7. Summarize how children learn gender.
Be sure to discuss the role of parents,
peers, schools, and sports. Think back to
your own gender socialization process as
a child. Are your memories of these
experiences consistent with the
arguments E&Z make, or not? How and
why, or how not and why not?


Learning gender as a child is absolutely
unavoidable. Even if parents stopped the
process in their environments, all external
sources would fill that gap. Gender is
taught to children by parents, friends,
teachers, and institutions. Even when a
baby is born cards are received that either
show footballs and trains (boys) or
bonnets and teddy bears (girls). Boys are
taught to be rough, masculine, and
strong. Girls are taught to be gentle,
nurturing, pretty, and "lady-like." The toys
given to these children are also
gendered. Boys receive trucks, balls,
computer software.... Girls receive dolls,
hair accessories, kitchen sets....

Me, personally? Well I started playing with
Barbies at 5 and tossed them at 6. My
forte was definitely Micro Machines. I had
the cities, and had the car carrier, I had
the gold plated set! Every time we went to
the store I had to get another addition to
my massive city. But there were many
times that I was told I needed to be
lady-like. My mom didn't push dressing
pretty because we didn't have money for
that. Up through 4th grade I wore sweat
pants everyday. And nobody seemed to
care. I got my ears pierced at age 6 which
is only something girls can do, so I was
told.

I guess I do fall into E&Z's argument. I
think we all do. There's no way around it.
Except for those "genderless" people who
seriously FREAK ME OUT.