Differential socialization: what it is, how it occurs, and what effects it has

Let's look at what differential socialization is and how it perpetuates different gender roles and stereotypes.

It is no secret that men and women are raised differently. Even having gone to the same school, being in the same family or watching the same media, people learn that we must behave in one way or another based on the gender assigned to us at birth.

Through different socializing agents, we attribute different characteristics and roles to men and women, phenomenon known as differential socialization, which is the main promoter of gender inequality, even in a subtle and subtle way.This is known as differential socialization, which is the main promoter of gender inequality, even in a subtle and invisible way.

Below we are going to talk more in depth about this phenomenon, not only to learn what it is but also to understand that to combat injustice we must first be aware of the differential treatment we show depending on whether the person in front of us is a man or a woman.

What is differential socialization?

People internalize attitudes, values, expectations and behaviors characteristic of the society in which we live. Thanks to this process of acquiring patterns that are important for society, we become individuals who learn how to function. Depending on whether or not they follow the socially accepted guidelines, the individual will be rewarded or penalized according to their behavior.

One of the phenomena that shape our society is differential socialization, which causes people to acquire different identities based on the idea of gender in their culture. Differential socialization implies different cognitive, behavioral and attitudinal styles, as well as different moral codes depending on the individual's gender.. This process leads to the creation of stereotypical norms assigned to each person's behavior in reference to his or her gender.

It is a long learning process, initiated at birth and extended throughout life through interaction with other people. The individual assimilates visions based on how he/she should behave according to the gender assigned to him/her at birth.

This differential socialization is what teaches men that the idea of masculinity is public life, aggressiveness, activity and reasoning, while for women the idea of femininity is private life, tranquility, passivity and sentimentality.

Differential socialization is strongly influenced by sexual typification.. This typification would be the process by which the individual acquires sexually typified patterns of behavior, it constitutes a wide system of customs that starts from birth as, for example, orientation through pink and blue colors, language, body ornaments such as earrings, storybooks, games, songs...

Agents promoting differential socialization.

Although practically any social agent contributes to differential socialization between men and women, we can highlight the following three as the main ones:

1. Family

The family is, naturally, the first socializing agent and the one that exerts the greatest influence on the individual.. It is through the family that cultural patterns, feelings, attitudes and values are acquired. Since family influences are the first to occur, they are the most persistent.

Although family models have been changing and evolving throughout history, the idea of the traditional or nuclear family continues to be a model of production and reproduction. This type of family fulfills a Biological function, reproduction, a social function, socialization, and an emotional function, emotional support. The father is conceived as the one who brings money into the home and the mother as the one who provides emotional support.

Parents are mostly responsible for direct and differential reinforcement of their children's sexually typified behaviors. Imitation of other people's behaviors within the family is a powerful vehicle for the acquisition of gender roles in the family (e.g., grandparents). is a powerful vehicle for the acquisition of gender roles in the family (e.g., grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, family friends, etc.).

2. Education and recreational leisure

The traditional educational system was initially designed with male students in mind. In fact, in its beginnings, education in the West was a privilege reserved for men, something that still happens in backward countries in terms of gender equality. Although women have gradually been allowed access to education, the education system at virtually all levels continues to be influenced by an androcentric vision, even in coeducational settings..

In education today, man is still taken as the measure of all things. Added to this, there is what has been called "the hidden curriculum", made up of preconceived opinions or prejudices and stereotypes that contain a series of beliefs about how social relations between the sexes are or should be and what is understood by a model of femininity and a model of masculinity.

The representation of feminine and masculine figures is not equal in education. Girls have been educated mostly with contents, texts and images in which women are rarely present, so they do not have female models or referents in which they can see themselves reflected.

The games that girls are taught frighten them from taking positions of leadership, influence and competitiveness. Feminine games are oriented to care and to take a role associated with the home, such as kitchen games, dolls or rope. On the other hand, boys' games reward competitiveness, strength and aggressiveness, oriented towards achieving excellence and climbing positions in the hierarchy..

Schoolyards themselves promote differential socialization in subtle ways. Male games, such as soccer or basketball, have a privileged space in the playground, with large courts located in the middle of the playground, occupying a significant percentage of the total area of the playground.

On the other hand, the more feminine games have to be played on the periphery or in more secluded places. In many cases, girls spend recess sitting on benches talking, without being able to occupy more space in the playground..

3. Media

It is inevitable to talk about differential socialization without mentioning the media, which have become one of the most important socializing agents. Television and, more recently, social networks are media that transmit values, ideals and role models for men and women. They can include sexist content or stereotypes linked to social hierarchies and distinctions..

Despite the fact that the media have tried to expose the news from a gender perspective, there is still a long way to go and there are many times when the public figure of men is exalted while women are left in anonymity.

A classic example of this are the headlines of many news stories in which, if the protagonist is a man, his name and surname are mentioned, while if it is a woman, the headline usually takes the formula "A girl/woman of".

Users of social networks, sensitive to the invisibilization of women, often ironize this type of news by replying in the comments with the formula "first name: girl; last name: de". The names of women, when they are the source of news, appear less than those of men.

What are the consequences of differential socialization?

Differential socialization is a phenomenon that, as might be expected, makes societies less egalitarian and fair.. If you want to combat gender inequality, along with racial, sexual, ethnic and other forms of discrimination, what you need to change is the culture and being aware that there are prejudices, stereotypes and subtle ways of treating people differently is a good step towards this.

It has been observed that differential socialization is a highly variable phenomenon depending on several parameters, even within the same society. The lower the level of education, the more stereotyped are gender roles. Women are pushed to do household chores, while men are encouraged to be the ones who bring home the money.. Naturally, the assignment of tasks and roles between men and women is very different according to gender.

While it is true that it has been found that a higher level of education leads to more egalitarian attitudes between men and women, it does not mean that the more education one has, the more inequality there is. No matter how much education one has, it is inevitable that women and men are seen in one way or another, attributing certain roles to them according to their gender.

At least in the West, social differentiation is weaker the younger one is. Young people are less approving of gender differentiation, something associated with the fact that they are part of a generation that is more sensitive to inequalities between men and women and that certain traditional stereotypes about how people should behave based on whether they are male or female have been broken..

It must be said, however, that economic crises or the current health crisis have caused these anti-differentiation attitudes to involute.