On Equality

hi. it was nice to hear such very intellectual opinions on the matter of women and euality. keep them coming please!

to maggie sugar, thank you for sharing that information on the biological basis of women having to cry more than men do. i also believe that aside from that, it is imposed by society that boys dont cry. and i hate that norm. does crying really make less of a man?

from where i come from, gender roles are very much imposed on the society. traditionalism is very much practiced. women should learn how to cook, clean the house, knit and other "indoor" activities, while men should learn about the outdoor activities. women should always please their husbands, always obeying them and as much as possible, never to argue with them...the men being the heads of the family. but do they know that women, being the neck, can control the head?

i hope im making sense.

 

i always liked that old saying. it's perfect. my husband is the head of my household. he's a natural leader and always sees to the needs of the family. we're a great team. then there's infinite variations for every other couple out there. for some reason, the tradition "head of household" thing works for us. it would never work for my mother. my older brother is definitely NOT the head of his household, and their relationship is golden. my brother james tried to be the head of his household, but bless hisheart, he was so selfish that it didn't work out. he's much better now. just let people do their thing. just because i DO submit to my husband doesn't mean that i'm being unfairly dominated, rather that i'm following the leader i have chosen and trust implicitly.

 

Has anyone noticed that girls are pushed to be intellectual, while boys are pushed to be athletic? In my AP US History class of fifteen people, there were only two boys. There was only one boy in the class before that. In most colleges, there are slightly more girls than boys. It's a sad society issue - if a guy is smart, he's nerdy, but if a girl is smart, she's smart.

And give your baby boy a doll - when he women flock to his sensitive personality you've nurtured so early in life, he'll thank you.

 

Very true

My brother (Richard) is three years younger than me so growing up with had the full range of kiddy toys between us.

I've always pretty neutral about gender roles. Never been sporty/tomboyish but never very particually girly eithier.
The same is probably true of my brother. He loves cars and stuff, but is also sweet and caring, he dotes on our rabbit and will make a great Dad one day.

I'm glad my parents never pressured us to fit gender stereotypes. Richard went through a phase of pushing my toy pram around. No one cared except my Grandparents. They totally freaked and got him a wheelbarrow to play with as that was more 'macho'. Mum and Dad had the good sense to not mind at all. Richard never liked the wheelbarrow anyway.

 

I've never pushed gender-specific toys, movies, activities on my daughters, but dammit if my 5 yr old doesn't LOVE Barbies, Cinderella, and dressing up like a princess!!! But, I know that is just her personality and interests right now. To be fair, she also loves reptiles, bugs, worms, and getting dirty. She was the only kid in her science "camp" that would hold the snake!!