Final answer:
Parents often impose traditional gender roles on their children, resulting in boys and girls having different expectations for household chores, with boys tasked with 'strong' chores and girls with 'caring' duties. Research indicates that gendered expectations can lead to different levels of autonomy between sons and daughters, with boys experiencing more independence. Despite some changes, gendered work arrangements remain prevalent.
Step-by-step explanation:
When examining how parents treat sons and daughters differently in terms of household duties, it's noticeable that traditional gender roles often dictate the types of chores assigned to male and female children. Although gender equality may be a stated goal in many households, underlying biases can result in boys being asked to undertake tasks associated with strength, like taking out the garbage, whereas girls may be assigned chores that are more nurturing or require care, such as folding laundry. This differential treatment by parents, particularly fathers, leads to different expectation levels and greater pressure for gender conformity, especially for sons who might be discouraged from activities deemed feminine.
Research, such as that by Kimmel (2000) and Coltrane and Adams (2004), suggests that sons and daughters respond to this treatment in varied ways, often internalizing these gendered expectations. Boys, for example, may feel greater autonomy and independence and might avoid household chores typically labeled as feminine. Conversely, daughters might find themselves assuming a greater share of domestic responsibilities and striving to meet expectations of passivity and nurturing.
Overall, while there have been shifts in roles, with some men assuming more domestic responsibilities and some women taking on traditionally male roles, the gendered arrangement of work still persists to a significant extent in many societies.