Gender segregation In US Essay

In the recent past, United State has been a victim of gender inequality. For instance, in the colonial era, reading and writing were the essential skills. However, these skills were mainly taught to boys and only privileged girls. This is a clear discrimination that makes the girls child disadvantaged and thus affects her social development and limit her interaction. One of the most important aspects in human development is the gender-role development. Age between two & six are the essential stage when the children start to learn of the abilities, and gender. In making of toys for playing, the America culture separates toys for girls and boys. The boys will shy from playing with dollies and the girls also avoid playing with tennis balls. This separation affects the social development of the children in many ways. First, the playing styles and behaviors will be centered on the identity ‘I am a Girl’ or ‘I am a Boy’. This spreads to the social context of the family, school, and peer group. Most theories of social development highlight early childhood as initial and the essential stage in social development. Much of the learning in this stage occurs by imitation. That is, boys learn to be boys by observing their fathers and girls learn l to be girls by observing their mothers. When children imitate similar sex they tend to be appreciated. However, imitating the opposite sex would attract punishment. This stereotype leaves a lasting impact on the mind of the children who grow up to believe that girls and boys are different and should be treated differently. This has been the root cause of gender disparity in US. Reference: Axtell, J. (1974). Gender-Role Development – The Development of Sex and Gender. Illinois; University of Illinois Press.