#7: What About the Boys?

The conversation about gender roles is so commonly focused on women, but now we are going to discuss how men handle gender roles.  This article by the LA Times points out how ‘men are stuck’ in gender roles.  Today, it is much more common to see a women pursuing a career that may have previously been viewed as a ‘mans job’ than it is for men to be pursuing what is perceived as a ‘woman’s job’. For instance job areas such as business or law were once seen as jobs primarily for men, however now women are breaking into it, but men have been slower to break into jobs such as nursing or teaching.  There are various statistics that point out the delay in growth for male gender roles such as the fact that a working mother these days is nothing out of the ordinary, however stay-at-home dads only exist in 1% of marriages with children under 15.  Another study held by the University of South Florida showed that the stigma of men staying home to take care of their children goes as far as people believing that it is less masculine for men to want a flexible schedule as employees.  By this day and age women have realized that there is nothing stopping them from pursuing whatever job field they want, but it seems that men have yet to make that realization.

The rut that men seem to be stuck in reflects a negative message to young boys today.  If grown men are too worried about what society will think about them if they take a ‘feminine’ job, how will young boys ever realize that it is okay to break the mold? There is no going against the fact that it is viewed as less acceptable today for men to partake in ‘womanly’ activities, than it is for women to partake in something that is viewed as manly.  A quote that really stuck out to me from this article is “If girls call themselves tomboys, it’s with a sense of pride…but boys make fun of other boys if they step just a little outside the rigid masculine stereotype.”  The negative connotation for boys stepping outside of their gender norms seems to be a never-ending cycle that follows boys throughout their entire lives.  Breaking gender norms for boys has to be something that happens across all generations.  Once there is a change in the way breaking gender norms is perceived in men later on in life, it will become much easier for younger boys to follow.  This is a change that will be just as hard as breaking female gender norms, and just as important. Men need to realize how much gender roles affect them, and they have to join the fight against them in order to make a more acceptable society for young boys.

#6: Lets Change the Story

This article gets its inspiration from a video created by the Representation Project, which is committed to advancing the discussion about how gender limits the freedom of both men and women. The article focuses on the effects of pushing gender roles from the moment a child is born. Stereotypes about how to dress, how to act, what to play with, and how to show emotions puts children in a box that gives them very little lee way to become their own person. This also discusses the very popular belief that the media enforces these stereotypes.  This also points out the effect media has on young boys which is a side of the argument that is often forgotten about. Things such as violent video games and advertisements featuring rugged and manly men give these young boys the message that masculinity and power is everything. Media is also portraying the idea to girls that they must be delicate and dainty and know their place in society. These are all things that the Representation Project it trying to combat so we can soon see a change in our world that children so desperately need. 

It seems as if the portrayal of gender roles in the media has completely overshadowed anyone’s individual fight against these stereotypes.  As much as parents may try to stay away from gender norms, their children are going to be exposed to them very early on in their lives through the media. Unfortunately, what kids see in the media may have a bigger impact on them then what is being told to them at home because what is seen on TV is often seen as being ‘cool’ or ‘in’.  This article stresses a very important fact, which is that everyone needs to raise their voice, whether they are man or women, young or old, against gender norms. This article shares a very similar message as the TED talk we watched a couple of weeks ago.  We need to not only focus on the impact that the media has on young girls, but also young boys.  It is just as hard for young boys to watch TV and feel like they must always be strong and masculine and powerful as it is for girls to be portrayed as objects.  As its stated in the article, we need to show men how the fight for equality effects them as well. There is a video attached to the article that is really worth taking a look at and further explains the need to “rewrite the story.”

#5: Gender Roles Around the World

The article I chose to right my blog on differs from the previous articles I have written about because it speaks about a society that has embraced gender equality and is working to rid itself of gender roles.  Sweden has always been an advocate for gender equality and is now trying to start this equality off at a young age.  Top-Toy, which is a private toy company, has decided to drop all gender roles in Swedish Toys ‘R’ Us catalogs and stores. Toy catalogs in Sweden now depict boys helping girls doing their hair, and children dressed up as Spiderman taking care of a baby doll.  Sweden is also furthering their fight against gender roles by adding men to previously all-female staffs at pre-schools, and having teachers use gender-neutral pronouns when referring to their students.  Sweden had received backlash from various media outlets claiming that Sweden was “turning boys into girls.” This however has not affected Sweden’s approach to gender roles as they continue to try to rid their society of gender stereotypes.

  

I really enjoyed reading this article and I though it was very interesting because it showed how ridding our society of gender roles is completely possible. Making such a simple change as showing children playing with a variety of toys in catalogs could make a world of difference.  This gets rid of the harsh divide that is portrayed between boys and girls. This change will show children acceptance, and that no matter what they choose to do its okay, and they will not be weird or different because of it. I think the actions made by Sweden are a huge step forward in gender equality.  Even though there was some backlash to these changes, it seems as though the praise for Sweden silenced those opposed to it.  This shows that the changing of gender roles is not as much of a problem that it is often made out to be.  I believe that America needs to take the leap that Sweden has and I think they will be pleasantly surprised at the impact it will have.  All we need to do is make a simple change to the way we advertise products and we could be changing the lives of thousands of children.

#4: How we can change gender norms to fit our modern society

This article from NY Times explains the role gender norms have played throughout our history. Gender norms are something that seems to have always been present in our society, but as the article points out gender norms were not nearly as prevalent in the late 1970’s as they are now.  Around 1975 there were barely any separations between boys and girls toys, but around 1995 gender roles were re-introduced into the world.  The author of the article discusses the stigma on both children and parents of buying toys that don’t follow usual gender norms. Most boy toys in the market have to do with action and handiwork, while most girl toys have to do with beauty and housework.  Parents are stuck in a cycle of buying gender-typed toys for their children, making it nearly impossible for kids to think otherwise. Toy companies are also stuck in a cycle of making gender specific toys, and until that ends gender norms will never fully be gone.

In the beginning of the article the author makes an interesting comparison.  If toys were separated by race there would be public outrage, so how is that any different than separating toys by gender? This article also points out how this generation seems to be taking a step back when it comes to getting rid of gender norms.  The more prevalent these gender norms become in our society, the harder it becomes for children to break out of them, or even feel like its acceptable for them to break out of them. This article also includes the viewpoint of parents.  It seems like it is almost harder for parents to allow their children to break gender norms out of fear of what other parents would think, but what kind of message is this sending to their children? If parents are so focused on gender types, their children will have no chance of ever breaking the mold. This will also enforce the thought in children’s mind that they have to hide who they are. We currently pride ourselves on being a modern and forward-thinking society, so why are we moving backwards when it comes to gender norms and the atmosphere our children grow up in?

#3: Gender Roles in the Media

This video explains how gender stereotypes are enforced through the media, specifically through commercials.  The video shows how even the most innocent of products such as soda, are unnecessarily gender specific.  Children growing up in this society, which relies so much on technology, see these commercials and it becomes engrained in them that this is how they are supposed to act. Many of these commercials even put down people for acting outside of their gender norms. However, the video does point out how things seem to be changing when it comes to gender roles in commercials.  It seems as if companies are making more of an effort to add diversity to their advertisements. Hopefully, this is a trend that will continue going forward, and will help children feel more comfortable expressing themselves as they truly are.

 

When children watch these commercials they get the idea that it is wrong for them to act any differently than society wants them too.  These commercials once again show how hard these stereotypes are on males especially.  Many of these commercials call guys out for being ‘too girly’ for what they drink or what they wear. When kids see people being put down for acting differently, they are going to think that they have to hide their true self.  Teaching children at such a young age to conceal who they are will only make things much harder for them as they grow up. Companies need to realize the influence they have on young children, and start making advertisements that wont make children feel ashamed about who they are. Some companies seem to be changing their commercials to show all different kinds of lifestyles and personalities, and hopefully this is a trend that will continue.  Kids need to know that they will always be accepted for who they are, unfortunately, commercials these days are not portraying this message but hopefully that will be a trend that will end soon.