Social Norm: The Harvard Men's Soccer Team

According to the social role theory, women throughout most cultures have less power than men, work less than men, and are paid less than men (Santrock, 2016). This theory leads to the conclusion that women are not taken seriously in this world. The Harvard Men’s Soccer Team clearly had no respect for the women on the Harvard Women’s Soccer Team. These women were treated as objects for man’s amusement (Seelye & Biggod, 2016). The Harvard Men’s Soccer Team objectified these women by rating women from one to ten on their sexual appeal. Unfortunately, the Harvard Women’s Soccer Team is not the only group of women who face this type of adversity, women everywhere have dealt with sexual harassment, and to some women, it is considered a social norm,

according to some of the female students and employees who attended and worked at Harvard University (Seelye & Biggod, 2016). Sixty-two percent of women on college campuses have experienced sexual harassment to some degree (Santrock, 2016).
There are many theories that lead to the explanation of the Harvard Men’s Soccer Team’s actions.

From a young age, children are taught that gender matters to their society. Differences are made between men and women, which constitute as masculinity and femininity (Santrock, 2016). Most children learn that women are caregivers and submissive to men, through the example of their mothers (Santrock, 2016). Contrarily, children learn that men are providers and play a more dominant role in the family (Santrock, 2016). Many of the men from the Harvard Men’s Soccer Team have most likely grown up in this type of patriarchal environment. According to the evolutionary psychological view, the men from this team may have felt their actions were acceptable because their role in reproduction and how it differs from the role women play (Santrock, 2016). In this view, the goal of a male’s life is to reproduce and spread their genes to further generations. Their actions could have been a form of risk taking by competing amongst each other (Santrock, 2016). During adulthood, men feel like they need to conform to being a “real man” (Santrock, 2016). The traditional meaning of being a “real man” includes seeing women for their bodies instead of seeing them for their minds (Santrock, 2016). According to the traditional role of men, men are encouraged by society to degrade women, use violence towards women, and feel as though they are at a higher status compared to women (Santrock,

2016).
I believe there needs to be an end to the type of behavior displayed by the Harvard Men’s Soccer Team. Sexual harassment creates irreversible psychological distress towards its victims (Santrock, 2016). Sexual harassment has also caused cognitive psychological problems, as well as biological issues in the form of physical illnesses and eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa (Santrock, 2016). Living in a society where men are being taught that sexually aggressive behavior is normal is one of the main reasons for the high rate of rapes in the United States (Santrock, 2016). In a 1997 study conducted throughout 1000 Canadian high schools, fifteen percent of women who experienced sexual harassment admitted to having attempted suicide (Rettner, 2011). These are the major reasons that this misogynistic behavior must come to a stop.
To change and eventually end this type of misogynistic behavior from men, society needs to analyze and reform the way children are being raised. Children learn their gender roles from their parent’s examples (Santrock, 2016). Rewards and punishments are traditionally used on children when they display the correct and incorrect gender according to their parent’s preferences (Santrock, 2016). At a young age, most children have learned that boys should not cry and toughen up, however, girls should stay quiet and are more fragile (Santrock, 2016). Having a son is linked to fathers being more involved with the family as well as a lower chance of divorce (Santrock, 2016). This shows that men see less potential in their daughters and don’t care to be involved with her future. Accordant to Levant, men can reconstruct their masculinity into a more positive form by stepping back and looking at his beliefs. This means trying to understand what a “real man” is (Santrock, 2016). A man may have to discard his previous destructive aspects of manhood (Santrock, 2016). It is important that men become more emotionally intelligent (Santrock, 2016). This includes a man becoming more in touch with his feelings and psychological state, as well as, the feelings and psychological states of others (Santrock, 2016). Women who find themselves in a familiar situation as the women from the Harvard Women’s Soccer Team need to know that they are not at fault. Too often society blames the victim in cases of sexual harassment and rape. This further encourages the idea that men have the right to control women as they please. Many women do not come forward after an incident has occurred in fear of being shamed by her community (Santrock, 2016). Finally, Society needs to be held responsible for the continuation this patriarchal society.
In conclusion, this “locker room” talk that took place within the Harvard Men’s Soccer Team needs to be punished by both society and the government. Women cannot let this type of behavior to continue to be a social norm. Women are too valuable, women are too smart, and women are too strong to not stand up for justice. This is the time for men to stand up along with these women and for these women. Living in harmony and mutual respect between every human being is essential for society to thrive.