Gender Defined

• The World Health Organization defines gender as the socially constructed roles, behavioral activities and attributes that a particular society considers appropriate for men and women. Take note, gender has nothing to do with sex (male or female), as these are biological traits. To explain the difference in Western culture, men are taught to be leaders, while women are submissive. However, in societies such as the Mosuo in Southeast China and the Machiguenga of Peru, women are dominant.
  
  

Media Influences

• Bandura explains that advertisements and commercials are the most common examples of social learning theory. As it applies to gender roles, women are viewed as sex objects, followers and dainty. Men are shown as brawny, leaders and convincing. These images are reiterated in children's television. According to the National Institute on Media and the Family, advertisers favor using boys, even in commercials where gender neutral products are featured. In addition, girls are never shown exhibiting anti-social behavior.
  
  

Social Acceptance

• One can quickly pick up whether their behavior reflects the norms of a society. Children are socialized early in their lives and learn what is acceptable behavior. For example, if a boy picks up a Barbie doll and combs its hair, the parent quickly tells the boy that Barbie dolls are for girls. Or, a girl who plays in the dirt is told that girls are not supposed to play outside in the dirt.
  
  

Imitation and Modeling

• Children actively learn about their world by watching adults. They learn what is socially acceptable. For gender role clarity, girls and boys frequently model how their parents, teachers and extended family act. A little boy watches his father cut the grass, and the child models this behavior by his parents buying a bubble mower. Little girls, on the other hand, see mother constantly cooking in the kitchen. They want to replicate the behavior by playing with kiddie kitchens.
  
  

Self-regulation

• Social learning theory recognizes what happens when children take in the information about their gender roles. What eventually happens is the child begins a monitoring process. For instance, a child will know what sections of Toys "R" Us is more appropriate. A boy realizes that the aisle with Barbie dolls and Tinkerbell toys is not the aisle for him. They begin to regulate themselves and others. Boys who wear pink shirts are sometimes ridiculed because pink is a "feminine" color, as an example.