Aref A. abou-aliand Armeen R. BAmeen
Thepurposeofthisresearchwastoexplorethedevelopmentofidentityandsocialinteractionswithinasecondgrade classroom.Specifically,genderwasatthefoundationofthisstudy.“Nooneisimmune.Sexrolesocializationanditseffectsare pervasive.Gendertraininghasbeenvariouslydescribedas“ubiquitous”,“omnirelevant”,and“primary”.Itmayalsobe inevitable.NochildseemstoavoidwhatZellaLuriareferredtoasthe“gendercurriculum”.Infact,typicallybyagethree,gender awarenessisferventlypresent,howeveritislikelythatgenderstereotypescanbemalleablewithadultinput.Assuchthisstudy specificallyinvestigatedthewayasecond-gradeteacherimplementedlessonsassociatedwithgenderstereotypeswithinthe regularcurriculum,inanattempttobeginimportantdiscussionsandthoughtfulnessrelatedtosex-rolestereotypes.
Tocreateanidentityforoneselfistopositiononeselfintheworldaroundthem;tofindaplacewhereoneseemsto“fit”in ourcommunities,familiesandvastlycomplexsocialsystem.Ouridentitiesareconstantlyevolvingaspeople;bothadultsand childrengrowandchangewithtimeandnewexperiences,andtheiridentitiesare“constructedthroughtheintersectionofmultiple dimensions”.Forinstance,anysingleperson’sidentityisinfluencedbyamultitudeoffactors,includingrace,ethnicity,religion, sex,sexuality,gender,familylife,communityinvolvement,socialclass,language,physicalandmentalability,health,agency, perceivedpowerandability,andeducation.Theresearcherswererecentlytoldbyanelementarystudentthatsheidentifiesas “atomboywhoisdarkerthanbothof[her]parents”.However,thisidentityistransientandmaychangeovertime.Itisgenerally believedthatindividualshavecompleteagencytochoosetheirownidentities,especiallyinademocraticcountryliketheUnited Stateswherepeoplemaylovewhomevertheychoose,worshipinachurchesoftheirchoosing,andspeakfreely.Theseindividual freedomsmaymakeitseemasifouridentitiescanbemoldedentirelyonourown,butduetowaysinwhichaliberalsociety maystillostracize,excludeandphysicallyharmpeopledeemeddifferent,especiallyintermsofgender,individualsarelimitedin choosingtheiridentitiesundercircumstancesbeyondtheircontrol.
Socialandculturalnormsdictatewhatnormalandacceptablebehavioris,andindividualsmustthendecidetoconformtothesenormstoacertaindegreeornot.Since“genderdevelopmentoccursinrelationtosomeoneorsomethingelse”studies haveshownthatchildrenlearnfromayoungagetointernalizegenderstereotypesthattheyareexposedtoathome,inthemedia, andfromteachersandpeersatschool.Itisdifficulttopinpointwhichinfluencemaybestrongestforyoungchildren,butina studyofAustralianfour-andfive-yearolds,maleandfemalechildrenwereabletowatchtelevisionclipsandsurmisethatmen wouldperformstereotypicallymasculineactivitiessuchasfixingcars,fightingfires,drivingtrucksandevenbecomingdoctors, whilemostchildrenguessedthatwomenwouldbetheonestosew,becomenurses,cookdinnerandwashdishes.Bothmale andfemalechildrenseemedtoholdamorerigidviewofmasculinity,fortheyansweredmoreoftenthatmenshouldcomplete thestereotypicallymasculinetasks,notbothsexes.Forthestereotypicallyfemaletasks,morechildrenansweredthateither womenorbothsexesmightcompletethetasks.Whenaskedabouttheirownabilitiestoperformeachofthesetaskswhenthey grewupiftheysodesired,four-year-oldchildrenofbothsexessawthemselvesascompetentinbothgenderedsetsoftasks,but five-year-oldfemalesexpresseddoubtthattheywouldbeabletoperformthemorestereotypicallymasculinetasksiftheywanted to.Thisresearchsuggeststhatyoungchildrenalreadyholdstrongideasaboutwhatmasculinityandfemininityentailbythetime theyenterkindergarten.Five-year-oldfemaleshavealreadyreceivedmessagesastowhichpartsofsocietytheirsexisexcluded from,as“theseparticipantsfeltthatsomemasculineactivitieswerenotlikelytobewithintheircompetence”.Identityformation istherebylimitedinchildren,astheylearntonavigate“oppressiveandexclusionarysystemsofgender”.
Eventhelanguagethatchildrenhaveavailabletodefinethemselvesintermsofgenderisextremelylimiting,asitfitsa rigid,binaryconstructofgenderthatforceschildrentochoosetoeitherbea“she”ora“he”.Almostallchildrenaregivena biologicallyassignedgenderatbirth,eveniftheyarebornintersex.Becausewestillliveinasocietywheretransgender,gender nonconformingandintersexpeopleareoftennotgrantedtherightsthattheydeserve,identityformationcanbeaverypainful processforchildrenwhoidentifyoutsideoftherigidconstructsthatwehaveofsexandgenderinoursociety,particularlywhen ourlanguagemayexcludethemfrombelongingtoarecognized,acceptedsocialgroup(i.e.“typical”boysandgirls). Significantly,inourcurrentsociety,nochildisimmunetowhatZellaLuriatermedthe“gendercurriculum”,whichimplicitly teachesandreinforcessex-rolesocialization.Adultsimposegenderonchildrenbeforetheyareevenborn,astheyanxiouslyask expectingparentswhichsextheirbabywillbe,andpresentthemwithpinkclothesforbabygirlsandblueclothesforbabyboys. Adultswillalsopickupgenderedtoyswhenplayingwithmaleandfemaleinfants,andoftenfeeluncomfortablewithknowing howtoaddressbabiesifthesexisnotimmediatelydiscernable.Thishasstrongimplicationsforteachersandparents,who mustbecomeawareofgenderstereotypesthattheyhaveinternalizedandfightagainstthesebiases,andstrongimplicationsfor childrenandstudents,whomustbetaughttorecognizeandactivelycounterthenegativeattentionthatgendernonconformity receivesinourworld.Examplesofgenderstereotypesthatchildreninternalizebeforeandshortlyafterenteringschoolinclude thefactthatbeingagirloraboycomeswithachecklistofthingsonemustdo“right”,andcompletingtheseitemsmakesitmore likelythatachildwillbetreatedfavorablybypeers.Forinstance,ayoungmalechildlovestowearpinkandcarrypurses,butthe nightbeforebeginningkindergarten,heswitcheshispinkcrocsoutforbluecross.
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