Esmeralda
Diamond Member
I believe we unconsciously 'train' girls to be one way and boys to be another, as part of simply raising them and as acculturation
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Once I went to a housewarming party. The homeowners were friends of my date, not people I had previously met. They had new babies, twins, one boy and one girl. As I was sitting in the living room, surrounded by people sitting and standing, I noticed something I will never forget. The mother sat on the sofa holding the little girl and not allowing her to get off her lap, though the child was trying to. At the same time, the boy baby was crawling all over the floor, in and out of peoples' feet, and she was not the least bit worried about that: she clearly saw the boy as less 'fragile' than the girl. This attitude and behavior will instill in the girl a different perspective on her personal strength and innitiative, taking chances, etc., than on the boy, who will learn from this that it is perfectly fine to take chances and that he is stronger and bolder.
As far as what has been noted above about women being more emotional: that is another thing we unconsciously teach boys and girls as part of acculturation: we tell boys not to cry and to act like a man, etc. Girls are allowed weeping and emotion because it is assumed that is part of being a girl.
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Once I went to a housewarming party. The homeowners were friends of my date, not people I had previously met. They had new babies, twins, one boy and one girl. As I was sitting in the living room, surrounded by people sitting and standing, I noticed something I will never forget. The mother sat on the sofa holding the little girl and not allowing her to get off her lap, though the child was trying to. At the same time, the boy baby was crawling all over the floor, in and out of peoples' feet, and she was not the least bit worried about that: she clearly saw the boy as less 'fragile' than the girl. This attitude and behavior will instill in the girl a different perspective on her personal strength and innitiative, taking chances, etc., than on the boy, who will learn from this that it is perfectly fine to take chances and that he is stronger and bolder.
As far as what has been noted above about women being more emotional: that is another thing we unconsciously teach boys and girls as part of acculturation: we tell boys not to cry and to act like a man, etc. Girls are allowed weeping and emotion because it is assumed that is part of being a girl.