Summary Of Femininity And Masculinity

878 Words2 Pages

From when we are first aware of how society affects us, we are taught to behave in a way that is “typical” of our gender, but this is particularly true for boys. In Emily W. Kane’s article, “No Way My Boys Are Going to Be Like That!” Parent’s Responses to Children’s Gender Nonconformity, this is present in the distinct differences between the perception of femininity and masculinity that are observed in the parents’ responses to their children’s gender nonconformity. The key concepts of the article are the reactions in gender nonconformity, specifically in boys, and although it is not discussed at length, there is a clear devaluation of femininity through hegemonic masculinity.
Perhaps the most interesting concept of the article is the different …show more content…

From my own personal experience, I don’t remember ever being pressured into acting a certain way as a young girl, but rather I remember being allowed to play with trucks and other “boy’s toys” with my brother, while I can’t remember an instance when our parents encouraged him to play with my Barbies. They always bought him Spiderman and Hulk shirts, while I got to wear whatever colour I wanted to. This is reflected in the article, as for the most part the gender conformity of girls is left unregulated throughout much of their childhood, boys seem to be placed in a rather rigid construction of masculinity even before they know what masculinity is. The fact that there is such a stigma surrounding boys adopting what are considered female behaviours arouses more concerning notions of the devaluation of femininity. While girls are allowed to play with any kind of toys and express their emotions, like I was, …show more content…

This raises the question: why is deviating from the norm so wrong? To me, the answer to this question is that society is what is wrong, not the behaviour of the children. As the author suggests, it is necessary that heterosexual fathers are involved to find a solution to “broaden the normative conceptions of masculinity and challenge the devaluation of femininity” (180). The solution isn’t to teach children that they have to behave in a way that is predetermined by what parts they were born with, but rather changing a society that believes your sex determines how you should behave, and we need men and women to do this. It is something that should be looked at critically and challenged by feminism, as it is an issue that is preventing society from truly becoming equals. The ways in which hegemonic masculinity devalue femininity, and in the process reprimand gender nonconformity, particularly in boys, are quite concerning, and are a sign that despite the progress feminist movements have made, there is much left to be desired, and the ways to change it are within our

Open Document