“Happiness is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it”

                                                                                   -Anonymous
 

 

 

“TRANSFORMING THE LIVES OD DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED THROGH RECREATIONAL AND LEISURE ACTIVITIES”

 

Personally meaningful Recreation Is Recognized as an Important Element of Quality for People of All Ages and Abilities

                                                                Mactavish & Schleien, 2004

The phrase developmentally disabled itself carries a history; it has evolved over time from retarded, handicapped, feeble-minded, infirm to ‘special’ or challenged to, disabled or differently abled. The change the use of terminology or words itself indicate a change in the outlook and perception of families and communities. The very fact that there are classifications  and categorization of disability , itself reflect a positive shift in terms of interventions and opportunities and this transition has recognized the importance of not only educational and employment opportunities for the differently abled but the importance of singing, dancing, playing, spending time with oneself or doing anything that makes them happy. The society at large has come to accept that a disabled child develops physically in much the same way as normal children; he just progresses more slowly. If he is not physically fit, it is usually because of the limitations placed on his physical activity. When these are removed, he improves tremendously. There is even evidence that improved physical fitness increases the disables child's ability to learn. The disability Rights Movement in the west gained momentum and legislation was passed; changes began to happen across the country. Theaters and art museums that received federal funds began making accommodations for audience members with disabilities.

However, most changes were for the disabled spectator; the disabled participant

in the arts was still a rare concept. Even though the Disability Rights movement was busting out all over, images of disability were still primarily made by non-disabled folk and were still reinforcing inaccurate stereotypes which faded away with the International Convention on the Rights of the Persons with Disability. Article 30 of the Convention talks about the rights of an individual with disabilities to participate in cultural and sports activities realizing the importance of recreational and leisure activities at various levels. Having special needs for an individual emphasize on a parallel course of recreational and leisure programs at family, institutional and community level.

Thus The differently abled Children Are Required An Integrated, Coordinated And Comprehensive Approach Of Both Special Education And Augmentative Interventions To Explore Their Social Acceptance, Dignity And Sense Of Belongingness. for a nedd for structured intervention to facilitate the recreational and leisure activities is being realized. 

Leisure

Leisure or free time is a period of time spent out of work and essential domestic activity. It is also the period of recreational and discretionary time before or after compulsory activities Such As Eating And Sleeping, Going To Work 'Or Running A Business, Attending School And Doing Homework, Household Chores, And Day-To-Day Stress. For An Experience to Qualify as Leisure, It Must Meet Three Criteria: The Experience Is a State of Mind which Must Be Entered into voluntarily and should be intrinsically motivating. Watching television, reading, and listening to songs are the common examples. However, for the differently abled they can be facilitated and guided. For them story telling, poem recitation or even watching a performance is also beneficial as it stimulates a group of  releasers and hormones called ‘happy hormones’ favorable to mind and body.

Recreation

Recreation Or Fun Is The Expenditure Of Time In A Manner Designed For Therapeutic Refreshment Of One's Body Or Mind. While Leisure Is More Likely A Form Of Entertainment Or Rest, Recreation Is Active For The Participant But In A Refreshing And Diverting Manner.

Recreation, On The Other Hand, Refers To An Activity That Amuses Or Stimulates The Body And All Its Senses - For Example, Swimming, Going To The Park, Exercising At The Gym, Etc. Recreation Is Usually  an outdoor activity.

Examples of Recreational Activities

Sports Activities, Dancing, Drawing, Playing Computer Games Etc.

Need For Implementation Of Recreational And Leisure Activities.      The Need Of Implementation Of Recreational And Leisure Activities For The Mentally Challenged Children Is Crucial, Because They Have Significantly Large Amount Of Leisure Or Free Time. The Mentally Challenged Children Participate In An Educational Programme For A Relatively Small Part Of The Day, And Then They Have Nothing To Do In The Rest Of The Day. Thus the Recreational and Leisure Activities Must Be Encouraged and Systematically Programmed. Besides proper utilization of time in school, it is also a media or a creative platform which provides disabled individuals with ample opportunities for

 

The Benefits of Recreational and Leisure Activities. 

 

                         

·        To Promote Visual-Motor, Auditory-Motor And Spacio-Motor Coordination Etc.

This include stimulates any free, voluntary and expressive activity; motor, sensory o mental, vitalized by the expansive play spirit, sustained by deep-rooted pleasurable attitudes and evoked by wholesome emotional release; prescribed by medical authority as an adjuvant in treatment."

 

·        To Improve The Gross And Fine Motor Skills

 

·        To Promote Social Skills, Perceptual, Cognitive And Pre Vocational Skills

 

 

·        To Build Self-Confidence Among The Mentally Challenged Children

 

·        To Promote Desirable Behaviors and To Prevent Undesirable Behaviors And Secondary Complications Such As Obesity Scholastic Backwardness Etc. this includes bringing change in the behavioral patterns that are faulty. For instance controlling the hyperactivity of an ADHD individual by involving him in a ‘rough and tough’ play, or engaging obese disabled individuals in rigorous sport events through ample reinforcements and application of Premack principle, chaining and shaping.

 

 

·        To Enhance the Pace of Learning among the Mentally Challenge Children through the involvement of various creative media.

 

·        To Improve Communication Skills particularly the sharpening of non-verbal gestures through various dance forms, theatre etc

·        Increased feeling of competence through competitive activities such as games and sports enhances self-esteem

·        Individuals learn social development skills and develop feelings of group affinity, belongingness and cohesiveness facilitating positive collective behavior.

·        Facilitates Interpersonal and social interactions

1. Involvement with other children. The persons providing support should, where possible, get to know the nondisabled children, engaging them and providing a connecting link between these children and the child with disabilities.
2. Modeling for others. Youth with disabilities can serve as model for other children and adults. This may be particularly important in assisting others in areas such as communicating with the person, and responding to behavior that does not appear appropriate to the activity.
3. Backing off. Often, interactions occur without any involvement of a support person. At times, in fact, the presence of an adult may inhibit interactions, and it may be necessary to "Back off" and let things happen on their won (Savard, 1988).
4. Interactions in the context of activities. It is essential to observe the interactions of others in the setting. For instance, what types of interactions occur, and at what times? Some activities are more conducive to getting kids together than others. The person providing support must notice and promote opportunities for interaction, even if that means revising plans for teaching skills to allow for spontaneous play. Not all interactions are verbal. Cheering together, sitting together and watching an event, and working as a team to build something are examples of nonverbal interactions.
5. Opportunities for friendship. Integration classroom is no guarantee that friendships will develop between children. However, integrated leisure and recreational activities, given adequate and proper support, can provide many opportunities for children to have fun, get acquainted, develop friendships, and experience increased bonding in neighborhoods, schools and communities.

·        Individualized and Flexible Supports

Individualization and flexibility means that the types of support should be based on the needs of the particular child, and should be adaptable, taking into account the child's changing needs (Schleien & Ray, 1988; Walker & Edinger, 1988). Key elements of individualized and flexible supports include the following:

• Getting to know the child and teen. It is important to see support as occurring within the context of a relationship. In this context, determination of the most helpful kinds of supports, and which strategies will work best with this young person, is likely to take time.

• Teaching needed skills. Skill acquisition, while important, needs to be balanced with other aspects of social interaction, and should not determine the exact nature of the child's participation in an activity. Several points need to be made:
  a) Skills must be learned within a context, not in isolation (e.g., not just using basketball drills, but learning basketball within the context of a game, with rules and regulations, teamwork, etc.);

b) Skills and behaviors indirectly associated with an activity are important (e.g., learning to cheer for a team on the sidelines with teammates or to celebrate a team victory, as well as learning the game);

 c) Children need varying amounts of time to learn new skills, routines and activities. Use of adaptations and partial participation allows all children to take part in a wide range of activities (Baumgart, et al., 1982). One type of adaptation is a change in the nature of an activity, with an emphasis on cooperation vs. competition.
The types of adaptations used may serve as models for others in the activity, who may imitate and/or come up with new or different ways to involve the child.

• Offering help only when needed. Too much support, particularly by an adult, can create barriers. The child may not learn what is needed in the setting or activity, and others may not get involved or learn how to help the child. It is important to be conscious of a child's needs for direct support and to know when to back off.

·        Recreation proves to be an effective tool for enhanced quality of life for all individuals across various age groups and disabilities.

 

Taking into account the various recreational and leisure activities to be undertaken at personal, institutional and community level, there is an illustration of recreational activities that can be undertaken in a special school or agency that caters to the needs of special children.

Recreational and Leisure Activities Carried Out At Kulachi Hansraj Manovikas Kendra

 

1.     Performing Arts

.

  The Arts Which Are Based On The Performance Of The Individuals And This May Be Categorized As Music. The Impact Of Music And Rhythm On Emotion Have Well Notified In The Pages Of Human History. 

Mentally challenged children especially autism and down syndrome have great affinity towards the music. Thus a careful implementation of different type of music can shape desirable behaviors and also alleviate the unacceptable behaviors among those children. On the other hand the vocal music has great scope on speech development. It can also enhance the memory cognitive orientation and concept if appropriate songs are chosen.

  

a)                Playing instruments

Students are trained regularly to play table, casio, tarang, dholak and they give their individual and group performances at our various functions and special ceremonies.

Playing instruments help them

·        In improving auditory- motor, visual motor and fine motor skills.

·        It reduces distractibility and enhancing concentration of the child.

·        When they are trained in group it can also help to gain social skills.

b)             Dance

Students are also trained in different forms of dancing like classics, semi classical and folk dance. Students perform these dances in various inter school competitions abylmpics and have won laurels foe the same. Dance here acts as a perfect medium for expression of thoughts and feeling, there are various organizations such as Shiamak Davar Foundation, Very Special Atrs Foundation, Vaishali, R.A.S.A and A.L.P.A.N.A working for facilitating and training disabled individuals in various dance forms. Dance forms as recreation serves the purpose of dance therapy, benefiting the individual at physical, emotional and social level.

  The implementation of dancing activities as a part of our extracurricular activities helps in

    Developing better fine and gross motor ability

    Specific dance steps helps to supplement specific exercise of particular group of muscles and improve the joint range of motion, muscle, strength and endurance.

    Training in facial expressions can enhance communication skills

     Learnt various sequencing of steps and movements which in turn enable to enhance memory

     Folk dance in a group form promotes many higher levels of cultural perception skills

 

c)       Plays

“How to perform a play” is being widely taught, training is provided through modeling giving appropriate communication responses and through repetitive practice.

 

2.      Sports and games

The most widely covered area of recreational activities are sports and games and a no. of students completed at various national and also at international levels through special Olympics and have brought many cheers.

Special Olympics with several events is a good platform for them to display their talents and sense of attainment. Through the implementation of special training these children have proved to be good athletes, our students have been participating in the following games

Sports and games help promote directionality, alertness, spacio motor perceptions, fine motor skills, visual motor coordination etc.

 3.      Yoga and Physical education

With regular yoga and physical education in our school periods students with developmental

Disabilities learn various yogic postures and physical exercises which help them maintain their physical fitness. It helps them reduce obesity which is usually encountered in people with Down syndrome.

 

4.      Creative Arts

Children with developmental disabilities have varying levels of creativity which is brought forth through special methods. These special methods are applied at a much earlier level such as pre nursery and nursery level in the form of simple line drawing, scribbling, thumb printing, vegetable painting, paper folding, simple assembly of objects, matching, thread painting etc.  Here the concept of Art Therapy for disabled is being accentuated on, a number of activities such as holding of brushes, the sight of colors, sketching or even mere touching the colors itself is so rejenuvating that art has emerged to be a prominent recreational activity overtime. Very Special Arts Foundation has come up with the concept of community painting for developmentally disabled with enhances the self concept and expression through social skill development.

All of these help in promotion of visual-motor coordination and attention- concentration. 

Gradually creative arts take a higher level through primary and vocational section.

5.                 Picnics/ educational Tours

At regular intervals picnics and educational tours are organized for the students.

These trips help students

·        to generalize the concepts learned in the class

·        Develop social skills

·        Develop decision making and judgment skills

·        Groom their personality as a whole and acquisition of ADL.

 

6.                                 Over night camping

Two day camps are organized within the school premises. In these camps there are a lot for the students to do and learn.

            Main focus of the camp is on the activities of daily routine (ADL). From bathing,     dressing, grooming, eating and presenting oneself neatly, everything is enhanced.

In an intuitional level recreation and leisure can be implemented by a structures approach of employing professional recreational therapists, training special educators and organizing a recreation club in the agency which can conduct activities on  a regular basis.Bright and Morley (1977) stressed that the ultimate test of our educational system pertains to its effectiveness in assessing students to have a well balanced emotional and intellectual life that includes leisure participation

Some illustrations or suggestions for the various recreational and leisure activities at family, institutional and community level are as follows.

 

 The Recreational Activities for the Developmentally Disabled (RADD) Program can be initiated or facilitated by the Rehabilitation Council of India or Non-Governmental Organization working in funding and allocation of resources to promote respect, self-expression and independence through a variety of carefully selected activities on a monthly or quarterly basis.  Some of these activities include:

·                     Attending state level, national and international games;

·                     Having breakfast at local restaurants, followed by an activity (Farmer’s Market visit              or  movie at Cinema);

·                     Swim parties; and Enjoying a take-out dinner and outdoor concert at wayside parks during the summer months; 

·                     Visiting interesting or educational places, such as the historical monuments, beaches, adventure camps, amusement parks etc.Taking a cruise or riding a train;

·                     Listening to special topics , followed by light snacks;

·                     Dances and the annual Winter Ball;

·                     Participating in karaoke nights;

·                     Attending performances, Ballet.

Community Reintegration Program  would enhances the quality of life for persons with physical disabilities by providing transitional therapeutic recreation services that enables individuals with disabilities to attain independent functioning in their home communities. Therapeutic Recreation Specialists can utilize a leisure education program to assess personal interests, activity adaptations, community resources, and recreation’s role in community living.

Leisure Education in Teacher Preparation can be undertaken to develop training materials for pre and in-service therapeutic recreation specialists, and regular and special education teachers, the training materials explore the purposes and processes of recreation as a related service for children and youth with disabilities in special education. 

Reintegration through Recreation to be implemented to develop, implements, and evaluate a community-based recreation therapy service model designed to enhance the rehabilitation and community living of persons with serious mental illness. The RTR model utilizes recreation interests, experiences, and activities as purposeful interventions to treat the effects of psychiatric disability. RTR emphasizes the enhancement of personal strengths and the development of natural community connections and life skills that support the individual’s ability to meet personally relevant goals.

Leisure Is for Everyone, LIFE, is a training program for community recreation professionals that sensitizes them to the needs and abilities of persons with disabilities and provides them with the skills required to offer access to all programs and facilities.
 
Masters Level Professional Preparation of Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists for employment in Public School Systems was a training project that prepared students to work as Therapeutic Recreation Specialists in professional colleges and trainingcentres. 

School-Community Leisure is adapted from American model of leisure in Schools

It is a research and demonstration project that investigated the utility of introducing a comprehensive leisure education program into a school-based special education program. Findings indicated that special education students who received school-based leisure education services increased their level of independent decision making, independent leisure planning, and independent recreation participation. Services begun by Therapeutic Recreation Specialists can be continued by Special Education teachers.

Family Link in Leisure Education can be undertaken to understand and document the extent to which self-determination skills can be facilitated using a leisure education planning process with students with mental retardation. The intervention used a collaborative school and home-based leisure education program to facilitate self-determination skills in leisure. Forming a parent-child support group which acts as a recreational club is an effective step as the involvement of parents in the project will help the stake holders’ participation and would also help the parents as a stress buster. Parent Support Network is one such successful initiative by society for Child Development based in Delhi, which has brought both disabled children and their parents on the same platform with special educator’s and counselors to organize adventure camps and visits and devise various creative methods of intervention.

CONCLUSION

Thus there is an increased need to realize the importance of recreational and leisure activities in shaping and transforming the lives of developmentally disabled through interventions at family, institution and community integration. The recent National seminar on the topic “Transforming the lives of Developmentally Disabled through Recreational and Leisure Activities” held in India International Centre, Delhi organized by AAROH talks about taking these initiates to policy level involving funding bodies such as Rehabilitation Council of India and organizations such as National Trust with parallel interventions by NGOs.

However, the foremost intervention has to be in the collective consciousness of society at large that recreation and leisure is not just for the non-disabled, and that any such attempt will enhance the quality of life of individuals at large.

            “When I chant sounds, I am learning the melodies, sounds and rhythms of my language.
 
When I stick things in holes, I am learning to line things up properly to fit.
 
When I bang objects on the floor, I am learning that things make all sorts of different noises.

When I push a ball back and forth, I am learning it’s more fun to be with others than myself, and it’s fun to take turns.
 
When I pretend to feed my doll, I am learning what it feels like to nurture someone.

When I play with little people and cars, I am learning what it feels like to be a giant.

When I dance to music, I am learning to enjoy music and to have fun with others”

- Anonymous

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

Gals wear ritu kumar 'n' guys watch raw 'n' smackdown....

“Girls wear dresses and heart or flower covered outfits, boys wear three-piece suits, overalls, and super hero pajamas.

Catalogs feature girls playing with dolls and kitchen sets, and boys with Legos and trucks.

Toys for boys tend to encourage exploration, manipulation, invention, construction, competition, and aggression.

Girls?  Toys typically rate high on creativity, nurturance, and attractiveness.”

In books, men are almost always the heroes. These excerpts are taken from various literary pieces which are included in the curriculum of young students and written by world renowned authors.  

 

The term sex and gender are used interchangeably but the literary meaning is different from its usual usage sex is defined in biological terms, the exact definition calls for, “maleness or femaleness as determined by genetic factors present at conception that result in anatomical and physiological factors.” This indicates the influence of factors like genes (i.e. whether the chromosome combination is XX or XY), the effect of hormones largely referring to gonadotropin and the presence of characteristic physiological factors. However gender refers to everything associated with an individual’s sex that is societal roles, expectations, behaviors, preferences and attributes that define a male or after male in a particular culture. It is defined as “the attributes, behavior, personality characteristics and expectancies associated with a person’s biological sex in a given culture. Gender differences can be erased on biology learning and the combination of the two.”

 

 

SOCIALIZATION

 

 

Socialization is the process by which children and adults learn from others. We begin learning from others during the early days of life; and most people continue their social learning all through life (unless some mental or physical disability slows or stops the learning process). Sometimes the learning is fun, as when we learn a new sport, art or musical technique from a friend we like. Socialization is of several types.

Natural socialization occurs when infants and youngsters explore, play and discover the social world around them. Planned socialization occurs when other people take actions designed to teach or train others from infancy on. Natural socialization is easily seen when looking at the young of almost any mammalian species, for instance e when children realize or learn that that their younger siblings are made to wear particular coloured clothes soon after they are born i.e. pink if a girl and blue if a boy, acquires these schemes and gets stored in their memory. Planned socialization is mostly a human phenomenon; and all through history, people have been making plans for teaching or training others, school can act as an agency for primary socialization, when students of different gender are made to wear different uniforms which indicates a segregation, for instance in certain schools in Delhi, having co-education emphasize on girls wearing salwar-kameez from a very young age itself. Certain literary material in their text books reinforce their already acquired gender schemas by clearly indicating the roles young students are to follow when they grow, for instance. Both natural and planned socialization can have good and bad features: It is wise to learn the best features of both natural and planned socialization and weave them into our lives.

Positive socialization is the type of social learning that is based on pleasurable and exciting experiences. We tend to like the people who fill our social learning processes with positive motivation, loving care, and rewarding opportunities, for instance a young girl child being rewarded for winning a sports event, say cricket in her school being appreciated by her parents. Negative socialization occurs when others use punishment, harsh criticisms or anger to try to "teach us a lesson;" and often we come to dislike both negative socialization and the people who impose it on us. An example of this can be young boy being ridiculed by his elder siblings for playing with dolls or an elderly person being criticized for expressing or possessing feminist view point.

There are all types of mixes of positive and negative socialization; and the more positive social learning experiences we have, the happier we tend to be, especially if we learn useful information that helps us cope well with the challenges of life. The process by which future members learn to become members of the society is called socialization. Certain statutes and roles are allotted to the members of a particular culture based on the shared practices and norms. The socialization of the individual takes place through various agencies that influence ant through imitation and role taking socialization and the process of role taking and playing their roles are closely knitted. Socializations occur in all aspects and stages of human development.

 

 

 

AGENCIES PROMOTING GENDER SOCIALIZATION

 

 

 

1.     The family being the integral part of every individual upbringing is one of the most important agencies of socialization. The family has the power to influence individual self-concept, emotions, attitude and behavior. As mentioned earlier family is a primary agency for socialization, hence, there is a strong influence of the family members in terms of gender socialization, right from the colours chosen by the students to the programs children are allowed to watch to the games they are encouraged to play, all reflect the socialization process knowingly or unknowingly initiated by the family. for instance, young girls are encouraged to play with Barbie dolls and watch serials like Bidaai and Baalika vadhu, meanwhile her brother would be encouraged to watch cartoons like tom and jerry and RAW and SMACKDOWN which incorporates aggression (which again is presumably a masculine desirable aspect)

 

2.     Education also acts as key agency in developing gender identity. For instance the difference in educational treatment given to girls, in many parts of rural India, girl children are deprived of education and those receiving are lagging behind in performance as compared to the tog boys. Teachers socialize girls towards a feminine ideal. Girls are praised for being neat, quiet, and calm, whereas boys are encouraged to think independently, be active and speak up. Girls are socialized in schools to recognize popularity as being important, and learn that educational performance and ability are not as important. "Girls in grades six and seven rate being popular and well-liked as more important than being perceived as competent or independent. Boys, on the other hand, are more likely to rank independence and competence as more important." (Bailey, 1992)

This socialization of femininity begins much earlier than the middle grades. At very early ages, girls begin defining their femininities in relation to boys. One study of a third grade classroom examined four self-sorted groups of girls within the classroom: the nice girls, the girlies, the spice girls and the tomboys. Through interviews researcher Diane Reay found that 'nice girls' was considered a derogatory term indicating, "...an absence of toughness and attitude." (Reay, 2001) Furthermore, the girlies were a group of girls who focused their time on flirting with and writing love letters to boys, the tomboys were girls who played sports with the boys, and the spice girls espoused girl-power and played 'rate-the-boy' on the playground. Reay's research shows that each of the groups of girls defined their own femininities in relation to boys. (2001)

Teachers socialize girls towards a feminine ideal. Girls are praised for being neat, quiet, and calm, whereas boys are encouraged to think independently, be active and speak up. Girls are socialized in schools to recognize popularity as being important, and learn that educational performance and ability are not as important. "Girls in grades six and seven rate being popular and well-liked as more important than being perceived as competent or independent. Boys, on the other hand, are more likely to rank independence and competence as more important." (Bailey, 1992)

Clearly the socialization of gender is reinforced at school, "Because classrooms are microcosms of society, mirroring its strengths and ills alike, it follows that the normal socialization patterns of young children that often lead to distorted perceptions of gender roles are reflected in the classrooms." (Marshall, 1997) Yet gender bias in education reaches beyond socialization patterns, bias is embedded in textbooks, lessons, and teacher interactions with students. This type of gender bias is part of the hidden curriculum of lessons taught implicitly to students through the every day functioning of their classroom.

 

 

3.     The peer groups, they are made of up people with similar age group and status in society. The group also set norms and values by which the individual must abide. Here, the child enters the second stage of gender socialization where elder children are encouraged to be with the children of their own gender and feel disgusted on being getting associated with the children of other gender, from this stage onward they tend to develop a strong sense of gender identity which later culminates into rigid roles.

 

4.     Under the secondary socialization, are the work environment, mass media and religion. There are certain occupational and job categories and courses meant for women and men, for instance, teaching, home science, nursing profession and psychological practices are now considered female domain as society considers them more sensitive. Meanwhile roles such jobs such as that of drivers, high bureaucratic posts, postman, bus conductors all rigidly defined foe men, the roles are so unbending, that any deviation from them is not encouraged and even punished for. The famous book of 17^th century, the ‘Malfic  Malfecarum’ tells stories of women who were identifies as witches for not adhering to the traditional roles, various atrocities were showered upon them. Jane of Arch was burnt alive as French society could not accept a woman leading an army to victory in a battle front. Men who are found to be sensitive and emotional have been assigned the label of ‘jellyfish’ in United States, in the French open held in 20002 when Andre Aggassi broke down after loosing in the men’s singles, the western media criticized  his spontaneous outburst as too ‘girly’ n unfit for a sportsman.

 

5.     The mass media which serve as a medium of communication is one of the agencies of socialization. Through the mass media, individual are able to learn and adopted new of lifestyle and behavior which at the end becomes a convention in the society. Fashion is a platform were inventions and innovations are tried, metro sexuality for men is fine example, but them most men have not accepted it and those who experiment with it are termed ‘transvestites’. Power dressing is another aspect of gender identity which indicates that women who dress as men with formal coats in pastels and shoes are found to be more successful than those who dress in a feminine manner.

 

6.     Religion is a major agency of socialization because it embodies the moral principle in society. In this respect, religion has its own set of norms, values and objectives that regulate the conduct of its members.

The roles and expectations defined for men and women are highly inflexible, The Bible contains various references where women who don’t cover their heads , while praying are labeled as ‘seductresses’ and holy texts of various religions concentrate on men as warriors and fighters and those who indulged in it enjoyed social sanctions and deviants were met with divine reprisal.

In conclusion, it is from the agencies of socialization that we learn how to act in the way that others expect of us in society.

END PRODUCTS OF GENDER SOCIALIZATION

 

 

There are several end products or consequences of gender socialization they are as explained:-

 

Gender Identity: Perception of Difference in Gender

1.     Identification

Developing a gender identity is a result of primary socialization acquired through family and education. It is defined as those parts of self concept involving a person’s self concept as male or a female. Consciousness of gender identity usually develops about an age of two. This occurs by noticing the difference in genital make-up and learning to use words such as ‘girl’ and ‘boy’

 

 

.

2.     Internalization

Gender consistency once an identity begins to take form children        stars to comprehend the importance of gender consistency, they accept the principle that gender is the basic attribute of a person.

 

3.     Sex typing, gender role behavior and reactions to the gender role behavior

 

4. Gender role identification: the degree to which an individual identifies with the gender stereotype of his or her own culture. These generally indicate the general traditional roles and not any other.

 

What is Early Gender Socialization and how early does it start?

 

“What are little boys made of?

Frogs and snails and puppy

Dog’s tails

That’s what boy’s are made of.

What are little girls made of?

Sugar and spice and all things nice,

That’s what girls are made of.”

 

At the process starts at birth and involves learning cultural roles according to one’s sex. From the start, boys and girls are treated differently by people in their own environment (for example, parents, siblings and caregivers), and thus learn the difference between boys and girls, women and men. Differing parental and societal expectations of boys and girls. There is general agreement on what is meant by gender socialization: 

 

 

THE PROCESS OF SOCIALIZATION

 

 

It is also clear from the comments received that gender socialization is culturally bound. As boys are favored over girls in most cultures, this is reflected in their self-image: boys are often more assertive and demanding, while girls are frequently more submissive and modest.

 

 

Theories on Gender Socialization

 

 

Early Childhood Gender Socialization

 

 

 (Three types of theories explain gender socialization:

psychoanalytic, social learning and cognitive developmental.

 

• Freud’s psychoanalytic theory focuses on children’s observations about their genitals (e.g., castration anxiety, penis envy). It has not marshaled much empirical support.

 

• Social learning theories are behaviorist theories that rely on

reinforcement and modeling explanations of behavior—the environment makes people do things.

 

• Cognitive developmental theories posit that “children learn gender (and gender stereotypes) through their mental efforts to organize their social world.”

 

One problem with some variants of this perspective is the assumption that children learn gender because it is a natural facet of the world, rather than that it is an important facet of the social world.

Research shows that the importance children place on gender varies by class, race, family structure, sexuality of parents, etc.

A social constructionist perspective, such as is proposed by Bem and Coltrane, is a version of the cognitive development perspective.

Bem has identified three key “gender lenses” (hidden assumptions): gender polarization (men and women are different and these differences constitute a central organizing principle of social life), androcentrism (males are superior to females; male experience is the normative standard); and biological essentialism (the first two lenses are due to biological differences between the sexes).

 

She recommends substituting an “individual differences” lens that emphasizes “the remarkable variability of individuals within groups.”

A social constructionist approach (advocated by Bem & Coltrane) views gender acquisition as a self-fulfilling prophecy. The most important insight from research on gender socialization is that because boys and girls are treated differently and put into different learning environments, they develop different needs, wants, desires, skills, and temperaments; in short they become different types of people—men and women—who hardly question why they are different or how they ended up that way. The basic underlying model is that of the self-fulfilling prophecy. Because people think boys and girls are supposed to be different, they treat them differently and give them different opportunities for development. This differential treatment promotes certain behaviors and self-images that recreate the preconceived cultural stereotypes about gender. The process repeats itself over and over in an unending spiral across the generations, so that although gender stereotypes are being constantly re-created and modified, they seem natural and impervious to change.

(Coltrane, p. 114)

Children learn about gender and how to “do gender” because it is central to the way we organize society. Children “learn culturally appropriate ways of thinking and being as they follow routine rituals and respond to the everyday demands of the world in which they live… [T]o be considered competent members of society, they must learn how to fit in as appropriately gendered individuals.” (Coltrane, p. 114) Gender socialization turns children into “cultural natives,” who know their culture’s reality without realizing that other realities are possible.

Both R&C and Coltrane review research showing that boys and girls are treated differently.

 

 

What characteristics of male and female gender roles can lead to ‘gender equality’ and ‘gender equity’ globally?

There is a universal pattern of gender role expectations that can be elaborated, adopted and accepted by every society. This can help girls and women participate as equal citizens, and can reduce violence against girls and women as well as boys and men. But the challenge is to define positive male and female gender roles that will replace those that are now ‘not working’ in our society.

Among the contributors to the discussion, Malaak Zalouk eloquently described the challenge: “It is not only that we affix specific gender roles from birth and that we expect each of the gender roles to present discrete and pure models; we also create a hierarchy of masculine and feminine traits regardless of who they are attributed to. In other words, being tough (a masculine trait) is usually ranked as a more elevated trait than being considerate in the global value system of today …whereas being loving, sensitive or considerate is viewed as weak, and of course more so for men. The same is true of the dichotomy between being rational and intuitive. The assumption seems always to be that these are mutually exclusive traits.” Zalouk concluded that research indicates that the most creative human beings are able to combine femininity and masculinity in equal measure.

Jennifer Strauss commented: “We need to emphasize the common (across gender) activities and interests of children as well as honoring their differences – if we do so we may be able to reduce levels of gender hostility later in life.”

How can we improve our understanding and promote positive early gender socialization?

Gary Barker reminded us that ’positive’ is a relative term and is culturally specific. Hajara Ndayidde reminded us that religious values and upbringing are intertwined with cultural values, which are important factors in gender socialization. Christy Swatley, referring to her middle-class United States upbringing, pointed out the many similarities in gender-conditioning around the world. What would make girls and boys feel more ’positive’ about the gender roles attributed to their sex? The answer can provide a valuable pathway towards ’positive’ gender socialization.

 

A summary of recommendations made by several contributors (based primarily on the list from Gary Barker) is as follows.

·        Starting with what parents, children and local leaders say about gender roles and expectations, identify specific points of entry and opportunity for promoting change.

·        Map gender roles in specific settings, understanding where change is already happening and how this change can be tapped or accelerated.

·        Assess the environment for young children at home, examining how a literate home environment may benefit a child's learning at school and how material deprivation may hinder it.

·        Foster greater engagement of men in the care of children.

·        Focus on parenting and child-rearing patterns in the family (including the extended family) and community.

·        Focus on group learning opportunities (including daycare centres, pre-schools and the early years of primary school)

·        Focus on adult parents of both sexes, as well as on community religious leaders. Encourage parents to participate in adult education classes that integrate religion and a formal western curriculum so that they can see the need for and benefits of literacy for their daughters and wives.

 

This list of recommendations for positive gender socialization is a good starting point. But it is also a reminder that there is a vast knowledge gap.

 

This draws attention to an important socialization process that starts at birth, continues throughout the life cycle and contributes immensely to the gender disparities and inequalities faced by girls and women in school and in later life. However, it also highlights the need for further analysis and research to elaborate on gender socialization that is embedded in our cultural child-rearing patterns.