Social Definition of Gender
Social Definition of Gender
What is Gender? Gender is the social dimension of being male or female. Gender identity is the sense of being male or female, which most children acquire by the age of three. Gender typing is the way society stereotypes males and females who have characteristics of the opposite gender. The social learning theory is the view of psychologists who emphasize behavior, environment, and cognition as the key factors in development. Social learning theory and gender are intertwined. Most children grow up learning that as a male you do certain things and females do other things. There is a distinct line between the two genders. To be socially connected, one must know whom he/she is inside. They must realize that the most important thing in life is how they perceive themselves and also how they perceive others.
To raise children in a “gender-neutral” environment would be almost impossible. For so many centuries, gender has been stamped into our minds and the way we live our lives. As a parent, how we bring up children is changing. Gender is not being manly or feminine. Gender is how you feel inside. Gender neutral environments are not completely possible. Parents can provide neutral activities, be role models in which both parents do activities that the other would do, such as the mom mowing the lawn, the dad cleaning the house. By supporting your children in whatever they try, is as neutral as a parent can get.
Gender is a combination of both masculine and feminine. Without these characteristics, a person has lost some of his/her sense of being. Child rearing is being able to take a child and have them become this wonderful human being with both characteristics inside of them. By being supportive, being a role model, and letting them do some soul searching themselves is about the best a parent can do.