PERSONAL BELIEFS, VALUES AND ATTITUDES
The development of gender identity begins as early as two or three years of age. Parents, teachers, peers, and media are social influences on a growing individual’s life (Danya Espinosa, 2010). I was brought up in a family where dancing was conceived to be feminine and at an early age I was registered in football and soccer teams. My female cousins did ballet lessons while I was always playing some type of ball sport. The male friends I made over the years did not participate in dance and all the female friends I have do some kind of dance.
I strongly believe that if I was to tell my friends and family that I wished to continue dance they would laugh at me and not think I was serious.
In the media women are often perceived as nurturing, gentle, cooperative, concerned with appearance, and sensitive to others. The males on the other hand are conceived as logical, competitive, independent, assertive, financial providers, skilled in business (Danya Espinosa, 2010). This means that people become influenced and think that only females are able to do dancing and males should do sports that are manlier.
These are strong influences that I have grown up with. My mum is a nurse and cares for sick people all day and my dad is a landscape gardener and does a lot of manual labor.
My own personal beliefs, values and attitudes will influence me in the future in whether or not I will continue doing dance.
I currently have no interest in participating in dance as I have been brought up thinking it is a feminine sport. I can honesty say I think of a lot of sports as female and male dominant. Dance is for women and football is for men. I do believe this is mainly due to media stereotyping sports which strongly influences personal beliefs and attitudes. My own beliefs, values and attitudes that have developed over the past sixteen years are quite strong, and for this reason I Don't see myself continuing dance in the future.