SOC 1101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 14: Puberty, Artificiality, Heredity
Document Summary
Chapter 14 on becoming male: reflections of a sociologist on childhood and early. Men still dominate social institutions: law, politics, business, religion, education, military, medicine, science, sports, and in many ways marriage and family: while sex is part of biological inheritance, our sexuality is apart of our social inheritance. In the beginning : parents are excited or disappointed by the gender of their baby rarely ever neutral. If someone mistakes gender of child, parents will become agitated: toys are gender appropriate and symbolic of future masculinity of courage, competition, daring, and violence. If dressed up or expecting company, mother means what she says: through painful trial and error, boys learn limits and how they vary with changing circumstances. And the twain shall never meet: sissies are said to make boys feel uncomfortable sissies are shamed for trying to be something they are not.
