The Nostalgic Time of Equal Educational, Political Access, and So Forth, For The Achievement of Gender Equality (Part 1)

     The term “socialization” is defined as a learning process through which an individual fits in society (LaViolette, Barnett, 2014, p. 18). It begins at birth with observation and reinforcement. LaViolette and Barnett (2014) claim that we tend to practice rewarded behaviors and avoid punished ones. We also learn these behaviors by observing others’ reinforcement (p. 18). “Socialization” consists of “gender socialization” through which one acknowledges stereotypes about gender roles.   

     It’s undeniable that gender socialization has an impact on our lives. Like many girls, I was taught to behave in a dress. When I was in kindergarten, my parents used to buy me floral dresses and tech me graceful poses. Since I was encouraged with praises, I learned that was how a girl should behave. That was my first stereotype about gender roles. Before kindergarten, I was interested in superheroes, machines, and soccer suits. I gave up this interest because being a “princess” seemed to make my parents happier.

     My elementary school teachers used pink and blue colors for gender categorization in our classes. Besides that, my clothes were mostly pink and bright. From that experience, I learned to associate different genders with different colors.

     During the eighth grade, I watched a movie in which a woman was a professional Taekwondo fighter. “Girls can also be fighters,” I told myself. Despite the disagreement from my parents and siblings, I registered a Taekwondo course. It was a great experience. The instructors encouraged me a lot since I was one of the few female learners in the class. My mother used to say that a girl supposed to involve in graceful and gentle activities like cooking or sewing. Fortunately, my family eventually changed their minds after I persuaded them that Taekwondo would be a useful self-defence for women.

     This milestone has influenced many of my decisions including pursuing my dream major and working during motherhood in the future. I believe that women can have equal access to any field as men do. With this belief, I am planning to get a PhD degree in Psychology. This is the greatest motivation I get from practising this non-traditional view of gender roles.

     There are also disadvantages for holding this thought. During high school, since being independent of men was my target, I ignored my male classmates' help. Moreover, I didn't pay any attention to my appearance. “If men aren't stressed about their look, why women have to be so," I told myself. At that time, I judged girls who prefered their appearances over their academic success. I desired to show people the internal strength of being a woman so much that I always criticized and thought too intensely. This resulted in the isolation I got from my classmates, which supercharged my antisocial thoughts.

     I got so carried away by the wish of not letting my life be influenced by others that I argued with my mother many times. I tried to show her my right to make decisions with sharp words, which hurt her many times. Realizing this, I learned to adjust my attitudes more gently.

Eurus Thach.

References:

Bui, M. (2019). Vietnamese Traditional Gender Roles [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.itourvn.com/blog/vietnamese-traditional-gender-roles.

LaViolette, A. D., & Barnett, Ola W. (2014). It could happen to anyone : why battered women stay (Third edition.). Los Angeles: SAGE.

Lutze, F. E., & Symons, M. L. (2003). The Evolution Of Domestic Violence Policy Through Masculine Institutions: From Discipline to Protection to Collaborative Empowerment. Criminology & Public Policy, 2(2), 319–328. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9133.2003.tb00128.x. 

Lutze, F. E. (n.d.). Perspective on Gender Theory [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://apps.aoi.wsu.edu/onlinemedia/transcripts/crmj403_3_art%20(c092).pdf.