Why Social Expectations On Children Should Not Be Normalized
Social expectations have always overburdened children’s identities with both seen and unseen influence, and they are still being used to both directly and indirectly manipulate children who are not yet able to rationalize logic properly. Therefore, it should be up to children to define their own identities freely, regardless of social expectations.
Social expectations secretly lead children down a path they may not be aware of, nor do they want to go down the path; the consequence of social expectations regarding gender stereotypes in children
Gendered toys are a significant consequence of social expectations regarding gender stereotypes in children. Boys were expected to be competitive and assertive, so they should play with aggressive toys such as robots, guns, or tanks, whereas girls were expected to be housewives and obedient, so they should play with toys like kitchen-kits and dolls. These toys were imbued with social expectations and indirectly shaped children’s thoughts and behaviors.
Adults tend to oppose when children play with something that contradicts their gender belief since social expectations are tied to the children’s gender. These same social expectations have been passed down from generation to generation, and as a result, adults try to force the same beliefs on their children. “Modern toys do not allow children to be creative and condition them to grow up into unquestioning adults who accept social institutions, relationships, and their own position in it without thinking of the implications.” Said Roland Barthes. This could imply that in the end, toys are merely just a small prison in the world of adults.
Finally, social expectations have an impact on children’s identities both directly and indirectly. Children’s rights should be respected, and they should be allowed to define their own identities using the resources provided by society.
Work Cited
Grinberg, Emanuella. “This Is What Happens When Gender Roles Are Forced on Kids.” CNN, Cable News Network, 3 Oct. 2018, https://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/20/health/geas-gender-stereotypes-study/index.html.
“Toys by Roland Barthes — Summary.” The Fresh Reads |, 28 July 2021, https://www.thefreshreads.com/toys-summary/.
Ponce, M. (n.d.). How harmful are societal expectations? The Dart. April 19, 2022, Retrieved from
https://www.davishighnews.com/14982/opinion/how-harmful-are-societal-expectations/
“Vetoviolence.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Retrieved from
https://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/apps/main/prevention-information/35.
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Social Expectations Influence Behavior — psychology experiments | APA. American Psychological Association. Retrieved April 19, 2022, from https://www.apa.org/pubs/highlights/peeps/issue-67
