Betwixt and Be Tween: Gender Contradictions among Middle Schoolers

This week I chose to read about how young people in middle school are expected to fit into a specific gender mold that has been predesigned for them. Girls are to be nurturing and sensitive, while boys are to be tough and aggressive. If either sway from what society has deemed the correct gender role, then that child is different, and different is bad.

1. http://gas.sagepub.com/content/23/1/81.full.pdf+html

This article talked specifically about this reading. The author stated that no male should have to identify themselves as a male, in order to be dominant and strong, and vice versa. 

2. http://www.amazon.com/Boys-Should-Be-Secrets-Raising/dp/1596980575

This a a book I found that if for parents to raise their boys right. In the summary of the book, it says that boys will ALWAYS be rambunctious, climbing trees, and playing tackle football. I found that super interesting, because it puts pressure on young boys to fit into a specific role that has been assigned for them.

3. http://voices.yahoo.com/women-if-want-respect-men-then-act-like-you-7916.html

The title of this article caught my attention rather quickly. “Women if you want respect from men then act like you deserve it.” I was just in awe. “LIKE you deserve it”? Of course women deserve respect. I get that women are to have confidence, but to say that guys who get drunk and have sex with girls are just being guys and women have to deal with it is not okay. I found it super surprising that this article was written by as a woman as well. 

4.http://www.parents.com/kids/development/social/boys-or-girls/

This was an interesting article. It talked about how both girls and both can be difficult to raise, because they each come with their set of challenges. Not only that, but sometimes boys and girls don’t meet the stereotypes of their gender, and that is okay.