Does Society Have Different Expectations for Boys Then for Girls? Essay

Currently, when you glance around, there are such huge numbers of various sorts of individuals. Diverse races, distinctive foundations, and furthermore extraordinary stories. We live in a universe of an assorted gathering of individuals. Some would think to live in such an assorted world; we would shape a shared view and possibly join to be "equivalent" yet that is a long way from genuine. No, I am not discussing the disparity of individuals dependent on race or foundation, the gathering of gender is the issue here. From the earliest starting point of time until now, social practices have shaped these limits. There has dependably been segregation of boys and girls; from the manner in which they are raised and instructed even to what occupations they go up against. After some time these turned into an arrangement of sexual orientation limits. The society took up these limits and made them the new norm.

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In today's world when you look around, there are unspoken and unwritten limitations of both the boy child and girl child. Society's gender expectations must be eradicated because they hinder each gender from achieving their individuality. However, another school of thought may argue that such gender expectations have played a part in enhancing the capabilities of each gender and shaping them into a complete person.

Starting from the time a child is conceived, there is a notable difference in news acceptance from the people around based on the gender of the baby. Even worse, if you asked any pregnant woman around, they would tell you that the most dominant question that they experience "is it a boy or is it a girl?" People do not even hide it anymore; instead of celebrating that the woman has been gifted with a blessing, they want to go ahead and know the gender. Why is it important? Why must it matter? Isn't what we all want a child born out of our own seed? The society has magnified the issue of gender beyond proportion. In most cultures, the boy child is more valued than the girl child is (Evans). Women have also adapted this misguided thought, and they are happier carrying a boy child. There is a sense of superiority that women affiliate with carrying a baby boy that is unexplained and illogical. Bearing a girl child is considered not equal enough, and society could not be any wrong. As a woman, isn't it equally exciting to raise a future mother?

The second issue revolves around the nature and general behavior of the two genders. It is imperative to note that one's nature and behavior is very personal. As a fact, the two contribute to the individuality of a person. Therefore, there is no such thing as boys' and girls' behavior. However, society has come up with a way to distinguish the two based on generalizations and baseless assumptions. There are certain behaviors and certain attributes that are affiliated to boys only and some to girls only. Girls are expected to be soft-spoken, tender, delicate, and nurturing. Boys, on the other hand, are meant to be tough, strong, fearless, and aggressive. Research shows that at early ages, boys tend to experience externalizing problems like aggressiveness and destructiveness (Kaufman).Meanwhile, girls demonstrate internalizing problems like anxiety and fear. On both scales, girls tend to be more submissive and possess caregiving attributes. Whereas this is true, society has played a significant part in enhancing this theory.

The society has gone ahead and set standards and limitations for gender behaviors. For instance, crying is termed to be a girl-like behavior. That does not mean that boys should not cry. Every child is capable of emotion and experiences it in equal measures. The society though will reproach a boy who is crying and probably tell him to stop acting like a girl. Similarly, a girl who is rough and rude will be reproached for behaving like a boy (Evans). Who makes these limits? How practical are they?

Another issue of differentiation comes in roles and duties. There are unwritten duties that are exclusively for girls and those for boys. For the longest time now, the kitchen has been thought to be a place for the girls. Roles revolving around cleaning, washing, house chores, and nurturing have always belonged to the girl child. On the other hand, boys have been assigned to more technical duties such as farm work, repairing, and other handy tasks. Over time, these expectations became so deeply rooted in the society's expectations and had detrimental consequences with them. We are raising children who are partly molded. Boys who would starve if left home alone with all the foodstuffs available. Girls who will cancel their trips or avoid using their cars just because of a simple mechanical problem (Kaufman). That should never be the case as there is no such thing as girl duties.

We should all look forward to raising a complete child; one who can work on the farm and come home to prepare whatever they have reaped. Girls who can protect their little brothers when attacked and boys who can cook for their mothers when they fall sick. Unfortunately, with the setting of the society, all this might remain a dream forever.

When it comes to classwork and academics, there are different expectations for the different genders. Boys are generally perceived to be smarter than girls are, and in some developing countries, the girl child is not even being given access to basic education because they perceive it as pointless. After all, she will get married and get children, which she will take care of until they are full-grown. The same has been extended to careers where we find men being favored and preferred to women in selected fields.

Conclusion

Gone are the days when males were considered superior to females. However, even in the 21st century, the issue of gender equality continues to be prevalent and persistent in society. As a result, there is an incessant gap in opportunities and resource distribution among the sexes. The unnecessary battle of the sexes is here to stay if we continue to ignore it. Instead of fighting other things such as HIV/AIDS, poverty, corruption, and hunger, we are busy fighting amongst ourselves (Tucker, and Marino). Customary perspectives of people have changed throughout the years. The differences between traditional gender roles and present-day translations of it are unobtrusive and yet common even today. Albeit much has changed since the twentieth century and we are nearer than any time in recent memory to accomplishing sexual orientation uniformity among people, there are basic issues and societal standards that keep this from being refined. We keep on having exceptionally conventional convictions on what is particularly 'manly' and 'ladylike.' As a result, both people alike are compelled to challenge existing conditions to seek after their fantasies (Tucker, and Marino).

References

Evans, Mary. The Persistence of Gender Inequality. Mass., 2017.

Kaufman, Gayle. "Gender Role Attitudes and College Students' Work and Family Expectations". Gender Issues, vol 22, no. 2, 2005, pp. 58-71. Springer Nature, doi:10.1007/s12147-005-0015-1.

Tucker, Reginald Lewis, and Lou Marino. "Psychopathy, Gender, and Entrepreneurial Intentions: Overcoming Societal Gender Role Expectations". Academy Of Management Proceedings, vol 2016, no. 1, 2016, p. 15604. Academy Of Management, doi:10.5465/ambpp.2016.15604abstract.