For some families, the clothing and toys impressed upon a newborn mean very little -- it’s mostly a matter of following tradition and shopping in the right section of department stores. Conversely, for other families, it’s important not to commit a newborn to tradition. This could be because the parents or other family members are themselves less bound to society’s idea of appropriate gender stereotypes, or they simply choose to have a more modern view of gender. Here’s a look at how gender stereotyping can impact your child, starting as a newborn and carrying on for decades.
Understanding Gender Stereotypes
Gender stereotyping is essentially the idea that boys should be masculine, and girls should be feminine. Tradition mandates girls wear pink and play princesses, and boys wear blue and should be princes, and play with cars, guns, and footballs. Admittedly, gender stereotypes are less harsh than they were even half a century ago -- women can wear blue jeans to work, and men commonly sport pink alongside more “masculine” colored shirts.
The Start of Gender Roles
A 2016 study suggests gender stereotyping may begin before infants can even crawl. The researchers behind the study played the recorded cries of two dozen infants. The people involved with the study assumed higher pitched cries belonged to girl babies, and lower pitched cries to boy babies -- and they never got it right. Stereotyping starts before most babies are even born, as soon as the gender is discovered, with a barrage of gender “appropriate” toys and tiny clothes.
Negative Effects of Gender Stereotyping
Gender stereotyping applies to much more than what you wear and the childhood games you’re expected to enjoy. Women are supposed to be nurturing, tender, and even subordinate. Men are supposed to be physically stronger, supportive figures, placed in positions of power.
Being a tomboy is often viewed as a parentally frustrating “phase” for young girls, while in actuality wearing a dress can be as uncomfortable for some women as it would be for most men. Conversely, little boys with an affinity for trying on their mother’s lipstick tend to be targets for bullying.
Stereotyping can also be limiting in areas of study, and thus career paths. For example, math and science fields tend to be male dominated, where women struggle to earn the positions and make as much money as their male counterparts. Recent efforts to encourage girls in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) have begun to undo centuries of domestic encouragement. Sure, when a woman wants to be a homemaker, that's an admirable path. But when she chooses it based on values imbued into her by societal traditions and outmoded ideals, it becomes an unfortunate state of being stuck.
Likewise, men who choose to be stay-at-home fathers generally get a lot of flack for their “womanly ways.” Making early choices to encourage gender neutrality in infancy -- from games to personal hobbies -- can make for broader interests and greater self confidence in adulthood.
