ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the links between gender socialization, emotional self-regulation, physiological functioning, marital happiness, effective parenting, and desirable child outcomes. The most important insight from research on gender socialization is that because boys and girls are treated differently and put into different learning environments, they develop different needs, wants, desires, skills, and temperaments. Global differences in behavior and disposition between men and women are learned through repeated interaction with other people who share similar views about gender. An emphasis on emotional self-fulfillment in marriage and for one's children is not only related to social class, but is also a product of modern historical developments. Positive parenting that includes Scaffolding/Praising and emotion coaching is advocated by many child development professionals and is promoted by many popular advice manuals, but it is definitely linked to social-class position. Authoritative parenting practices are only functional within certain social contexts, and it is unlikely that they apply equally to all social classes, races, and ethnicities.
