Sociology

Life is gendered from the moment of birth. Throughout the various developmental stages, girls and boys are exposed to a variety of messages that in some ways are represented by the fairytales read in childhood. Adolescents learn the price of deviating too far from the roles or expectations placed upon young men and women in our culture through formal and informal sanctions upon their behaviour. The choices, opportunities, and obstacles that we face as adults, are in large measure built upon the gender messages of childhood. Strategies for identifying the gendered nature of work, leisure, advertising, parenting, and aging will be amongst the topics discussed.