How Gender is Socialized?

What does CJ Pascoe's research reveal about Masculinity?

In a 2007 ethnography called "Dude You're a Fag", sociologist CJ Pascoe studied high school peer groups and how they sanction gender norms.  Excerpt is here.

Here is an essay in Contexts that Pascoe wrote about her research.

And, here is CJ Pascoe's micro lecture on bullying and masculinity.

How does the construction of gender get transmitted by agents of socialization?

All of the agents of socialization help to construct gender.  Look for the claim and evidence supporting each of these agents.  How does each agent contribute to the socialization of gender?  What evidence does sociology provide that agents of socialization influence individuals' self concepts about gender?

Family:

This article from Newsweek explains the research by neuroscientist Lise Eliot that shows parents begin treating the infant differently even before birth! Ex. pink and blue. nursery, gender reveal parties, etc...
Parents talk differently to babies from the moment they are born based on sex.
Other studies conclude that family socializes children into gender by:

Six month-olds treated differently:

• boys are given independence and encouraged to be active
• girls are coddled and ecouraged to be dependent and passive
• by thirteen months, each gender acts differently.

Also differences in toys; boys=action figures, weapons; girls=jewelry, dolls.  

Peers 

Girls and boys learn what it means to be a man or woman from friends.
See the book from Patricia and Peter Adler on preadolescent peer pressure.

This research by Patricia and Peter Adler published in Sociology of Education shows that values for popularity develop as early as fourth grade;

• boys: athletics, coolness and toughness, grades=lower popularity.
• girls: family background, physical appearance (esp. clothing and makeup) and ability to attract popular boys, grades=higher popularity.          

School 

This research in the journal of Sociology of Education shows how high school begins to shape students' interest in majoring in STEM fields in college.

From the National Academy of Sciences this study shows that teacher anxiety about math affects their students.

This research from Gender and Society shows that high school teachers' attitudes about females and math affect how teachers grade and teach female students.

This article from the NY Times shows that gender gap in math scores disappears in countries with a more gender-equal culture.

From the Society Pages, this post shows the latent lessons (hidden curriculum) that schools teach.  In this case, it starts as young as 8 years old.   (See the image below)

Here is a post from the Society Pages that shows Barbie helps to reinforce lessons learned from teachers, and around the world girls show higher scores in STEM if the level of inequality in the society is less.

For more info, see Ferris and Stein pgs. 247-251