mother writes a recent article describing her pregnancy and the issues she felt occurring in society as she was expecting. Finding the sex of a child is the thing to do. We are a society who plans every little thing down to the tiniest detail, so why wouldn’t we want to know the sex of our child? Berrigan shares the constant badgering she received when she told people she did not want to know the sex of her child. She then goes on to share how detrimental the effect can be if you bombard your child with constant things associated by their gender; pink or blue for example. She advices to lay low and allow them to determine what they like and do not like, however, realizing it is almost impossible for parents to step back and let this happen. She later describes the Pop child in Sweden. This child decides what their gender is. THEY choose of they want to be a boy or girl, or something in between (Ferrigan: 2013). This idea is extreme, but interesting to see how parents are discouraging gender norms to dictate the lives of their children.

There is still a debate whether or not parents should allow their children to mix gender norms; for instance, boys playing with Barbie dolls. The Barbie example is interesting because it outlines the focus of most gender studies. Typically, girls are more accepted if they play with ‘boy’ toys, but boys are less accepted if they play with ‘girl’ toys. An interview conducted questioned a father whose son was interested in Barbie’s and shared his reaction. He admits that initially it was difficult for him to accept that his SON wanted to play with Barbie’s, but later accepted that it was what made him happy. Jan Hoffman wrote an article describing the change that occurred in this family, while comparing them to a family who did not allow their son to engage in girl play. They made a strict decision to not condone his behavior in fear that they would be accepting or pushing him in the wrong direction.

The trend continues through later adolescence and trickles into adulthood. In our culture social media is a big influence in the lives of our youth. Society places expectations on our youth based on their sex. What girls should be doing at fifteen is much different than what boys should be engaging in. It also creates division among the sex. Multiple ‘genders’ can be created within the female gender. Based on the expectation of society, it shows girls that in order to get anywhere they need to posses particular qualities and dress in a distinct way. Tortajada, Araüna, and Martínez conducted a recent study (2013) determining the effects of advertising and social media on gender norms. They determined that the focus has now become set on outward beauty instead of expressing how a woman can develop in her own way. There are stigmas in place that outline the expectations young girls are expected to follow. Although the expectations are not written rules, they are followed due to the success rate exhibited if they are met.

It is proven that the male gender is seen more negatively than the female gender. Esnard and Dumas (2013) conducted a study where they sat down with individuals and had them read a criminal case that involved a tragic event. During that time they were asked to identify who they thought the victim and the perpetrator were. The researchers found that the people involved in their study depicted men to be the one’s at fault over women. Even with different circumstances, the men seemed to always take the blame and the females are usually the victim.

Gender norms are formed and experienced from birth. An individual has little or no input when they are young. The trust is in their parents and those around them to help guide them the right direction. However, it becomes very different when they are of age and can make their own decisions. What is expected becomes a demand and anything less than normal is seen as wrong.