Sure, men and women are somewhat different. Men are a little more aggressive, women a little more gentle. But not all. Some women are more aggressive than most men, some men more gentle than most women.
The point is we’re all individual and the key is allowing individuality to have a chance to come through – before locking in a stereotype.
Having a target quota of female positions in a company or a government organisation is NOT gender equality.
Gender equality has to start at the beginning.
Oh, and one other thing. Gender disbalance is not one way – just towards an overly feminine society. Gender disbalance is extreme in both directions. Men must be “worriers” and girls must be “girlie”. Both stereotypes are wrong.
We no longer live in a cave or 18th century where there was no other way, there was no automation, everything was manual and somebody had to take care of things at home and somebody had to go get the bread on the table.
We live in a society where men and women CAN both do pretty much anything. Some women prefer a career than staying at home with the kids and some men prefer to stay at home than fight political battles in the office. All is possible nowadays.
The problem is the stereotypical upbringing.
There have been various experiments conducted to prove a point and we do steer boys towards a more active, physical, risk-taking behaviour – and girls towards a more “feminine”, cautious, less physically active behaviour. This starts from a very early age and as a result is very deep set and hard to change later in life.
The “training” comes from all directions. Parents who buy “gender toys”, grand parents who encourage and initiate “gender biased play”, peers from other families who re-inforce the said toys and play methods – then kindergarten, school, more peers – all perpetuating the stereotypes.
There is no break in the cycle, so it continues.
A non-stereotypical man or woman are the exception. A strong woman, who pursues a passion or interest – instead of making herself pretty to attract boys, or a man, who is in touch with his emotions and is not selfish – are all a break from the norm.
It does not have to be this way.
All we have to do is provide choice during childhood and adolescence and support the choices children and teenagers make – without judging or pushing the direction we think is the “standard”.
Getting gender neutral toys and toys fit both for boys and girls – regardless of gender. Playing with children whatever games they want to play and encouraging both types of play in both genders – creative, physical, role play, you name it.
Girls should be allowed (and encouraged?) to climb trees. Boys should be allowed to play with “doll houses” and “dolls” – ideally mixed gender dolls (for both boys and girls). Girls should not just have barbies but less “beauty” focussed dolls. Nothing wrong with dolls. Everything wrong with Barbie whose only goal is to be pretty. Boys should be shown that fighting, shooting and breaking is not the only play there is. I exaggerate, of course, but it’s only to illustrate a point.
Which is that upbringing should be balanced and diverse. Both boys and girls should be taught the basics of fighting, since we live in a world where we still need to know how to defend ourselves. Both boys and girls need to be taught empathy and kindness, since it will help them integrate and have better relationships later in life.
I believe society and humanity would achieve the next level of progress when true gender equality, or rather – individuality – will be allowed and encouraged and upbringing will be balanced and more or less equal.
The age of the factory drones is ending, time for a step change.
Mind Iterations 