Socialization and the Male Role

Abstract

Invariably, couples who express the desire to have children will respond that they want ’a boy first … and then, a girl’. Persons interested in the status effects of sex and gender often interpret such a response to support the notion that boys are more valued than girls in our culture. One problem with this interpretation of the “boy-first” response is that it tells only part of the story. The story unfolds further when couples are asked “why do you want a boy?” Responses given usually will include “to carry on the family name,” “to follow in his father’s footsteps,” “ … so that a boy will be the oldest of the children, ” and the list goes on—most, if not all, indicating male assumption of responsibility. Thus,if boysare more valued than girls, then the question must be asked,valued for what? To assume responsibility? To be placed in a cultural straightjacket? To become prematurely dysfunctional persons both physically and psychologically? These are questions which must be answered by society, given the hazards faced by m4ny males as a result of learning the male role and attempting to behave according to its prescriptions (Goldberg, 1976). Long before many of them are born, and certainly during infancy, specific and general expectations are established regarding the roles most males are to perform. Obviously, this means that little attention is ordinarily given to the individuality of a particular male child. As Zane Grey is supposed to have said, “Every boy likes baseball, and if he doesn’t, he isn’t a boy” (Pleck and Pleck, 1980).