Raising
Boys and Girls
Even though women’s and men’s roles
have changed in the last fifty or sixty years as women have started working
outside the home, the raising of boys and girls has not substantially changed.
Boys and girls are still raised differently in terms of how they are dressed,
what toys they are given, and where and how they are allowed to play.
From the first day of their lives,
boys’ and girls’ clothing differs in terms of colour and style. Boys’ colours
are bold blues, reds, or greens, while girls are usually dressed in pink or
other pastel colours. Boys’ clothing tends to be functional, while girls has
decorative details such as ribbons, bows, and ruffles. Many outfits for babies
and young children have pictures on them, and those images clearly mark them as
for boys or girls. Boys’ clothing has images of trains, trucks, or sailboats.
When parents and relatives select
toys for young children, they choose playthings that reflect traditional male
and female roles. Boys are given toys that move such as trucks and cars, or
cannons or guns that school objects into the air, as well as toys that allow
them to build structures or carry out science experiments. Girls are given toys
that replicate the home environment.
When boys and girls are old enough
to play independently, they are treated differently in terms of how and where
they are allowed to play. Boys are allowed to go outside where they can run,
climb trees, and wander through the neighbourhood. They can get wet or muddy,
and no one gets upset with them. Girls, on the other hand, are told to remain
inside and stay clean.
The way parents raise their children
has an effort on their future lives. Boys and girls learn about their gender,
or social roles as males and females, from their earliest experiences, from how
they are dressed, what they are given to play with, and how and where they are allowed
to play. Parents should realize that the roles their boys and girls will play
in the future will not be as distinct as the male and female roles of the past.
Their girls will grow up to be women who will work outside the home, and their
boys will grow up to be men who will share in household responsibilities.
Therefore, parents should raise boys and girls more uniformly to prepare them
for the future.
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