Sociology

Socialization is a process through which an individual learns to acquire behavioral norms, value systems, personal attitudes of culture and beliefs. The process of socialization reflects how individuals interact with the environment and how we view ourselves in the current context. Socialization process includes various aspects such as gender socialization that allows boys and girls to learn about their nature of creation or gender by use of consumer items like clothes, toys, dolls and furniture. These consumer items are purchased by their parents and seem to be attractive to young boys and girls. Gender socialization is a process that starts at the birth of a child and it involves understanding ones cultural roles as per individuals sex.

Boys and girls are treated differently by the people even within the reach of their parents and this makes them understand the difference between women and men. This is observed through provision of consumer goods such as specific toys that are associated with a particular gender. There is always a common relationship between gender socialization, ethnicity, culture and religious practices of a given society. The aspect of culture is valued very much in certain communities whereby boys rather than girls are favored. Some cultures believe that boys are often assertive while girls are more submissive. These beliefs reflect how parents provide toys, clothes and other consumer goods that fit best the gender of the children. Gender socialization is  a process that continues  throughout the lifecycle  of  an individual and it  also guides parents  when  shopping  for their  children.

I visited Britains greatest toy store which is one of the leading retailers of children toys, dolls, bikes, clothes and video games during summer period. The store is located in Atlanta and its location gives parents the capacity to shop well for their boys and girls. The organization of the store is very much presentable and its attractiveness makes customers to pass over even in the odd hours of day. Another toy store I visited is Babies R US toy store that is located in Westbury, New York. This is  one  of the  biggest store chains that deals  with baby  products and it  has  spread  to  many  parts of the country. My visit to this retailer store was in June 2002, where I bought a lot of juvenile clothes and toys. The  store  has  a  variety of  products  specific  for  different genders and they are always new to match the  needs of  boys and girls. Their prices are very comfortable and meet the budgets of parents. The store holds a variety of consumer goods such as cribs, furniture, diapers, bedding, toys and gift ideas that are basic for gender socialization. The organization of consumer goods in the store is standard but convenient and this gives parents the opportunity to purchase toys, clothes and gifts that best suite their children. Good and attractive arrangement of consumer goods in the store attracts the eyes of many customers. This is considered as one way through which Babies R US advertises its products without incurring extra cost. A third toy store I visited while on my tour in the United States is Toys R US Inc. This is the leading worlds number one store that deals with toy and baby products. The store has more than 1550 branches all over the world and offers e-business service to its customers. The headquarters of Toys R US Inc. are in Wayne, a location that is near to customers. This makes it possible for expectant mothers to drive short distance and purchase toys and clothes for yet to be born babies. It is in a strategic location that attracts parents though the way consumer goods are arranged in the store.

The three stores I visited offer good products for children, however, it is very tricky to establish which clothes are for boys or girls. There are some  specific  clothes designed  for each gender and incase  of  a mixture up, I call the  store attendant to help differentiate the specific clothes for each gender group. There are gender neutral items that are meant to fit girls or boys. For instance, a dress always fits a girl and trousers are meant for boys. However, changes in cultural practices and beliefs have led to production of nongender items that are traded in the market place, e.g. girls and boys usually wear trousers and T-shirts which is a good example to show that there are non-gendered items available for gender socialization.

The location in which a child is raised up determines the mode of selecting consumer goods, especially clothes and toys. Social class and neighborhood are the major factors that contribute to these differences in selections from different locations. A parent who lives in the urban centre has different way of doing things, including shopping for common consumer goods. On the other hand, parents in rural neighborhood have their own way of shopping different from that of urban centers. Social class affects the way parents select toys, clothes and other consumer goods in respect to lifestyle. Parents have different lifestyle and are of a different social class - rich, middle class and poor -which affect the shopping patterns.

Accordingly, there are certain shopping patterns that I observed and are related to gender socialization. For instance, parents went for specific children item that were only favorite to a given gender. This is unexpected because a child does not know his or her gender until it is old enough. I expected parents to shop for toys or clothes without considering gender. Clothes and toys teach boys and girls about gender such as masculine, submissiveness and assertiveness. Some of childrens clothes teach them how to be girls and boys, especially during their movements and while sitting down. A girl is supposed to be composed while she is seated while boys just keep on spreading their legs. However, girls wearing trousers create an environment of equality because they can sit on a seat without putting legs together. This is one area that makes girls feel to be similar with their counterparts, boys. Childrens clothing and toys perpetuate gender inequality, for instance, parents buy toy cars for boys and they purchase mirrors or dolls for girls. This reflects a gender social phenomenon whereby girls are not supposed to own motor vehicles. Children clothing also challenges inequality in the sense that parents fear to purchase certain clothes meant for boys or girls in fear of breaching cultural values. This is a way of promoting stereotypes in gender socialization. These are observations I made during my visit to three toy retail stores.