Title: Gender and Socialization | Introduction to Sociology
Headings: 
Gender and Socialization
Learning Outcomes
Gender Roles
Gender and Socialization
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Socialization
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Sexism
Global Sexism
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Content: Gender and Socialization | Introduction to Sociology
Gender and Socialization
Learning Outcomes
Explain the influence of socialization on gender roles in the United States
Explain and give examples of sexism
Figure 1. Traditional images of U.S. gender roles reinforce the idea that women should be subordinate to men. ( Photo courtesy of Sport Suburban/flickr)
Gender Roles
As we grow, we learn how to behave from those around us. In this socialization process, children are introduced to certain roles that are typically linked to their biological sex. The term gender role refers to society’s concept of how people are expected to look and behave based on societally created norms for masculinity and femininity. In U.S. culture, masculine roles are usually associated with strength, aggression, and dominance, while feminine roles are usually associated with passivity, nurturing, and subordination. Gender role socialization begins at birth and continues throughout the life course. Our society is quick to outfit male infants in blue and girls in pink, even applying these color-coded gender labels while a baby is in the womb. This color differentiation is quite new—prior to the 1940s, boys wore pink and girls wore blue. In the 19th century and early 20th century, boys and girls wore dresses (mostly white) until the age of 6 or 7, which was also time for the first haircut. [