After more than a century of advocacy for equality between the two sexes, the preference for boys over girls is once again demonstrated in the U.S, a result which has persisted since 1941.
In a recentGallup
When asked to justify their choice, those who would prefer to have a boy indicated that men can relate to males better, boys can carry on the family name, boys are easier to raise, girls are too emotionally and physically weak, and boys have a better chance to stand out in the real world. On the other hand, adults who say they would prefer to have a girl explain that mothers can have a closer relationship with daughters, they already have a girl/girls and think girls are more agreeable to them, girls are easier to raise, they prefer to have girls, and girls are pretty.
These findings might seem shocking if the long development of equality between the two sexes is taken into consideration, which suggests that both males and females should be equally evaluated. However, such a result could be said to be “predictable” because males are indeed, or at least are depicted as, more adorable than females. For example, in superheroes films, such as the Superman and Spiderman series, the respected heroes are always men who proudly exhibit their masculine traits to the viewers; as for the women’s part, all the viewers get are a tough-as-nails and opinionated Lois Lane and an always-crying-for-help and capricious M.J. Watson. To put it more directly, the repetitive glorifications of masculinity in films, literary works, and ads all help to have the sexual stereotypes deeply rooted in people’s minds.
It is rather thought-provoking that while men love their masculine traits, women seem to openly or secretly admire men’s forthrightness, aggressiveness, and boldness. In other words, people have long been “educated” to admire manhood over womanhood. Some people point out that under these phenomena is an intertwined conspiracy hatched by a complex network in the patriarchal society people are living in and with the unknowing or deliberate complicity of the public. It is indeed an important issue that requires people’s attention and awareness.
In a recent
When asked to justify their choice, those who would prefer to have a boy indicated that men can relate to males better, boys can carry on the family name, boys are easier to raise, girls are too emotionally and physically weak, and boys have a better chance to stand out in the real world. On the other hand, adults who say they would prefer to have a girl explain that mothers can have a closer relationship with daughters, they already have a girl/girls and think girls are more agreeable to them, girls are easier to raise, they prefer to have girls, and girls are pretty.
These findings might seem shocking if the long development of equality between the two sexes is taken into consideration, which suggests that both males and females should be equally evaluated. However, such a result could be said to be “predictable” because males are indeed, or at least are depicted as, more adorable than females. For example, in superheroes films, such as the Superman and Spiderman series, the respected heroes are always men who proudly exhibit their masculine traits to the viewers; as for the women’s part, all the viewers get are a tough-as-nails and opinionated Lois Lane and an always-crying-for-help and capricious M.J. Watson. To put it more directly, the repetitive glorifications of masculinity in films, literary works, and ads all help to have the sexual stereotypes deeply rooted in people’s minds.
It is rather thought-provoking that while men love their masculine traits, women seem to openly or secretly admire men’s forthrightness, aggressiveness, and boldness. In other words, people have long been “educated” to admire manhood over womanhood. Some people point out that under these phenomena is an intertwined conspiracy hatched by a complex network in the patriarchal society people are living in and with the unknowing or deliberate complicity of the public. It is indeed an important issue that requires people’s attention and awareness.
[1] The
< http://www.galluppoll.com/content/?ci=28045&pg=1 >.
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