sherlockiansdivision replied to your post “My lecture for Introduction to Health Behaviours today was on gender,...”
You summed it up so well. Personally, what makes me angry are toys, let's say LEGO. I mean, not all the lego toys are bad. But just take a look. Lego for boys: airplanes, space ships, cars, boats.. Fun. Lego for girls: cafés, shops, kitchens, houses.. Work. In each, a girl...
I know how you feel exactly. Personally, I feel that it's telling kids like, boys should only think about 'manly' things like space ships, cars, boats etc, you shouldn't think about working in the kitchen, your passion for cooking and food is wrong, females should be doing that etc, and for females, it's like telling them, you are not worthy enough to fly a plane, be trusted to drive a car, you are not worthy enough to even dream of one day becoming an astronaut etc.
In fact, self-esteem and cultural expectations develop in the early years, it is especially so before 5 years of age, that is by when most of a child's personality, perceptions and etc are being formed and slowly cemented. The current way of doing things just helps to build on to it and continue to perpetuate this thinking of 'women must do that' and 'men must do that'.
Like, I just had my room inspection and my male flatmates Max and Sam were in the kitchen while the inspection lady walked in and the first thing was, "Wow, you boys are cooking!"
After she left, my flatmates were like, "why is she so surprised?"
I think it goes to show that for some people, especially older people, their thinking is still stuck in the age where women do all the cooking, men just wait for the food and then eat.
Cooking and baking have been associated with femininity for an awful long period of time. Which I find it ironic. Simply because, we associate women with cooking, with being in the kitchen, but from whatever you see, how many female chefs do you see in the kitchen where we believe it to be so predominantly female's domain? Nah, you see more males cooking and more females doing prep work or whatsoever. Yes, this most likely is changing, but I still find it painfully ironic.
And yes, if you are a male, you are usually deemed to not be able to cook. Which I think is an unfair stereotype; many of my male friends are such great cooks and bakers and they are the ones dreaming of opening restaurants, bakeries and cafes. [Which I believe would be a great hit because their food is so finger licking good]
But yes, toys that children are exposed to at an early age, sometimes limits them in terms of further development. If I was a young child, and I don't see any science-y toys 'deemed suitable for females' or when I want to get a science kit and adults tell me 'no you can't have that, you are a girl', I would grow up with the mindset where, I am not expected to be good in science, I cannot have an interest in science because that's a guy's field, or etc. And if for a male who wants to do anything remotely feminine like, for example, shows an interest in embroidery or sewing or things like that, adults would be like, 'no! That's for girls ! You don't have to learn that ! '
Yea, you don't have to. Wait till your buttons fall off and you have simply no idea how to sew it back on. Yea, wait for your girlfriend to do it.
Anyway, I think it is important to acknowledge that, skills and interests should not be gender typed and if an individual wants to do it, then he/she shouldn't be stopped, teased or jested.
Especially if it is children.
You tell them the sky is the limit and you can be whatever you dream, then at the next turn, you tell them, no you can't because you are a boy/girl.
What does that say about you and the society as a whole.
