Here is an
article written for the occasion of International Women’s Day, but it’s not
about women. How important do you think
the education of boys is in terms of fighting discrimination against women? Do you agree that gender expectations can be
even more oppressive for boys than they are for girls? What has been your experience of how gender
norms are taught and enforced and how they can be combated?
Hi. Welcome to the blog for my IB English B class at Jur Hronec High School in Bratislava, Slovakia. Below you will find links to other websites and discussion questions. My students are required to comment on one of these postings every month and also respond to each other's comments. Feel free to add your two bits, but be aware that all comments are monitored before being posted.
I was glad that this article looked at the issue of gender equality from the perspective of boys and/or boys. From my experience, when I see people having similar discussions I feel discouraged from participating simply because of the fact that I am male. Getting to discuss this issue from “my” point of view was certainly refreshing.
ReplyDeleteFrom the perspective of a male, I think that trying to look at the gender expectations of men and toxic masculinity to combat them at an early age through education is a great idea. The author predicts that boys will be able to see the roles they play in standing-up for equality through the understanding of how harmful gender norms can be. This understanding is to be reached through correct education and upbringing of course. Just based on the environment I live in, I can see that a part of the issue of discrimination against women is the fact that it is so deeply woven into our culture. Many definitely do not even consider gender-equity an issue at all as it has seemingly always been present. The idea that men can be a valuable asset in promoting gender equity when given the corresponding upbringing -a change in culture- in this case does seem like a very convincing argument as most of these norms are passed down upon men during their boyhood through various sources. Why couldn’t men contribute to creating an equitable society if the main source of their discrimination against women is dealt with?
After reading through the article, I can’t help but think about my own experience in relation to toxic masculinity when it comes to my *boyhood* and the various influences I have come across during my life. Room to Read reports that a special gender-equity curriculum has improved boys’ communication and the respect they shared with girls. Reading this, the first thought that came to my mind was amusingly about fiction. In my judgment, popular fiction also works in its own ways to bring up a kid or even influence how a person behaves and sees the world around them. Personally, I think that fiction, be it books or shows, has been a great tool in promoting gender-equity and weeding out the bad traits of masculinity in recent years. An example that comes to mind would be Akira Fudo from Devilman Crybaby. Although I probably couldn’t measure how progressive works of fiction have become during the last century, I can confidently state that it has become visibly more open about masculinity and its toxic parts throughout my lifetime.
-Lucas
The education of boys and men on this issue and them acknowledging the discrimination of women is crucial for gender equality. In the article, the studies highlighted by the authors claim that ‘boys are more rigidly held’ to societal norms than girls. This is exactly the case from what I have experienced firsthand. While my perspective might be a bit skewed considering that I have lived most of my life in Eastern Europe, a much more conservative part of the Western world than for example the U.S., I can recall at least a dozen times when I was told to ‘man up’ and get rid of any emotion that might make me appear vulnerable.
ReplyDeleteI believe that showing emotion and not putting on an act all the time is very important in being ‘human’. It is quite scary to think how many people would rather deal with their problems completely on their own, without seeking any advice from their family, friends or even organizations which would help them, often making terrible, irreversible, impulsive decisions in the process. Sometimes life gets very tough, and it is not easy to handle as an individual. Considering that males are less likely to ask for advice when dealing with their troubles might be a direct correlation to the significant gender differences in suicide rates. The other strict and oppressive gender norms definitely play a part in this too, and this article does a great job at showcasing early signs of that.
We should try and limit these negative gender norms, and focus and teach the positive aspects. The problem is that oftentimes, these norms are already deeply embedded in our primal instincts and thought process on evolution. Men were always described to be the strong, cold providers of food, which is ultimately where I think this came from. Seeing as issues of this nature are garnering more attention than ever nowadays, I have hope in what the future brings and our willingness to change this aspect of our society.
-Martin
As a man myself, I often feel excluded from the conversation when it comes to gender equality. Therefore I am glad that the article addresses the issue from a perspective I can personally relate to. I think that both perspectives are crucial when we want to come to proper solutions, and men are frankly underrepresented when it comes to this issue.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, I’ve experienced a lot of truly despicable actions by boys and young men, mostly as an innocent bystander, but often on my own skin. Whether it be the sexualization of women (catcalling etc.), physical violence or bullying, it is safe to say that almost every boy has experienced something of the sort in some capacity.
The article is right - there are many environments where boys are encouraged and expected to be rowdy and aggressive. Unfortunately, it does not flesh out exactly why this happens. Toxic behavior from men has several causes that are all related - low self-esteem, incompetence, and a lack of social skills being the most significant. I have observed it many times - when men are outcast, they tend to resort to exerting a tyrannical form of power to artificially improve their social standing. Nobody wants to be an outcast. The same can be said about men and their relationship towards women. When a man is extremely unsuccessful in attracting women, it might lead him down the path of tyrannically seizing what he wants.
These examples would suggest that the root cause of violent or aggressive behavior in men are the inherent hierarchies between them. Weakness, and the related feelings of inferiority, lead to violent behavior. Therefore the best thing you can do for a boy is to prepare him for such a hierarchy - make him competent. Here, the article hits the nail on the head. The key to this is proper socialization. It is a GLARING flaw that boys are taught to repress their emotions, and not be more in touch with their sensitive sides. If we encourage boys to explore their feelings, we also encourage them to be more confident in who they truly are. With this attitude, we can create leaders among men that are not only highly competent and strong, but also compassionate. They will have the ability to create an environment that is still competitive, but also highly reciprocal. Although this will not eliminate inherent hierarchies among men, it will create new ones that will develop everyone involved.
Teo
Teo I find it oddly amusing that you acknowledge the two facts that, there are inherent hierarchies among men and that the cause of aggressive behavior in men is their attempt to hide their weakness, and yet you advocate for these same men to express their feeling. To show their weakness to the world, while expecting that our society won't eat them alive once they let their guard down. It seems to me that you're talking about your ideals without realizing the true nature of this world, where, if given the chance, almost anyone would trample you underfoot just to raise their status in this hierarchy of ours. All that being said, I do wish a world like you've described could become true, it's just that I don't believe in such ideals. It is a fact that there will always be 'good' and 'bad' people in this world and nothing will change that, so is it truly wise to open yourself up to this world and bet on your odds that no one will take advantage of you? As Sun Tzu wrote: "Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak", I believe these words to hold true even today, as human nature doesn't change that fast and as the only one we can truly trust is one's self, we'll probably have to keep on wearing masks until a day comes when human nature changes.
Delete-Maxim