For my first ethnographic analysis I decided to go to a place where I could observe all types of people in one area: people working, playing, eating and doing shopping. That's right, I took field notes at an all-American mall. As a place I go monthly, I didn't expect to notice much out of the ordinary, but my field notes surprised me by revealing a truth I'd never yet noticed. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The great thing about people-watching in a mall is that you have access to men, women, children, and seniors of all ages and ethnicities. The event is fairly typical for most people. Whether they are simply killing time out of boredom or shopping for the perfect outfit for tomorrow's big party, the mall is a place where people come quite frequently. Some people came with friends while others went alone. It seemed that people with friends were more often there to window shop and "hang out", while lonely people were more likely to walk out of any shop with a bag. The reasons why people hung out at the mall also depended on their age and gender. Ethnicity didn't seem particularly relevant to this event, although people of all ethnicities were represented in the one location. I was surprised by how many seniors were in attendance. And what's even stranger is that they were there for opposite reasons. Many seniors positioned themselves in seating areas and sat with blank expressions for long periods of time. But those who were not sitting vacantly actively walked at a brisk pace around the venue, never entering the shops but doing so purely for exercise. The fact that there was no middle ground seemed strange to me, but the peculiarities did not end there. The people most likely to shop were women aged 13 to 50, I would say. The younger the women, the more likely they were to be in groups. Occasionally there were men shopping together with women, but I noticed that more often than not, if a man and a woman came to the mall together, the man usually (like the elderly) sat on one of the rare chairs in a shop. and stare blankly until the woman is done shopping. Often the women who did the shopping brought their children with them. The children kept busy by climbing and hiding among the clothing racks or playing in the giant play area conveniently located in the center of the mall. The babies generally seemed happy, and no visible or audible meltdowns occurred during my observation time. Based on my observations, I noticed a larger issue that intrigued me. Women and children were the most satisfied shoppers in the mall, while the elderly and men seemed to be much less enthusiastic about their situation. This surprised me because this society is largely patriarchal and values ​​the elderly by pouring billions of tax dollars into their care every year. So why does one of the largest meeting places for Americans cater primarily to women and children? Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay American women have historically been the "shoppers" in the family, so when shopping malls first appeared in society this arrangement would have made sense. But since the lines between gender norms in America are.