Module 1 Gendered Socialization and its Agents Session 3 Introduction Socialization is the integration of a person into society. In other words it means learning from society various things such as customs of the society, traditions, what is good and what is bad, how one should conduct himself, duties expected from society and what society expects from people, responsibilities and rights. Attitudes, beliefs, ethics, expectations and behaviour patterns are formed by the learning, experiences, examples and understanding received from the society. This process of teaching and training has existed in society in a disproportionate manner when it comes to gender differences. Due to the fact that reproductive activities are largely assigned to the female, the woman is expected to attend to all activities of children, nurturing and care giving. The woman has to be protected. These types of social teachings over the generations have kept women confined to the household. In contrast such teachings contain attitudes such as the male is strong and he is able to work outside the household; he is free and independent; he can provide protection to females and children; he can maintain the family. This disproportionate integration of males and females into society is called gender based socialization. Gender based socialisation continues in the life of a human being from birth to death through a number of agents such as family, educational, institutions, religious institutions, state, government, political parties, trade unions, influential groups, community organizations, peer groups, neighbours, friends, place of work and media. Different characteristics, roles, behaviour patterns, expectations, traditions, ethics, beliefs on ethics and attitudes become ingrained in the minds of the majority of males and females. Objectives • To understanding the socialization of males and females • To identify social agents that contribute to that process of socialisation and create disproportionate social situations for males and females. Duration 1 hour 30