Gender-Based Social Conditioning

A video making its way through the social media lately documents comments that are made to women but not to men. The video calls this treatment sexism. Perhaps it is, but I would lean toward calling it gender- based social conditioning. Boys get just as much of this treatment as girls, and it begins at an early age.

We are told that we have to be tough, brave, rugged, and resourceful. We are encouraged to be bold, daring, and aggressive. We are STRONGLY discouraged from a young age against showing our emotional responses to things unless those emotions support the aggressive, combative ideal to which we are supposed to aspire. We are taught to respond to insults with physical violence, despite the fact that such violence can get us into trouble. If we don't respond aggressively, or if we simply choose to avoid conflict, we are taunted mercilessly with any number of demoralizing labels - wimp, sissy, pussy, weakling, baby, loser, quitter. "Don't be such a baby! You're acting like a little girl!" - Boys hear this kind of judgmental criticism every day. We hear it from our peers, from our friends, and quite often from well-meaning adults. 

Do you really believe that women are being treated worse in this regard? Why? Because they get comments on their appearance? If someone said to a boy, "Oh, look at you! You're so handsome!" it would feel awkward, but it wouldn't be as soul crushing as being called a pussy in front of a group of our peers. Maybe we should accept that both sexes endure conditioning based on gender stereotypes.

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