The most common agents of socialization are our family, peers, school, and media. The family, for example, influences a child’s development by such things as the way the parents hold the baby, look at it, talk to it, and respond to its needs. We take on typical gender roles from the beginning as girls are given pink clothes while boys are given blue. Family socialization is reinforced or modified by experiences at school and with peers, by the mass media, and by interaction with others. Socialization, the lifelong social experience through which we learn culture, is vital to becoming members of a society. In this section, we look at the sociological concepts of culture and socialization and how they impact our behavior and attitudes. By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria: Competency 1: Examine how theory and sociological concepts apply to everyday life. Identify gender-specific childhood clothing and/or toys. Competency 2: Explain the basic tools of sociological inquiry. Summarize gender socialization sources. Explain the validity and helpfulness of gender socialization sources. Competency 4: Analyze the influence of culture on both the individual and society. Describe the impact of gender-specific messages towards one’s self. Analyze how gender-specific messages of childhood clothing and/or toys reflect larger societal expectations. Competency 6: Compose text that articulates meaning relevant to its purpose and audience. Develop text using organization, structure, and transitions that demonstrate understanding of cohesion between main and subtopics. Gender Stereotypes These resources can help you understand gender socialization and the impact of gender stereotypes. Bridges, T. (2014, January 1). Stop the war on pink—Let’s take a look at toys for boys [Blog post]. The Society Pages. Retrieved from

Stop the War on Pink—Let’s Take a Look at Toys for Boys

The author questions whether “denouncing pink items for girls should be the primary focus if we want to move toward a more gender equal world for girls and boys.” Wade, L. (2010, November 21). Gendered toy advertising [Blog post]. The Society Pages. Retrieved from

Gendered Toy Advertising

This video highlights gender advertising and questions the effects on children’s development. Run Time: 8 minutes. Bailey, S. (2014, January 17). Thoughts on toys, kids and gender stereotypes [Blog post]. The Society Pages. Retrieved from

Thoughts on Toys, Kids and Gender Stereotypes

The author writes about “a gender equitable environment where assumptions of differences based primarily on one’s sex and/or gender affiliation are not part of the picture. NBC Today Show. (2015, August 10). Target makes toy aisle gender neutral [News report]. NBCUniversal Media. Retailers are now beginning to display toy, home, and entertainment items for “kids” as opposed to having separate girls and boys signage. Gender Role Expectations. In this activity, you first test your knowledge of some of the key sociological concepts associated with gender socialization. Then, you consider the kind of gender-specific messaging that images and media convey. This activity prepares you for the sociological analysis you will do in Assessment 3. Armstrong, C. F. (1984). The lessons of sports: Class socialization in British and American boarding schools. Sociology of Sport Journal, 1(4), 314–331. This article gives you an example of how social class impacts our behavior and understanding of the world in the context of gender. Macionis, J. J. (2019). Society: The basics (15th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link. Chapter 3, “Socialization: From Infancy to Old Age,” pages 74–98. This chapter introduces you to the agents of socialization and the impact they have on our development as social beings. Asssessment Instructions For this assessment, you will analyze how gender is created by society, specifically looking at children’s toys and/or clothing. The purpose of this assessment is twofold: It helps you to start thinking about the impact of socialization on your life as a starting point. This first analysis will be used again for Assessment 6. It also requires you to locate and evaluate resources on socialization and these resources may be used in Assessment 6. Deliverable Write an essay in which you complete all of the following: Part 1 Examine the toys and clothing you had as a child. Describe the clothing and toys from your childhood and identify which were gender-specific. Part 2 Examine your experience with gender socialization. Describe the message your toys and clothing sent you about gender. Analyze how gender-specific messages that arise from childhood clothing and toys reflect larger societal expectations. Reflect on the impact these messages had on you. Describe how you feel about your experience with gender socialization. Part 3 Analyze and then include outside sources.