Children are believed to develop their gender identity around the age of three. Children are bombarded from the day they are born with gendered images. What are the results of this? What role does parenting play in a Childs life? I want to take a look at Disney films and then also my upbringing in a single mother household.
When looking at the marketing that goes towards children’s products, it all features stereotypical roles. Disney is probably one of the absolute worst at reinforcing stereotypical roles. Women in Disney movies are always maid, princess, damsel in distress, or homemaker types. Usually during the course of the movies they need the help of the big strong male character for help, or they are vying for the attention of the male. Many times the characters go from being the possession of their fathers to the possession of the husbands. For example Areil is handed over to Prince Eric, Jasmine to Aladdin, and Belle to the Beast. I think it is very important to also look at what the characters themselves look like in Disney films. In most of the films the main female character can be described as an anorexic barbies; while most of the male lead characters are rich, muscle bound, tall, and powerful men.
I think that the reinforcement of these stereotypes can be very problematic for some children. They grow up thinking that Disney is the way it is supposed to be. So male children begin at a young age seeing women as possessions. Female children see themselves as needing a male. They also see the female roles of homemaker.
I grew up in a single parent household. My parents divorced when I was five years old. My father was a collegiate football coach, so even when my parents were still married he could not be around very much. After the divorce he got a new coaching job two states away so I got to be around him even less. Growing up in that situation was very hard, but at the same time I believe it gave me a completely different insight that others do not have. I grew up viewing my mother as the sole person that took care of me, even though my father was sending child support funds. My mother still worked and took care of my brother and I. She would often take us camping so we would get some of the “male” experiences, even though she hated it. Being exposed to this throughout my life, I really do not see any differences in ability between men and women. Even in the physical ability realm women can do many things that men cannot. But not having a father figure around has affected me also. I tend to over think things instead of the typical male just do it attitude. Which is sometimes is good and sometimes like when it comes time to write papers very bad. I will write one thing and then think about all the aspects of the next before actually getting anything on paper. Looking back on it now as much as my mother tried to fill in the father roles that I needed, I feel like I ended up getting most of my gender identity from the media and from the brief visits with my father. I do not feel like my upbringing was ideal but I do not think that my identity has been negatively affected. I believe that for the most part I have an expanded understanding.
Now learning about how all of these images go to impact a child’s perception of gender roles, lends me to think that parents must take these images into much greater consideration. I don’t believe that many parents want their daughters to grow up to be helpless damsels but yet these are the images that they continue to feed them. I do not however believe that regulations need to be put on Disney or any other similar organization. It is the parents’ responsibility to their children to ensure the proper images are being learned.
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