What is gendered play
Gendered play is a promotion of the practice of separating activities for children based on their gender while enhancing their cognitive development in corresponding ways. This phenomenon is widespread throughout the country, and, as a child, I was also involved in the situations when the games were offered to me based on this factor. For example, when attending a preschool, I was frequently given some typical toys for girls to play with, such as different dolls, whereas animals seemed more interesting to me.
In this case, my parents have influenced my play preferences by giving me an opportunity to choose the activities I liked the most instead of following stereotypes. Hence, my socialization was guided by personal desires instead of norms, as I could make my own decisions and be independent in interacting with others. To incorporate more gender-neutral play and focus on gender-neutral development, educators can pay more attention to the actual interests of children and readjust activities accordingly. This solution can be helpful to students’ development as they will understand gender equality better (Hjelmér, 2020). In this way, the contradictions related to this characteristic in adulthood will be less likely to occur.
Roles which implicit and explicit attitudes play in how we interact with others
In general, I feel that my experience with stereotypes is connected to the school years when I was studying in a quite diverse environment. At the time, these limiting beliefs were related to the facility’s expectations towards learners and the intention of educators to base their judgment upon the family background. This idea contributed to the perception of individuals growing up in more favorable environments as more cognitively advanced. Moreover, the main challenge from the perspective of sex/gender was the varying attitudes of teachers towards the abilities of male and female students in different subjects. Thus, implicit and explicit attitudes determine the efficiency of interactions between people. The former leads to the formation of self-esteem based on others’ ideas of a person’s potential, and the latter contributes to the increased possibility of conflicts when differences are emphasized.
Role which racial identity plays in someone’s overall development
Racial identity plays a significant role in one’s overall development because it shapes the attitudes of other people when they are guided by stereotypes. When representatives of minorities are discriminated against, the possible adverse effects of inadequate perceptions of their gender contribute to negative self-image in identification compared to others. In socialization, race might prevent these individuals from fully engaging in interactions with peers when differences are highlighted. In emotional/mental wellbeing, this factor can cause issues in self-esteem and cognition. As for academic life and career, race can serve as the reason why individuals might not be willing to pursue their goals when they believe that this characteristic is limiting them.
Possible ways that a person’s sexual identity can impact their life, social encounters, and/or familial connections
One’s sexual identity can influence a person’s life, social encounters, and familial connections when serving as the source of misunderstanding. For example, if people belong to minorities in terms of this characteristic, they might be at higher risk of facing micro-aggressions. These conflicts are detrimental to one’s mental wellbeing and, therefore, present a challenge in becoming an active member of the community. In relation to families, sexual identity can lead to problems if relatives do not support it. In this area, their relationships will be complicated by stereotypes or other reasons to demonstrate a negative attitude towards this personal characteristic, and one can feel neglected. From this standpoint, society definitely pressures citizens to conform as the failure to do so in different settings might result in long-term isolation.
Reference
Hjelmér, C. (2020). Free play, free choices? – Influence and construction of gender in preschools in different local contexts. Education Inquiry, 11(2), 144-158. Web.