Childhood: Social Construction, Gender And Socialization

Three theories that will be explored in this project include: social construction, gender and socialization. Social construction refers to the ways in which reality is negotiated in everyday life through people’s interactions and through sets of discourses (AL. James& A. James, 2012, p.116). Furthermore, this theory suggests that we all have different experiences of childhood. The experiences of children all around the world will differ. We cannot assume that children’s experiences of high school in Rexdale will be the same as those who live in Markham. Social construction is something we must take into consideration when understanding children’s experiences. The next theory that will be explored is gender. Gender is the social and cultural construction of sexual differences (AL.
James, 2012, p.60). In particular, this research project will look at gender differences in school, specifically the courses high school girls take versus the ones boys take. It will also look at the differences in career choices from girls and boys. The research project will examine the role gender plays and how significant it is. The final theory that will be explored is socialisation. Socialisation is the process by which children are taught and learn, to meet the expectations of and fit into a given society (AL. James& A. James, 2012, p.120). This theory will look at the role of parents and the media in a high school student’s future career. Specifically, what roles and values a child’s parents gives them to identify with (AL. James & A. James, 2012, p.120). Furthermore, one will discover the influence of any of these on a high school student’s future