The Influence of Toys and Clothes on Determining the Gender of the Child
Parents start doing the gender of their children from the early childhood. This process has multiple manifestations, among which toys and clothing have the most obvious effect.
Play is the natural activity for children, but, at the same time, play is a very important activity because it is through the play children learn. This is why the way they play is very important for the formation of their identity and gender. This is exactly, where parents start doing or conditioning their gender from the very beginning because they offer their children toys that are divided on the ground of the gender of children. There are toys for boys and toys for girls. For example, parents do not or rarely give dolls to boys or toy cars to girls (Jackson 3). As children grow older the gender distinction of toys grow stronger. As a result, girls play with Barbie dolls and the like, while boys play cars, guns, and other ‘masculine’ toys. However, what parents perceive as a mere game s, in reality, the learning process for children and through play and toys they learn their gender roles.
Another instance of doing or conditioning gender of children by parents is clothing. Clothing is an essential element which has a considerable impact on the self-perception, identity and gender roles of individuals. Parents decide what clothes their children to wear and children basically do not have the choice (Jackson 4). Children do not actually have an opportunity to make a conscious choice whether to wear female or male clothing. Instead, they wear what parents offer them and what parents taught them to wear to the extent that children grow unwilling to wear clothing that is associated with the opposite gender.
Thus, consciously or not, parents condition gender roles and gender of their children as they do their gender through toys, clothing, and other tools.
Works Cited:
Jackson, C. Introduction: Marriage, gender relations and social change, Journal of Development Studies, 48 (1), 2012, 1–9. doi:10.1080/00220388.2011.629653
The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from
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"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016
"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016
"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016
"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016