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Gender socialization is the process by which individuals learn the values, norms, and behaviours considered appropriate for their gender in a specific society. A clear example I have observed, and you've probably seen many times, occurs in the toy aisle of department stores. Toys are often still segregated; sections for young boys are frequently filled with construction sets, action figures, and sports equipment, which focus on themes of building, competition, and physical work.

In contrast, sections for young girls are often filled with dolls, domestic-themed sets, and beauty products, emphasizing nurturing, caretaking, and an aesthetic presentation. This environmental cue acts as an early form of socialization that steers children toward different future roles.

I'd still say that media remains one of the most powerful agents of socialization. In many mainstream TV shows and films, racial and ethnic stereotypes are frequently used as a shortcut to character development. For instance, in series, there is a recurring tendency for characters from specific minority groups to be depicted as being inherently more aggressive or associated with illicit activities, while characters from the dominant ethnic group are framed as the sophisticated, rational protagonists.

These stereotypes are harmful because they lead to defining a dominant group as the "norm" and everyone else as a deviation or a threat. When viewers are consistently exposed to these portrayals, it can reinforce prejudices and social hierarchies, making those ideas feel like objective truths rather than constructed tropes.

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One example of gender socialization that I have observed is how young girls are often encouraged to play with dolls and take on caregiving roles, while boys are encouraged to play with trucks, sports equipment, or action figures. Growing up, I noticed that certain toys, colours, and activities were often labeled as being either "for girls" or "for boys." These expectations can influence how children see themselves and what interests they develop.

A recent example of racial or ethnic stereotypes that I noticed in a TV show is in Modern Family. Gloria, who is from Colombia, is sometimes portrayed using stereotypes about Latinos, such as being overly emotional, loud, or having difficulty understanding American culture. While the show often uses these stereotypes for humour and also presents Gloria as a strong and successful character, it still reflects some common assumptions that people may have about Latino communities. This demonstrates how media can reinforce stereotypes, even when they are intended to be funny or entertaining.

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One example of gender socialization that I have experienced growing up as a girl in a black household is adultification. This is where you are expected to be strong, mature, and independent way too early. I would see some of my peers being allowed to make big mistakes, whereas I was praised for handling stress silently or multitasking many things at once. Growing up, this taught me to hide my struggles, which made it hard for me to ask for help later in life when I needed it. A TV show that I have watched in which racial or ethnic stereotypes are present would be the show Outer Banks. The show has a group of wealthy, white characters called the "Kooks" who are shown as a group of snobby, mean, and entitled country club kids. Within the show, there is a character named Topper who is reduced to a villain just because he is rich. Within the show, they are taking the white race and making it synonymous with wealth and arrogance, which we know isn't always the case.

Ezinwa Nwakoby

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Growing up in an Indian home, I witnessed gender socialisation in the form of the assumption that girls should handle the majority of household chores, including cooking, cleaning, and laundry, even if they simultaneously work or study. On the other hand, because basic duties are still perceived as "women's work," it is frequently considered abnormal when boys perform them.

Women are usually expected to handle the majority of the housework after returning home, even when both spouses work full-time and make equal salaries. When someone questions as to why the husband is unable to help, the common response is that he is exhausted from working outside. Women who express similar sentiments, meanwhile, might be advised to focus on being housewives and quit their jobs. This demonstrates how social norms have a significant impact on gender roles. Mrs. is a movie (a Bollywood movie) that focuses on similar problems. It demonstrates how a married woman's identity and career are frequently disregarded while she is expected to handle countless household duties. The film emphasises how gender norms can restrict women's freedom and promote inequity in everyday family life.

-Janvi Patel

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An experience of gender socialization I have observed and somewhat experienced myself is that women who lift weights in the gym are less feminine and women should focus on being petite and skinny over everything when it comes to our bodies. As a woman who works out in the gym and plays sport and has all my life, I never really noticed this growing up in sports. I grew up in an athletic family and went to a sports focused high school so women being active and working on strength was always the norm for me. In the age of social media I see so many trends surrounding bodies and especially women bodies and how we should aspire to look and what we need to eat and how we need to train to obtain it. I observe this more than it affects me. I would say because I have supportive people in my life but mostly being active and strong is something I love, it is an essential part of who I am so I do not feel ashamed of it. I would say an TV show that I have watched that portrayed racial or ethnic stereotypes would be The Simpsons. I grew up with this show always on and there is a character named Apu who is Indian and owns a convenience store. I do not remember there being any blatant negative racial undertones but the stereotype of somebody of Indian descent owning a convenience store is one that I feel I see happening often.

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One example of gender socialization that I have encountered is clothes. Growing up I would often hear people say to my mom why do you let her wear that. I liked to be dressed in jeans and a t-shirt often giving more of a “boyish” look. Most people believed that I should be wearing clothes that were more feminine like bright pink tops, skirts, and dresses. Whereas boys often wear clothes that are meant for play and to be active. This gave me the idea of being a girl meant that I had to always look pretty and maintain a certain look.

There are many examples of this within TV shows. If you look at older shows like The Nanny, you can see the same idea portrayed. Fran and the other female leads were always in skirts, dresses and always dressed up. Whereas the males always were wearing comfortable clothing that were easy to work in. In the show you can see the dynamic of women work within a home and are to dress to seem attractive. While the wen are dressed to go to work and be out of the home

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Some gender socializations that I have observed or noticed is that usually toys for little girls are baby dolls, an easy bake oven, little make up sets and stereo typical “girlie” items. Little girl clothes which I have observed first hand from purchasing clothes for my daughter, are usually little butter flies, sparkles, “Girl boss” and things of that nature. For boys I noticed the pants and shorts are better quality and thicker for playing rough. The shirts are usually trucks and dinosaurs and sharks and the toys are trucks and sports and hammers. My daughter has always loved to play in the mud and play “rough” and play with both baby dolls and trucks and her favorite animal is a shark. I find it odd that toys and clothes marketed towards girls aren’t sports or trucks or sharks related too.

A TV show that I have watched where I notice they exaggerate stereo types and personality based on ethnicity is the show called “Modern Family” The show is positive and funny but some characters reflect cultural stereotypes. The character named Gloria is sometimes portrayed using stereotypes that have been associated with Latina women. These stereotypes are being loud, emotional and passionate. I can see how her personality and even accent are exaggerated to fit that stereotype.

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Gender Socialization & Racial Stereotypes

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Gender Socialization & Racial Stereotypes

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One example of gender socialization that I’ve observed is when my grandmother speaks of her childhood. She was born in the 1940s and when she finished high school, she was told you can become a secretary or a teacher. For a girl in that era, those were the mainstream choices. Although in this day and age there are fewer limitations to the career I can have, I find it frustrating that there are still ‘blue jobs’ and ‘pink jobs’. I’d like to think of a time when your gender does not determine your career.

I was recently watching the TV show The Good Doctor and one of the main characters is female and has a racially diverse background. It was assumed by another character that she was a ‘charity case’ and hadn’t earned her place in her residency based on her accomplishments. She was stereotyped as being ‘less than’ and ‘inferior’ to her colleagues despite her superior intellect and successes.

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Social Stratification and Social Inequality II

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Social Stratification and Social Inequality II

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I have experienced gender socialization that promotes the belief women should be lean and petite instead of muscular, and I actively have to work at not internalizing it. I’ve experienced this socialization from the media, my friends, and my mother. I have always had a more muscular build than the average woman, which I attribute to my high involvement in sports throughout childhood. When I stopped playing sports, I was looking for a way to stay active, and I started going to the gym and weightlifting. It first began with my mother, she would make comments like "Don't lift heavy weights, it will make you bulky.” or "Careful you don’t lift too much, you don’t want to look like a man," to name a few. When my friends had noticed that I had gained muscle and increased in size, I heard comments like, “That’s so great! I could never, I would be too scared of looking like a man.” These comments bothered me, but did not deter me from weightlifting. The recent uprise of "SkinnyTok" (videos of women glorifying extreme skinniness and calling it wellness) on social media and the trend of many people using GLP-1s to aid their weight loss has made it more difficult to not internalize the thought that women should be skinny and not muscular. I think it is harder for me because it is so prevalent in the media that is shown to me. I am grateful that I am a young adult and able to see through this socialization and how it could be more beneficial than harmful (“SkinnyTok” praises being in a constant calorie deficit and not finishing your food). This socialization makes me concerned for the well-being of teenage girls.

A TV show that I have watched recently that has racial stereotyping is The Office. In the show, the manager of the office is running a diversity day training. For the training exercise the employees play a version of the name game, but instead of putting someone’s name on their forehead, they are putting a race on their forehead. Their co-workers are told to “Treat other people like the race on their forehead." Everyone is hesitant and clearly uncomfortable with this exercise. The kinds of stereotypes that the manager is prompting the employees to voice are prejudicial and racial ones, as they are expressing biased and discriminatory thoughts towards the people they are all pretending to be.

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An example of gender socialization that I have observed is the way toys and clothes are marketed towards specific genders specifically for kids. Items that have or are trucks, dinosaurs, tools, action figures and such are marketed towards boys while items that have or are dolls, makeup, princesses, and such are marked towards girls.

An example of media that I have watched recently in which racial or ethnic stereotypes were presented was south park. This show heavily depicts racial stereotypes, and taboo humor/subject matter. While South Park is seen as a comedy show, it maintains these stereotypes by including them all throughout many episodes. This show uses exaggerated portrayals of different racial and ethnic groups as a form of satire. It is intended to criticize prejudice, social norms, and political issues. However, even though the stereotypes are presented in a comedic sense it can be harmful as repeated exposure can lead to inaccurate perceptions of certain groups or people.

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An example of gender socialization I can think of comes from playing lacrosse throughout high school. This can be said for a few sports, but in some sports there are certain uniforms or ways to dress. The first few years I played lacrosse the girls on the team were expected to wear skirts. I had a few guy friends who played on a boys team and they all got to wear shorts. This showed me that male and female athletes were expected to look and dress differently, even if they are playing the same sport. And an example from one of my favourite movies, A League Of Their Own. In the movie, the men who played in the MLB were forced to stop for a period of time because of the World War. So instead of shutting down the MLB, they had women players take over for a while. The uniforms these girls had to wear were small skirts and they also had to attend beauty classes so that the world saw them as more lady-like. So again, we have the same sport and yet the women are expected to still look their best, full face of make up and a skirt, while the men wore long baseball pants.

- Olivia Dixon

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One example of gender socialization I have observed is in sports, specifically hockey. Growing up playing hockey and now watching my sister continue to play, I have noticed that boys and girls are often treated differently in the sport. In men's hockey, body checking is allowed at higher levels and players can wear visors or no facial protection, while female players are required to wear full cages and are not allowed to body check. These differences can send the message that girls need more protection or that they should play a less aggressive style of hockey. I have also noticed stereotypes in how people react to women's hockey. Whenever I mention that there was a brawl or a major fight during one of my sister's games, people are often shocked because they assume girls do not fight or play aggressively. In reality, women's hockey can be very physical and competitive. This experience has shown me how gender stereotypes can shape people's expectations and perceptions of athletes.

One example of racial or ethnic stereotypes that I noticed is in one of my favourite Disney movies, The Princess and the Frog. I love the movie and have watched it many times, but looking at it from a sociological perspective, some of the characters are portrayed using strong Southern accents and personality traits that can be seen as stereotypes of Black culture in the South. While the movie was an important step for Disney because it introduced its first Black princess, some of these portrayals can still contribute to generalized ideas about a particular group of people.

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Week 7 Backpack Activity- Visshnee Thirikaran

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Week 7 Backpack Activity- Visshnee Thirikaran

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One example of gender socialization from my childhood was seeing my brother play with toys like trucks and action figures. I was interested in those toys and wanted to play with him, but I was often discouraged from doing so because I was a girl. Instead, I was expected to play with dolls, toy kitchens, and other toys that were considered more appropriate for girls. This experience taught me that certain activities and interests were viewed as acceptable for boys but not for girls. Looking back, it demonstrates how gender socialization can influence children's behavior and shape their understanding of gender roles from an early age. One example of racial and ethnic stereotypes in a movie is Breakfast at Tiffany's. The character Mr. Yunioshi, played by a non-Asian actor, is portrayed using exaggerated facial features, a heavy accent, and overly comedic mannerisms. This portrayal relies on negative stereotypes about East Asian people and reduces the character to a stereotype rather than a realistic individual. While the film was popular when it was released, I consider this portrayal offensive because it reinforces inaccurate and harmful stereotypes about Asian communities.

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One example of gender socialization I have observed is that boys are often encouraged to play with trucks, sports equipment, and action figures, while girls are encouraged to play with dolls and toy kitchens. From a young age, children receive messages from family, schools, and the media about what activities and behaviors are considered appropriate for their gender. This can influence their interests, confidence, and future career choices.

One example of racial or ethnic stereotypes in a TV show is The Simpsons. The character Apu was often portrayed using stereotypes about Indian immigrants, such as having a strong accent and working long hours at a convenience store. These stereotypes can create oversimplified views of a group of people and may contribute to misunderstandings about their culture and experiences. While some viewers saw the character as humorous, others criticized the portrayal for reinforcing negative stereotypes. - phanny iragena

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One example of gender socialization I’ve experienced is when a neighbor told my husband, “You allow her to do that,” implying that men should control women’s behavior. This reflects traditional gender roles where men are seen as authority figures. Growing up, I was encouraged to listen to my dad, but he didn’t strictly enforce gender roles on me. I was even called the “son he never had,” which allowed me to enjoy sports and other activities often labeled as masculine. However, this also made me reflect on how gender expectations can affect others differently, such as my brother, who may have felt pressure in a different way.

A media example is I Love Lucy, where Ricky Ricardo’s Cuban identity is sometimes portrayed through stereotypes, such as his strong accent and exaggerated emotional reactions. The show often uses his “foreignness” for humor, reinforcing simplified ideas about Latin men.

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Gender socialization in practice has to do with gendered displays of emotion. Boys have long been told, “Don’t cry,” “Be strong, or “Man up” when they would otherwise be showing grief or pain. Girls are often encouraged to be upset or crying and to find others to provide support when they get that way.

This sort of gender socialiation takes place in what other sort of activities and what else children are told they are able to play. It’s much more often the boys who are told to participate in sports, competition and/or leadership roles and so it’s sometimes more the girls who play dance and games associated with art and care-taking sorts of activity. Often it will not be stated so overtly, but those things certainly exist, shaping the minds of children toward some sort of thought-schema and so some sort of course of behavior.

In terms of TV show use of stereotypes associated with racial/ethnic groupings there is the show Family Guy. In some of the episodes these characters from different backgrounds appear as they are used for punch lines in some cases so some characters get very broad or exaggerated accetns or behave stereotypical toward cultural depictions in other cases (so that they don't portray real life as much as they might want to. If someone views that television show they may wind up getting the wrong kinds of perspectives regarding those groups, etc., because it's not always perceived as completely unreal or because people do not view what they watch critically as perhaps the creators (of family guy) do.

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One instance of gender socialization that I have personally witnessed is the expectation for girls to assist more with household tasks, while boys are afforded greater freedom to engage in outdoor play. During my upbringing, I observed that girls were often encouraged to embody traits such as politeness, caring and nurturing, while boys were typically expected to show strength and independence. Such societal expectations have significantly influenced how children perceive themselves and the roles they believe they need to fulfill within society to counted as responsible individuals.

An illustration of racial or ethnic stereotypes that I have encountered in films and television is the depiction of Asian students as inherently intelligent and more skilled in learning for example in mathematics and science. While this may seem like a favorable stereotype, it can impose undue pressure on individuals and fails to acknowledge the diverse interests, talents, and abilities present within any ethnic group. Stereotypes of this nature are known to foster unrealistic expectations and contribute to misunderstanding and bias.

These highlight the different ways in which society can shape our perceptions in regards to gender and race through routine interactions and media representations.

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One example of socialization related to gender roles is the encouragement of boys to exhibit traits associated with being tough and not showing any emotions while discouraging them from crying. On the other hand, women are socialized to care more and be expressive emotionally. Many boys were made to understand from an early age that "boys don't cry."

One example of ethnic stereotypes portrayed in a television show is The Simpsons cartoon. The stereotype of a South Asian character portrayed in the TV show involves a thick accent, working in a convenience store, and being presented in the cartoon in a way that makes it possible to generalize a South Asian person in order to make the audience laugh.

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Gender socialization is the process through which people learn the behaviors and expectations that society associates with being male or female. One example of gender socialization that I have experienced is the expectation that girls should always be polite, caring, and concerned about their appearance, which is something I still feel pressured to follow today. Growing up, I often noticed that girls were complimented on how pretty they looked or how well-behaved they were, while boys were more often praised for being strong or athletic.

I also felt pressure to dress a certain way and present myself as feminine, especially in middle school when many girls my age began wearing makeup. For example, during a school field trip to a camp, some of the other girls wanted to do my makeup and brush my hair, even though I was not particularly interested in it. Afterwards, they continuously complimented me and told me how pretty I looked. Although they likely meant well, the experience made me more aware of my appearance and contributed to feelings of insecurity. Over time, along with similar compliments, negative comments, and social expectations, I became uncomfortable leaving the house without makeup or letting others see me without it.

From a sociological perspective, these experiences demonstrate how peers and schools can reinforce gender norms and expectations for girls. Even when they are not intentionally trying to do so, these interactions can teach girls that their appearance is an important part of their value and social acceptance.

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An example of gender socialization that I have experienced is that how freedom of expression is different for boys and girls. I grew up in typical north Indian society and as a girl; I was often restricted and supervised at most times. Freedom of expression is not limited to but include things such as sharing your opinions, speaking on unfair treatments, argue, show confidence, choosing to play sports, wearing certain clothing etc. As an adult now, I analyzed that it is embedded in society(from where I belong) that parents want to control their children without realizing their interests, needs and wants. More importantly, boys are often encouraged to speak openly, express their opinions, anger, argue and independence without any restriction but for girls, they are often taught to be polite, speak less, soft spoken, discouraged from openly expressing their opinions if different from others. It explains that different expectations are already set based on gender. One specific example of gender socialization that I experienced occurred when I visited back home after several years living in Canada. Being resocialized and adapted to Canadian societal norms that emphasize independence and personal autonomy, I found it very difficult to adjust to the expectations placed on me as a girl. I was expected to inform about my whereabouts and activities all the time and return home before 7 pm even when I spend years living alone as a responsible adult. While these expectations from family presented concerns for safety, but I perceived them as controlling and restrictive. From gender socialization perspective, this experience shows how societal norms shape different expectations for men and women.

A Netflix tv show named Mai: A mother’s rage shows how women are often socialized into traditional gender roles in Indian society. This show explains how mother is expected to be caring, self sacrificing and devoted to take care of her family above everything else. It is commonly seen in Indian society where women are taught from young age that their main responsibility after marriage is to take care of their family and prioritize them over her own ambitions whereas a broader perspective can be seen in western societies where women tend to experience greater freedom of expression and mobility. Through this show, the stereotypes such as women should be passive, weak, dependent, belong to private sphere (home) etc are challenged and used to reject gender socialization.

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An example of gender socialization that I can think of is through videos on Tik Tok, YouTube, or Instagram, about parents redecorating their children’s rooms if its for a boy they use bolder or a paler blue, green, or even brown, and when its for a girl they use pinks, creams, ‘girly’ wallpaper that clearly shows distinction between what a boys color is and what a girls colour is. An example from a television show would have to be 2 Broke Girls. One of the main characters in the show is Han Lee, the diner’s owner, where majority of the scenes take place in. His accent is often exaggerated for a comedic effect, which characters mock him for along with his height and appearance. These portrayals can reinforce stereotypes about Asian men being less masculine, awkward in social settings or just an overall outsider.

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One example of gender socialization that I have observed is that girls are often encouraged to play with dolls or barbie toys, while boys were encouraged to play with action figures, trucks, or tools. I remember toy shops having “boys” and “girls” aisles, which made it seem like certain toys were meant for one gender and not the other. This teaches children what society expects from boys and girls and can shape their interests or behaviours from a young age.

One example of racial or ethnic stereotypes in a TV show is Modern Family. The character Gloria is sometimes portrayed using stereotypes about Latina woman, such as being loud, emotional, or having a strong accent. While the show often used these traits for humour, they can reinforce simplified ideas about entire ethnic groups rather than reflecting diversity of real experiences. - Jayda Tripp-MacDonald

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Growing up, my father put me in many sports. I am a man, but growing up I had little to no interest playing the sports. My father used to hate this because, to him, all men love sports and need to let out all of that "pent up energy." As he has spent more time in Canada his view has shifted, but growing up this was a significant source of tension between me and my father.

I recently watched Spider-Noir on Amazon Prime (great watch) which is set in 1932. There are significant representations of black people actively being racialized. Specifically, they lived primarily in Harlem and were stereotypically poor. Of course, the show framed this as a bad thing, but it still is representation of the racial stereotypes from the time that were due to racialization in the 1930's (and beyond).

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One example of gender socialization I have experienced was in high school when my shop class was tasked with putting together ping pong tables for our school. We were put in groups, and I was the only female in my group. The males in my group seemed to think I was incapable of lifting “heavy” things or successfully put together the table in general. Even though I tried to help, and even pointed out where they were going wrong, these males did not let me help and would take things away from me when I tried to participate. It showed me that they were taught or socialized to believe that women should not or could not do physical labor, and these ideas really showed through with how they treated me during the project.

One example of racial stereotypes I saw in a show are the ones present in the basketball episode of The Office. Micheal Scott wanted his Black coworkers to be on his team for a basketball game as he thought they would have the best skills. It showed that he believed that all Black individuals are good at basketball, and the stereotype that is associated with this race and the sport.

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One example of gender socialization that I have seen is when I was  growing up, it seemed that the boys got tons of sports stuff and toys that urged them to be competitive, where as  us girls were given dolls and kitchen sets. These types of toys are meant to make girls care for others and be nurturing. This kind of gift giving teaches kids which behaviours fit their gender.

One movie I have picked to represent the showing of stereotypes is in the movie "Mean Girls," stereotypes based on race or ethnicity show up a lot in this movie. Characters from the movie  get sorted into groups throughout the high school relying on views of culture and identity. This not only limits their representation of who they actually are but also reinforces stereotypes. People just end up seeing groups as a whole through just one lens, which then leads to them missing out on the real variety there is.

These both show how we teach gender roles and media stereotypes shape what we expect from others in daily life.

Skyler Findlay

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While I don’t believe there is anything wrong with “gender socialization” (and there are several scientific studies that suggest that toy preference, for example, is at least partially biologically determined), I have certainly experienced it in my life, having been given exclusively “masculine” toys as a young boy, such as Lego, Bionicles, and Hot Wheels. I was very happy about this. My little sister was also very happy about her Littlest Pet Shop toys and her American Girl dolls. I wouldn’t have wanted to play with her toys, and she wouldn’t have wanted to play with mine. I grew up playing the “masculine” ice sport, hockey; she grew up doing the “feminine” ice sport, figure skating. I suppose this is all gender socialization, but I reject the idea that this is purely a social construct: I think there’s a significant biological element at play—the same reason why men typically gravitate toward technical fields and women to social fields.

An example of ethnic stereotypes in a movie I’ve watched recently is Team America: World Police. It portrays all Muslims as terrorists (and brown-skinned, even though Islam is a religion), and in the movie they only ever say variations of “Hurka durka Muhammad jihad,” etc. It also portrays the Americans as blood-thirsty, revenge-seeking, egocentric buffoons with no regard for civilian life, and America itself as the centre of the world. The movie was made three years after 9/11, and is critiquing both sides—which is what makes it funny and not merely offensive. In reality there are two billion Muslims, and hundreds of millions of Americans in the world; no race or ethnicity can be reduced to anything like this movie suggests.

--Graham

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An example of gender socialization that I have observed is when children are taught that boys should be tough and not cry, while girls, who are referred to as weaker vessels, should be caring and gentle. This leads them to develop different emotional expectations and behaviors at an early stage.

An example of racial or ethnic stereotypes in a TV show is “The Modern Family”, where a Latin-American wife, Gloria (played by Sophia Vergara), is often portrayed as “loud and sassy”. Gloria’s personality, as the “sassy Latina,” shows a stereotype of the Latin-American community, meaning they are generalized as loud, overly emotional, and defined by their accent and sexuality.

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One example of gender socialization In everyday life that I can think of is the role of men in the household. I live with my mom and my step dad. me and my step dad do a lot of the outside work such as lawn mowing, snow shovelling, leaf reading, etc.

We do more of the nitty gritty work in the household.

A movie I can think of where racial/ethnic stereotypes are present is Sinners, which released in 2025. In the movie, Racial stereotypes are challenged, it showed how black people faced struggles, their strengths, and their goals. This movie also highlights racial stereotypes and how they were used to discriminate against black people and their community. the characters were seen as "thugs and criminals" due to their race.

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When I was in either grade 1 or 2, the first time I experienced a snarky insult about my skin was from some kid who basically called my skin "poop". Now, this obviously made me cry being a kid in all, and when I told my parents about it they obviously comforted me. But growing up after that, it instantly changed from comfort to the sudden force of success. It started with urging me to be better than everyone else to belittling my own appearance from the very people who raised me but nonetheless, it taught me to be strong and prep for anything anyone would say to me outside of my household despite some of the privilege my family has today. A tv show I can draw from this week's lesson is Brooklyn 99, I forgot what season this was but the episode was called "Moo-moo", where Terry's kids were babysat by Jake and Amy and they ended up losing a little toy one of Terry's kids slept with. When Terry went to look for it outside, another cop stopped him and assumed he was a threat because of his physical appearance and weight. That wasn't fair. The ONLY reason why he was able to get himself out of that mishap sooner was because of the fact he was a cop himself. This episode is heavily relevant today and aligns with issues in real time that were present after. George Floyd for example, he was also stopped by a bad cop but instead of even getting to reason with the officer he ended up getting shot. Even though we're supposed to be moving forward and be more accepting of others I sometimes fear society as a whole is going backwards.

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One example of gender socialization I have observed is children being encouraged to play with different types of toys based on their gender and wearing specific clothes based on their gender. One example from a tv show that racial stereotypes are present is in modern family. In modern family, Gloria is columbian and is portrayed as being loud, emotional , and having difficulty with english which is the stereotype for columbians.

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Growing up as a young Afro-Caribbean child/ teenager in the late 2000’s and early 2010s, I faced a lot of name-calling and people making fun of my hair because I was black in school. This was mostly from people with white or whiter complexions. Whenever I said something back, I was always called out and told to be the bigger person. As a black boy, our parents always told us to be “tough” because, as black men, we are supposed to be tough and have self-control. Now, if it were female, yes, they have to be tough, but not to the extent as black males, and they are allowed to cry compared to the males. Whenever the teachers or principals see the racism going on, they look at it as I’m a black male, and I’m tough enough to handle it. This made me realize the stigma around being a black male and having to handle more pain than others. It leads us to not having someone to talk about these issues because it makes us look weak.  This is a form of gender socialization that a lot of black Caribbean children go through.

I was watching the show How to Catch a Smuggler: Border Patrol, and I saw a few examples of racial stereotypes.  It showed examples of border agents targeting people from specific countries like Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean for drugs and illegal migration. The episode will only show people of colour associated with illegal migration and drugs, giving the stereotype that brown and black people are a threat to the country.  Even in the episode, the agents admitted to targeting specific countries, and it makes me question why they associate certain countries with crime but not white countries. This leads to the stereotype that we see with immigration in Canada and America to this day.  Countries in Eastern Europe ship drugs as well and don’t face the same scrutiny at the border as Latin countries, Mexico and Caribbean nations.

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Gender Socialization and Racial stereotypes

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Gender Socialization and Racial stereotypes

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The best example of gender socialization I can think of is at my family gatherings and how the woman specifically my mom is always expected to and is responsible for cooking dinner and all the food. It has always been a thing that women in my family were the ones to cook for any family gathering and the men did not necessarily have any responsibility for the event. My mom and aunts were made to cook everything and whenever anyone would discuss what was happening for events prior to them or during it was always that the women were going to be making dinner and nothing was mentioned about the men helping at all. I hadn’t realized that these gender roles were a form of gender socialization and how they had been developed through years and years of social standards being set by those around me.

A movie I recently rewatched which has quite a few examples of racial stereotypes would be the movie scarface. Scarface is about a Cuban immigrant who becomes Miami's biggest drug lord. The movie follows the racial stereotypes of Cubans and their involvement with drugs and with drug related activities. Not only does the movie play into the “typical drug lord” idea that many associate with Cubans but as well the fake accents and the attempt to make the actors seem over the top with how “latino” they are goes over the top and is not accurate and tries to follow stereotypes made by society.

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In my personal life, I have mainly seen the difference in how parents treat boys and girls. To preface, my parents are early boomers. For example, my parents would always assume that men were more rational and innately logical, and women were much more caring and kind, slightly emotional in certain situations. Now, in contrast, young boys were rowdy, immature, and presented themselves in hazardous positions constantly. While young girls are much more inquisitive and more thoughtful, even in small things like how they play. This changed how they treated the different genders in how they raised us. My parents had four of each boy and girl. Their philosophy of how to raise either was to let boys be boys when they were young and then to be very strict as they became teenagers and young men. For the girls, not in an excessive fashion, they tried to teach manners earlier, also assuming they would follow the instruction easier and remember them. In later years, they would give little instruction to the girls as they were assumed to be socialized.

A show I recently finished was The Office. This show constantly presented stereotypes and dealt with racial and ethnic stereotypes. In the episode " Diversity Day, " the manager, Michael Scott, made remarks about many cultures, but the main premise of the episode had the employees put on a version of charades with different races/ethnic identities, in which the goal was to figure out what race you were by someone speaking to that type of ethnicity. For example, to figure out an Asian person, someone said you are a bad driver, for an Italian, someone used very pronounced hand gestures, and for a Jamaican, someone said they like to get high and go to the beach. This is just one episode, but that show is rife with stereotypes and utilizes them to show you how people can be ignorant and downright abrasive when they think they have the best of intentions

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Gabriella Pershad - Gender Socialization

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Gabriella Pershad - Gender Socialization

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Being told that I should dress and act a specific way because I am a female is one instance of gender socialization that I have personally encountered. There were expectations while I was growing up around what I should wear and how I should behave in social settings. For instance, I was frequently urged by friends, family, school settings, and social media to be calm, courteous, and present oneself in a way that was deemed "ladylike." This event demonstrates how people learn the duties and actions associated with their gender through gender socialization.

Modern Family is one television program that features racial or ethnic stereotypes. Stereotypes about Latina women, such as being loud, theatrical, overly emotional, or having a heavy accent, are occasionally used to depict the Colombian character Gloria. These depictions can nonetheless perpetuate oversimplified notions about Latina women, even as the program frequently employs these characteristics for comedic effect and develops Gloria as a multidimensional character. This illustrates how, even when the intention is humorous, the media may aid in the propagation of racial and ethnic stereotypes.

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Week 7 - Gender Socialization & Racial Stereotypes

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Week 7 - Gender Socialization & Racial Stereotypes

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When I was young, during family gatherings, I noticed how my mom, my aunts, and other women in the family would be in the kitchen heating and plating up food before bring it out to the table while my dad, uncles, grandpa, and other men are sitting and talking or playing mahjong until dinner was set. While the kids, my brother, my cousins, and I, at the time, would be playing and fooling around. I learned at a very young age the different gender roles that existed within my family but I never question it because that is the culture. A recent TV show that I just finished is S.W.A.T. A big part of this show, besides crime, is racism against the black community. The stereotypes that are present in this show are that black individuals are violent, commit murder and robberies, and that they are the community most likely to have committed the crime.

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An example of gender socialization that I have observed is the way society thinks about mothers versus fathers when it comes to parenting. Women in mother-roles are expected to take care of children, cook, clean, and even work all at once. For example, if a man in a fatherly-role were to order his kids dinner or bring them McDonalds during lunch, they would be viewed as a fun, easygoing dad treating his children. But if a mother did these things under the same circumstances, she is at risk of being viewed as lazy or not fulfilling her repsonsibilities as a mother. Ultimately, this reflects on traditional gender socialization where mothers are expected to be the primary caregivers for her children, while fathers are often praised for doing the exact same thing that mothers are just expected to do regularly.

A movie I vaguely remember watching is Crazy Rich Asians. It reinforces stereotypes that asian families are extremely wealthy, smart, highly competitive, and parents have intense pressure on their kids to succeed to the best. The movie does show more representation but it does rely on some broad cultural stereotypes.

Taya Nakoneshny

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Gender socialization is how society teaches people how to behave based on gender. For example, boys are often taught to be tough, independent, and not to show their sadness, while girls are taught to be caring, polite, and expressive. This can also be seen in childhood toys. Boys are given things like trucks or sports equipment, and girls are given dolls or any caregiving-related toys. These expectations can shape how people act and what is considered "normal" for each gender.

Racial and ethnic stereotypes can also be seen just as easily on TV shows. For example, in The Simpsons, the character Apu has been criticized for reinforcing stereotypes about South Asian people, including the idea of being heavily accented, working in convenience stores, and being focused on customer service. These kinds of portrayals reinforce harmful assumptions about certain groups in society.

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Basically gender socialization is how we learn 'what is expected' of us based on gender through family, school, media and peers.

One example I've seen commonly (and many students describe) is how boys are often encouraged to be tough and hide emotions while girls are encouraged to be more caring or expressive . For example, when getting hurt, a boy might be told “don’t cry, be strong,” but a girl might be praised more for being “sweet” or “helpful.” Over time this affects the way people think they should behave, not the way they actually feel."

Students often cite examples of racial or ethnic stereotypes in the media, from shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine or older crime dramas. For example, in some episodes of crime shows, South Asian or Middle Eastern characters are sometimes depicted as being linked to terrorism or illegal activity. Another stereotype often seen in other shows is the “model minority” stereotype for Asian characters – being overly studious, quiet, or socially awkward. They reduce whole groups of people to basic traits instead of showing the spectrum in them.

A key takeaway is that both gender socialization and media stereotypes are effective because they keep bombarding us with messages about “how groups are supposed to be,” and those messages can influence real-world attitudes and expectations even when they’re wrong or unfair.

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Personal -

A very real and personal example of gender socialization for me is the difference of parental duties between the traditional mother and father.

From what I have seen growing up, and from being a mother myself, I have noticed that the mothers and mother-figures in my family have always been the ones to take on cooking, cleaning, and organizing, along with bearing most of the emotional and mental weight. The fathers and father-figures do the stereotypical duties of manual/physical labour – moving/building furniture, mowing the lawn, doing repairs on the house, and engaging in sport-like, “rough-housing” play.

TV Show -

An example I have seen of racial stereotypes, or racial disparity for that matter, is from Downton Abbey. In season 4, a recurring character named Jack Ross – a young black jazz singer and bandleader from London – begins engaging in a romantic relationship with Lady Rose – a young, wealthy white woman who is Lord Grantham’s niece. Due to the era that this show is set in – early 1920s and the beginning of the flapper scene – and the traditionalist view from the Grantham family and staff, the relationship between Jack Ross and Lady Rose is met with apprehension, lack of acceptance, and attempts from Lady Mary to break up the duo.

Hannah Slessor

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One example of gender socialization I’ve noticed in everyday life is how children are encouraged toward certain activities based on gender. In Nursing, I’ve seen before parents praise young boys for being “tough” when they fall, while girls in the same situation are comforted and told to be careful. Even small interactions like this teach kids what emotions or behaviours are considered “acceptable” for their gender, shaping how they learn to express themselves as they grow.

A recent example of racial stereotypes in media/tv shows comes from The Big Bang Theory and the amazing character of Raj Koothrappali. Although the show is comedic, Raj is often portrayed through exaggerated stereotypes about South Asian men, such as being socially awkward, overly dependent on his parents, or treated as “foreign” despite living in the U.S. for years. These portrayals simplify a whole cultural identity into a few predictable traits, which is exactly how racial and ethnic stereotypes get reinforced in popular media.

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One example of gender socialization that I have personally observed is how boys and girls are often treated differently when it comes to hobbies and activities. For example, boys are often encouraged to play sports or video games, while girls may be encouraged to play with dolls or focus on appearance-related activities. These expectations teach children what society considers “appropriate” behavior for each gender and can shape their interests and confidence from a young age.

One example of racial stereotypes in a movie is in Mean Girls. In the movie, some racial stereotypes are used for comedic purposes, particularly with Asian students and other minority groups who are shown in exaggerated or one-dimensional ways. For example, certain students are portrayed as socially awkward, overly intelligent, or unable to speak English fluently. These portrayals rely on stereotypes rather than realistic representations of different racial or ethnic groups. While the movie is meant to be humorous, these stereotypes can still reinforce biased assumptions about people from different backgrounds.

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Personal Experience : Growing up in my Indian household, I noticed that the rules for going out at night were different for girls and boys. My cousins could easily grab their shoes and head out anytime while on the other hand being a girl I faced alot of questions when I wanted to do the same and when I talked to my friends about it they faced the same thing. There were always concerns about who we were going with, why we needed to go out so late or what people might think about my character etc. It was due to safety reasons but it sometimes felt a bit unfair. I always found it so frustrating because the boys never had to explain themselves or justify where they were going but for girls it felt like I had to fight just to walk out the door. Even at family functions I noticed how the boys would stay back laughing while the girls were expected to leave early like the night just did not belong to them. To me this is such a real example of gender socialization because nobody ever sat down and wrote these rules anywhere but somehow everyone just knew them and followed them without even questioning it and not just me but most of the girls feel this pressure in some way or another. In situations like this, it makes me feel like only men (patriarchy) hold the power in society.

Movie observation -I watched the movie Get Out a few months ago and it made me think about racism in a new way. The movie is about a black man named Chris who goes to meet his white girlfriend's family. From the very beginning, we see subtle racism but as soon as he reaches his girlfriend's home, her parents treat him happily and warmly on the surface. However, everywhere he looks the servants and every working-class person in their house are black which tells us their true feelings about him.

Later on, I couldn't help but notice how the racism in this film really stood out to me and it became more open through passing comments in a creepy way. The white people in her family say things like "I would have voted for Obama a third time." Throughout the movie, I observe that Chris is constantly seeing himself through the eyes of his girlfriend's parents and how white people think about him as a person of color. This movie shows us the racial difference and how racism can affect an individual.

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Personal: Every time I see one of my older family members now that I’m at university, they always say to me “when are you getting a boyfriend, you need to settle down, you have to be open minded no ones like you” but when it comes to any of my male family members that topic never comes up its always “when are you going to school, what is your job.” It highly irritable as I have no interest in a relationship, but its also shows gender socialization, girls are meant to settle with someone and always be open minded, and be ready for someone/some thing they have no interest in, but guys can go on with their lives, attend school, work, and then later have a family conversation.

Movie: I enjoy history a lot, so I watched Just Mercy, it was interesting however, it touches base on real life events in the system of Alabama. I feel as it held more racial stereotypes as if you were black you were targeted. The main stereotype shown was through authorities and the community was the “presumption of black criminality and guilt”, used to justify the wrongful convictions and incarcerations of African Americans. The main stereotypes were that black men were criminal predators (aggressive, violent, dangerous, and prone to felonies), and how black citizens were subservient and disposable, as they’re seen as holding less dignity, so their testimonies were seen as untrustworthy even if they’re telling the truth. The stereotypes were used to fabricate evidence, used as bias judicial and jury systems, along with the intimidation of police brutality. The stereotypes used were created to do damage towards a specific race and make sure no other race would bat an eye to the abuse one is facing as they’re known to be “criminals” and with less in the streets your life can be better.

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Personal Experience:
One example of gender socialization that I would think of was when I was little I had to play on a boys baseball team, since there were no girls teams. This could have been helped or changed since there were many girls that wanted to play but no one wanted to coach that team. In this situation, this teaches the girl aka me that baseball is more of a boys sport and to be able to play I have to learn how to play at the boys level.

TV show:

In the movie Mean Girls, there is racial stereotypes are shown through the way different student groups are labeled and separated in the cafeteria. Some of the groups are pretending to use exaggerated assumptions about behaviour, interests and social status based on race or ethnicity. These stereotypes place people into categories instead of showing them as unique individuals.

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Personal Experience: Last year, my family held a party for my Grandma to celebrate her 90th birthday.  It was the first time that all my cousins had been together in years.  There are seven of us in total, four females and three males and we all arrived early to help organize the space and event.  What I noticed was that my aunts and uncle assigned us responsibilities differently.  The female cousins were asked to help with tasks like arranging the food and decorating while the male cousins were asked to move furniture and boxes and set up the tent outside.  There was no explicit discussion about gender and task assignments, but it was clear that the females should take care of the detail-oriented tasks and the males should take care of the physical tasks.  This is a clear example of gender socialization and the role it can play in families where young people are shown how to behave based on role or task expectations.

TV Show Observation: In terms of TV shows, I recently watched an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, where there were multiple references to black men in policing.  Captain Holt explains that when he first joined the NYPD, he faced constant assumptions that he wasn’t a real cop because black men get arrested and don’t do the arresting.  He also confronted expectations that he should be more tough in order to be respected giving the impression that black men need to use physical force rather than other tactics.  In the show, Captain Holt is a calm and peaceful-type police leader who discourages the use of force unless necessary.    There are many references to racialized and gendered stereotypes in policing, and the show uses comedy to disprove these generalizations.

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When I think back to earlier examples of gender socialization, I mainly think of examples within school. When I look back on my time in elementary school a long time ago, there are plenty of examples I can remember of misogyny. One prominent example I feel that many girls experienced was being told to change because their sleeves might have been “too short”, or "too thin". I have never witnessed a young boy being told to change, regardless of what he was wearing. This rhetoric is particularly harmful in elementary schools as it impacts the way children view themselves and others in their formative years. Misogyny that I experienced/witnessed in elementary school contributes to the stereotype that the way men may view women's bodies is the fault of the woman herself.

Many television shows and movies create characters that stem from harmful stereotypes. One of the first examples that comes to mind for me is Lane Kim from Gilmore Girls. She very much operates as a background character in Rory’s story; her depiction is very surface-level compared to other side characters on the show. Writers clearly relied on stereotypes of Korean families when writing her character. Lane Kim’s mother is depicted as extremely strict and overbearing. Lane Kim’s character is reduced to one of a stifled daughter, one who must hide her true self in a proper way to please her family.

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One example of gender socialization I have experienced is working at the daycare. I noticed that girls are often encouraged to play with dolls, do crafts or help take care of younger children, while the boys are encouraged to play sports, build with blocks or play with toy cars. Adults sometimes unintentionally reinforce these ideas by praising girls for being quiet or helpful and boys for being strong or energetic This shows how society teaches children different expectations based on gender from a young age. One example of racial stereotypes in a TV show that I watched is outer banks. In the show poorer characters are often shown as reckless or involved in crime while wealthy characters are portrayed as more powerful and successful. This uses stereotypes about race and social class to create conflict in the show.

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I grew up with a very feminist mother so I can’t remember much instances of gender socialization within my family life. However, I remember many from primary school. I remember instances where specific activities were planned for recess, and they always had one which was more aimed at the boys alongside one which fit more girl stereotypes. They would encourage us through no malice to join the activity which fit those stereotypes. Specifically, they would often organize one team sport activity, while they let the girls know that they could do arts and crafts during this. I mostly remember this since at the time, I thought it as unfair, and was too intimidated to join the boys to play.

The activities represent gender socialization in the sense that the educators organized one activity based on the stereotypes that all boys like sport, physical activity and that they “need to blow off some steam”. All the while, the arts and crafts activity, was more calm, gentle, centered around creative and dainty projects showing the common perception of girls as calm, soft spoken, and creative.

Due to our young ages this reinforced our growing understanding of the gender roles, appearances, and interests we were supposed to enjoy.

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Personal Gender Activities and Kim's Convenience

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Personal Gender Activities and Kim's Convenience

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Gender is something you do and it is something socially constructed. When handling the groceries, it is expected as the male to deal with the heavier items.

The tv show, Kim’s Convenience has ethnic stereotypes. The first-generation Korean immigrants own and run a convenience store with minimal non-family staffing. This is an ethnic stereotype because it is not uncommon for first generation Korean families in Canada to run a convenience store which value quick transactions and high industriousness.

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Personal Experiences: Growing up, I was the oldest daughter, first grandchild, and first niece. Most of the time I learned things through self experience, which made me gain leadership skills and become very confident. When I would use these traits in a public setting for example at school during a project, I would get mocked, and be told I am bossy, and it made me question if these skills were benefitting me, and I became nervous to speak up and explain my thoughts. However, men/boys are “supposed” to be “controlling” so when men are outspoken and confident with their knowledge, it is seen as attractive, and seen as leadership, a trait that guys “should have”. Never have I heard someone refer to a boy/man as “bossy”.

TV Show/Movie Observation: The TV show that I immediately thought of for thos question was Family Guy. This TV show uses stereotypes for comedy. Some examples of this throughout the show are Asian characters who are stereotyped as being really smart, and heavily focussed on academics. Latino stereotyped as exaggerated accents and assumptions about immigration and jobs. There are stereotypes made about Middle Eastern characters being related to terrorism and suspicion, and Jewish culture being stereotypes about money and being cheap.

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Before I was born, my brother always did the chores outside with my dad (on our farm), and he was taught very stereotypical ideas of gender roles and the idea that men do the “hard, outside, tough” type of work, as our parents were born in 1945 and had grown up in a time where gender norms were huge. When I was growing up, and my brother moved out, I then took over both doing housework with my mom and barn/outside work with my dad. In doing this, I learnt that gender norms have historically and continue to be taught. My brother simply learned his role as a “man”, but I got to experience the learning of both sides of roles, and that allows me to see how gender roles are taught, and gender is not simply what we are born as.

A TV show about ethnic or racial stereotypes is never have I ever, where the Vishwakumar family is presented as a very Indian family, and it is clear that there are so many stereotypes of ideas about what an Indian-American looks like. The stereotypes that were used were things like 2 stereotypical white males being the ideal of what the perfect guys look like, Devis' family being smart because of their culture, the idea of no boys because of their ethnicity and beliefs/values, etc.