ir parents dress them in gender related colors and styles of clothing. This is where the family has an influence on gender roles. In school, boys usually play sports during recess while girls play on the monkey bars or sit and talk. Teachers try to preserve the societal idea of correct gender roles by emphasizing what is right for girls and for boys. As far as the community, I think that this involves the family, schools, peer groups and the media. Peer groups are also highly influential to gender socialization. If a six year old girls wants to be on the baseball team, she is considered a tom boy. This is not necessarily a negative connotation, but is considered so by the peer group. Likewise, if a boy wishes to play with dolls, he may be shunned by his peer group and teased for acting like a girl. Another aspect of everyday life that is highly influential in gender socialization is the media. What we see on television or in the movies, what we read in the papers or in magazines, what we see on billboards or hear on the radio are all very significant to how we form an opinion on gender identity. Media publishers have successfully learned to play to an audience and are extremely successful in communication with the audience they wish to reach. Advertisers are the biggest example of this concept. Society is very apt in recognizing images seen in commercials and printed ads and viewing them as socially accepted behavior. It is easier for society to accept images presented by the media and not take the time to analyze their bias and untrue nature. It is this societal ignorance that clouds the mind and allows the images to continue to influence what we believe to be socially acceptable. When society is presented with something or someone out of the ordinary which does not follow what we deem to be correct, we rebel and try to modify it to our socially acceptable standards. Imagine a baby born with no visible sex organs. Now imagine after som...
