DiTommaso 1

Joseph DiTommaso
Professor Jon Beadle
English 115
3 October 2016
Something Political In The Air
Throughout the course of human life, we have been shown that in a productive society,
everyone is assigned gender roles. At the dawn of civilization, man was the hunter and the
woman was the gatherer, and together they formed a productive household in which they were
able to reproduce and teach their children the same tasks, whether be a boy or girl. It is almost
natural that boys are taught to be strong and aggressive while girls are taught to be sensitive and
care for the children. This has been a system unquestioned for thousands of years and most
people do not note problems with it. However, as we advance into a more progressive society,
some people do not feel comfortable with certain values or traits forced upon them because of
their assigned sex at birth. Through the readings of Aaron Devor, Emily Kane, Claire Renzetti
and Daniel Curran, all note of negative reinforcement displayed by parents for gender
construction, in hopes of expressing concern for an outdated gender system in pursuance of
comfort and individuality for each person.
Aaron Devor exemplifies his claim of negative reinforcement from parents on gender
construction in order to display that society demands parents to construct our children a certain
way socially. Throughout our own life, we are placed into categories of gender that are
determined by our parents. Usually boys are taught to be more masculine and like toys such as
cars and action figures, whereas girls are taught to be more feminine with nurturing

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characteristics, such as taking care of a Barbie or a doll. Yet, we position our children into a
gender because of their sex simply because society demands them to. In Devors article,
Becoming Members of Society: The Social Meanings of Gender, Devor approaches this
subject and states that, As we move through our lives, society demands different gender
performances from us and rewards, tolerates, or punishes us differently for conformity to, or
digression from, social norms(Devor 1). Devors claim exemplifies the predispositioned
mindset society places on families, where these gender roles must be obeyed, insuring an
assumed prophecy for everyone to partake in. Similarly, I have faced these actions lied out upon
me firsthand. Growing up as a boy, my parents worked hard in order for me to become a
masculine male. It is because of this, that I am given a lot of responsibility and am expected to
fulfill every obligation given to me, whereas my sisters do not face these types of
responsibilities. I have personally seen that society expects me to be a masculine man and
provide for my family when I graduate from college, thus understanding Devors claim in that
societal expectations are placed on gender continuously by negative reinforcement.
Like Devor, Renzetti and Curran demonstrate parents negative reinforcement on gender
construction through creating unfair expectations for individuals at a young age according to
their assigned sex. In most cases, we see that boys and girls are treated different at a young age.
Parents tend to be more firm and disciplinary towards their boys and more compassionate and
loving towards their girls. From the beginning, treatment of individuals at birth tend to influence
behaviors for them growing up, which is the main goal. Claire Renzetti and Daniel Curran
expand upon this notion in their article, From Women, Men, and Society, by articulating that
American parents do not express a strong sex preference, [yet] research shows that parents do

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have different expectations of their babies and treat them differently, simply on the basis of
sex(Renzetti and Curran 2). Already parents are instilling acts of behavior towards their
children, and by pushing enforcement of gender towards children, parents are almost compelled
to act negative and give disciplinary action should their children not obey their expectations of
gender norms. I too am directly affected by such treatment from my parents. I note that my
mother, born from a religious Mexican family, instills and even forces this aggressive and cold
language upon myself in order to toughen me up. With this aggressiveness, there also comes
negative reinforcement, should I not obey the types of gender codes that my parents, more
specifically my mother, places upon me. While I do not mind this negative reinforcement, I do
see many people confused about their gender identity and face with an identity crisis. With
identity crises becoming more relevant today, it is easily understood that Renzetti and Currans
purpose is to inform their audience on the negative consequences of reinforcement of gender
norms placed into individuals, resulting in confusion and discomfort from individuals today.
Emily Kane displays her position on the usage of negative reinforcement displayed by
parents towards their children by the fear of homosexuality by not adhering to specific gender
roles . Negative reinforcement in society is shown to be a tool used in order to have people
following the correct gender roles and expectations. If children started playing with toys that are
not of their gender, then they are ultimately breaking the gender norms set forth by society, and
can be cast out if not dealt with immediately. Such is the case with many parents, who do not
feel comfortable with their children playing with toys or doing activities that do not belong to
their gender. Kanes article, No Way My Boys Are Going to Be Like That, she expands upon
the notion of expectations placed on gender through children at a young age, specifically through

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young boys. In noting the responses among parents, she realizes that, Nail polish elicited
concern from a number of parents too, as they reported young sons wanting to have their
fingernails or toenails polished(Kane 5). By young boys exploring women accessories, parents
are obliged to criticize their boys on the basis that the accessories are only for girls. Ironically,
when I was young, I was curious about nail polish and saw my mother put some on her, to which
I tried to do as well. I was met with criticism and disapproval from my parents, on the basis that I
was a boy, and nail polish was for girls. It is understandable that something small as nail polish
can influence gender among boys, and can even induce homosexuality. However, should people
find comfort in painting their nails, regardless of what assigned sex they are, they should not be
met with negative reinforcement by parents for the fear of homosexuality.
The readings of Aaron Devor, Emily Kane, and Claire Renzetti and Daniel Curran all
share a common idea that disobeying gender norms is met with criticism and is often times met
with negative reinforcement from parents. Each display a similar idea, however, each note their
own purposes for expressing this problem. With the purposes of each author different, each in
the end reach a common goal of bringing change to an outdated gender code system in order to
promote change and individuality. Personally, I have experienced all forms of negative
reinforcement of gender codes from my parents, whether it be of fear of homosexuality or
insubordination to gender expectations. While I am not directly hurt or affected by this, I can
understand the reasons that which Kane, Devor, and Renzetti and Curran note, and because of
them, I am more aware in understanding gender, and hope a change occurs within society.

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Works Cited
Devor, Aaron. Becoming Members of Society: The Social Meanings of Gender. Composing
Gender. Edited by Rachel Groner and John F. OHara. 1st Edition, Bedford/St. Martins,
2014. P.P 35-43.
Kane, Emily. No Way My Boys Are Going to Be Like That: Parents Responses to Childrens
Gender Nonconformity. Composing Gender. Edited by Rachel Groner and John F.
OHara. 1st Edition, Bedford/St. Martins, 2014. P.P 91-97.
Renzetti, Claire and Curran, Daniel. From Women, Men, and Society. Composing Gender.
Edited by Rachel Groner and John F. OHara. 1st Edition, Bedford/St. Martins, 2014.
P.P 76-84.