In the Activity, “Gender Differences,” suggestions were given in the article about how to raise confident boys and girls. List two of these suggestions. Did your parents follow these suggestions? Give some examples of how they did or did not. How did this affect you as an adult? Now, describe a time when you were stereotyped because of your gender. What was your reaction?
GENDER
Gender Differences
We are not just our biology. We have been raised in our culture to see ourselves in terms of being a male or a female. Our biology and our environment interact to set up guidelines for our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in defining who we are according to our gender.
As you read this section, reflect on your views of gender roles. Do you think you were raised according to stereotypes? Think about how your perceptions of gender have helped you to develop your strengths or have created challenges.
While there are biological differences, society has preconceived notions about how girls and boys should be treated. Girls today receive mixed messages: one where they are told they can be anything they want to be, but another where they are presumed to be poor at math and science. There has been a push to create engineering types of toys for young girls, encouraging them to go into engineering and science fields. However, many of these toys are in “girl colors,” perpetuating stereotypes. Critics call this “pink washing.” Denise Schipani, writing in Woman’s Day (2014), provides suggestions for how to raise confident girls. The first is to compliment all the girl’s qualities; do not compliment a young girl’s looks. Next, expose a daughter to sports and other activities. Third, make sure the young girl knows about puberty long before it actually happens. Fourth, explain the difference between fantasy and reality. When watching Cinderella, ask her what she thinks Cinderella will be doing in five years. Also, focus on healthy eating habits, rather than striving for a number on the scale. Sixth, it is important for a young girl to have a strong male influence in her life too. Seventh, it is important to point out female role models who are strong, intelligent, and caring toward young girls. Last, make sure that sexism is addressed.
Two girls, around the age of five, playing with dolls.
© Purestock/Thinkstock
Two boys, around the age of five, playing with a train.
© Fuse/Thinkstock
Woman’s Day also published an article on how to raise a good man (McCarthy, 2014). Hints included teaching a young boy to share how he was feeling and to be empathetic to others. They also advised skipping false praise and instilling a sense of confidence by increasing his perceptions of self. Further, teach boys to respect others. Next, show affection and be sure to time it so that it is not embarrassing to friends. It is important that boys experience physical affection so that they can grow up to be caring and loving adults (McCarthy, 2014).
The fact that these kinds of articles are still written demonstrates that there is a difference in how girls and boys are raised. Notice the difference between the hints on how to raise a girl versus a boy. There is an underlying assumption that we need to build a healthy sense of self for girls by not focusing on looks or emotions. Instead, we need to raise them to use their intellectual processes. For boys, all the hints revolve around building a boy’s ability to be compassionate.
Biologically, are boys and girls different in their need to bond and have affection? Biologically, are girls predisposed to worry about how they look? As the technology for DNA and brain scans becomes more sophisticated, we will be able to learn more about what the true biological differences are between males and females. A study done at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in 2005 showed that women’s genomes are different from men’s at four different levels. Yet, we do not really know what this means in terms of behavior. It stands to reason that these differences may lead to differences between men and women in thought processes, emotions, and behaviors. Social cognition is an area where research could prove to be very valuable. Women of all ages outperform men on tests recognizing emotion and relationships. Female infants seem to show more empathy than male infants. Yet, we also know that our brain is malleable and adapts and changes due to experience. Researchers have found that women have a larger subdivision of the ventral prefrontal cortex. Is this due to a true biological difference, or is it due to experiences that shape and help the brain to grow? It is also important to note that gathering data on just male/female may be somewhat misleading, that biological gender is just one component of gender, and that psychological aspect of gender must be considered. Lise Eliot (2009) says, “Individuals’ gender traits—their preference for masculine or feminine clothes, careers, hobbies and interpersonal styles—are inevitably shaped more by rearing and experience than is their biological sex.”
