The Role of the family in the development of gender based identity

 

The Role of the family in the development of gender based identity

The first school of socialization of a child is his family. There is no solid basis for rejecting it either. There can be many forms of this socialization but it is certain that the family plays an important role in the socialization of the child. 

The family is the first influence in the development of gender-based identity. At the stage of primary socialization, the child receives the consciousness of gender identity from his parents. He sees parents in different social and cultural roles in the family. Children start behaving in the same way after seeing their siblings and other members in the family.

 

Parents play a dominant role in the socialization of gender roles. The culture created by men dictates that it is the nature of men to rule while it is the nature of women to be ruled. 

On this basis, women are confined to housework and child care while men are kept away from it. The work of giving birth to children, raising them and making them a social personality is assigned to women, under which women are closely associated with nature in the process of child rearing, while men lack this natural quality. 

This situation separates the man from the family and the man becomes oriented towards such activities which on the basis of cultural logic comes under the purview of men like religion, politics, Administration etc. 

In such a situation, the man becomes related to the culture and men are declared the masters of it all. Today, parents are treating their children differently from boys and girls while raising children in the society.

 

The process of socialization of boys and girls in the family involves different ways of parenting. 

Under this, mothers bring up their daughters with the vision of having the qualities of a good daughter, sister or a good wife in the future, but where is the identity and existence of their own daughter? 

Although mothers nurture their children keeping in mind love and social security, but in reality they are also giving silent support to patriarchy. 

Considering the girl as weak, the parents take more care of her than the boy. They teach the girl to be calm and tolerant, while the boy is taught to be independent and aggressive. 

Thus under the influence of primary socialization it is natural for the gender role to develop according to the sex of the child.