Children can be taken as the core value of any society as people do their best to create conditions beneficial for the next generation’s survival. Moreover, young individuals are associated with the future as their contribution to the development of society will help to alter it and achieve new goals. For this reason, it is not surprising that parents have multiple hopes and expectations associated with their children, their life, career, and future.
They usually have some positive vision and try to provide young people with all they need to create the basis for future achievement. However, even in a contemporary society characterized by the evolution of tolerance and equality, families have different standards for their sons and daughters that are preconditioned by the power of some stereotypical representations about female and male roles in communities, and determinants of success.
To support the given argument, it is vital to understand the way people form their vision and attitudes. Being social creatures, humans interact with other individuals and engage in collaboration with them. The terms of this interaction are established by society, its set of values that are dominant at the moment, existing archetypes, attitudes, and stereotypical ideas of how representatives of different ages, groups, and genders should act (Grinberg).
A set of these factors impacts the mentalities of people, their life goals, relations with partners, plans for the future, and expectations from children. In such a way, the discussed aspect remains in direct correlation with the paradigm peculiar to a certain community at the moment, and the peculiarities of parents’ value system. Today, regardless of the fundamental processes that alter attitudes to some biased or stereotypical issues, there is still the dominance of some traditional distribution of roles between sons and daughters.
Parents, as representatives of the previous generation, are less subjected to the impact of modern movements. That is why their expectations remain traditional and are formed under the influence of the previously dominating idea. For instance, speaking about sons, the majority of adults outline their hopes for boys’ successful careers, stable earning, development of professional skills, and fame (Grinberg). In such a way, parents associate sons with some professional areas and qualities that are stereotypically taken as masculine ones (Grinberg). They are also expected to leave homes early and live independently (Grinberg).
At the same time, the standards used when raising boys are severer because of the character of hopes (Grinberg). Usually, they should show better results in such spheres as sports, education, and leadership to satisfy their parents and avoid punishment (Grinberg). Moreover, there is a representation that a man should be raised in severe conditions to become masculine enough to meet the demands of the community. All these factors impact parents’ hopes related to boys.
The attitudes to daughters, expectations, and hopes associated with them are different. Many parents still see their female children only as would-be mothers, housewives, and associate their future with a successful marriage (Grinberg). It means that some personal areas are of primary importance when speaking about daughters. Families also hope for successful careers and professional development in various spheres; however, these expectations fade into significance if compare with reproduction, the creation of a new family, and providing the appropriate care to children (Grinberg).
The existence of these ideas can be explained by the traditionally strong stereotypes regarding the distribution of roles between males and males and the main domains where they are expected to succeed. As for the standards, usually, daughters experience a less severe approach because of different sorts of expectations and the concept of the weaker sex, presupposing that there is no need for some punishments or methods applied to boys.
In the recent decade, some positive changes occurred because of the impact of the ideas of tolerance and equality. Young parents start to have similar expectations and hopes regardless of the sex of a child, with the only desire for him/her to be happy.
However, the stereotypical distribution of roles and attitudes remains topical under the impact of powerful stereotypes and ideas of so-called male and female domains, where children of different genders should succeed. There is also the idea that the preservation of these differences in attitudes is critical for the survival of traditional societies and their evolution (Grinberg). However, it can be taken as an outdated one in terms of the shift of priorities towards the provision of similar opportunities to all people regardless of their in-born characteristics.
Altogether, parents still have different expectations, hopes, and standards for boys and girls. The existence of these differences is preconditioned by the archetypical distribution of roles in communities and qualities that are taken as masculine and feminine ones. The impact of these views on individuals can hardly be overestimated as they form children’s mentalities and their goals for future life. That is why it is critical to continue the investigation in the given area to understand all factors that might influence individuals in their growth and create the basis for their future successes.
Work Cited
Grinberg, Emanuella. This is What Happens When Gender Roles Are Forced on Kids. CNN Health. 2018. Web.