Final answer:
Children learn expected gender roles and norms through a process called socialization, which is influenced by family, education, peer groups, mass media, and other societal agents.
Step-by-step explanation:
Children learn the gender roles and norms that are expected in a particular society through a process called socialization. This process involves the acquisition of behaviors as dictated by societal values, beliefs, and attitudes. Through socialization, children come to understand the roles typically linked to their biological sex, and the gender binary system is reinforced. This learning happens through major agents such as family, education, peer groups, and mass media, and secondary agents like religion and the workplace. Gender stereotypes are oversimplified notions about the traits and behaviors of women or men and are often based on sexism—the prejudiced belief that one sex should be valued over another.
For example, society may view riding a motorcycle as a masculine activity and part of the male gender role, leading to stereotypes that women might be considered too timid or weak for such an activity. The idea that gender categories are learned rather than inherited shows that childhood is an essential time for gender enculturation, and exposure to gender roles is also experienced during play, with children receiving positive reinforcement for engaging in gender normative behavior.