'Growing Up as Boys and Girls' — Practice

Question 1

Explain how boys and girls are socialised differently from childhood.

Accepted Answer

From birth, society treats boys and girls differently: boys get blue clothes and toy vehicles while girls get pink clothes and dolls. Families assign outdoor errands to boys and cooking/cleaning to girls; boys get more freedom while girls face more restrictions; and media and textbooks show men working and women doing housework. Through family, school, toys, media, and peers, children learn these gender roles, which society treats as 'natural' even though they are created.

Question 2

Why is housework not valued in society? What can be done to change this?

Accepted Answer

Housework is undervalued because it is unpaid (not counted in economic statistics), invisible (done within the home), taken for granted, and not seen as 'real work'. To change this, families can share housework equally between boys and girls, schools can teach gender equality, the media can show men doing housework, and the government can recognise and support unpaid care work.

Question 3

What is the 'double burden' of women?

Accepted Answer

The double burden (or second shift) is when women do a full day of paid work outside the home and then return to do a full day of unpaid housework as well.

Question 4

What did Margaret Mead's study in Samoa show?

Accepted Answer

It showed that gender roles are not natural or universal but are created differently by each culture.

Practice — 'Growing Up as Boys and Girls'

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