Working in a Boy’s World

February 24, 2014

 

Growing up, I did not have to deal with attitudes and stereotypes that said, for instance, that girls are not as good at math and science as boys. I was homeschooled until the eighth grade, so the strongest influence on my perception of my capabilities as a female came from my parents. Both of my parents taught me that I was capable of becoming anything I wanted to become when I grew up. My mom, who was my teacher, never did anything outside of expecting excellence from me in every subject. And my dad told me every night that I was beautiful and intelligent and could be anything I wanted to be when I grew up, with the Lord’s help. Having grown up in that atmosphere, I do not ever remember thinking that boys were smarter than me, or should be better at any particular subject than I was.

Having said all of this, some time between growing up in my supportive household and entering the real world, something changed for me. I was surprised after watching the following anti-sexism video, that I could personally identify with and feel that I have experienced something similar to every example in the video.

 

 

The positive thing about the video, is that the females are presented as having all of the same career positions as the males. The negative thing, of course, is the negative perception the females receive when they engage in the same activities as their male counterparts. I am sad to say that, after entering the job market fifteen years ago, I received the same sexist treatment over, and over again. Whereas this treatment used to surprise me, now, equal treatment is often what surprises me. I cannot begin to count how many times male peers in college, after hearing that I received an A on a project or assignment, have asked, “Yeah, but is your professor a man or a woman?” These men were the same men who knew I was often in the library until 3 am studying, and on Friday nights when they were out with their friends, yet they still dared to hint that my grade was based on my possible attractiveness to the opposite sex, and not my hard work and intellect.

Gender roles and gender bias are something we all encounter or interact with everyday in one way or another.  You cannot step foot on a playground, or walk into a restaurant, shopping mall, or even college campus without examples of gender roles confronting you. Some gender roles stem from the differences in our physical capabilities, some stem from differences in how we relate to others. For instance, it makes sense (in my opinion) that more men would be found working in construction, plumbing, auto repair, etcetera, because of the physical strength those jobs typically require. It also makes sense that more women would be found working in jobs that require nurturing, such as teaching, nursing, or childcare, since women are typically considered to be more nurturing than men. There are plenty of other, more negative, reasons for gender roles that women have been fighting against for years. The reasoning that men should always be in charge, because they are stronger and if not smarter (which is often part of this reasoning),  are at least more logical and less emotional, and therefore more able to make better decisions under pressure, is behind gender roles that keep women from being promoted in certain industries, or from receiving equal pay.

“Just because this is the way things are, doesn’t mean it’s the way things have to be.” ~Debra Sterling (2013)

 

For one thing, women need to continue to ignore gender bias and stereotypes when it comes to choosing a career to pursue, and recognize that it might be more difficult for those of us who grew up in places where science and math were considered boys’ subjects. Both in high school and in college I have felt hindered by my lack of spatial understanding, which I believe would have been improved if some of the toys I had played with would have had moving parts and been aimed at more than just playing house or dress up.

Besides not preparing girls for jobs requiring spatial skills, only offering girls dolls and dress up toys sends a not-so-subtle message that this is what they are meant to do in life. While my parents sent the right message in how they treated me and how they educated me, I likely would have been better prepared if I had grown up playing with toys and playing sports that would have enhanced my spatial skills. Debra Sterling, inventor of Goldie Blox toys, said in a TED talk that “kids that score better on spatial skills tests grew up playing with construction toys”(Sterling, 2013). For this reasoning, Debra has invented  a line of toys aimed at helping girls develop spatial skills, and develop an interest in engineering and male-dominated careers.

“Yeah sure some girls like princesses and tiaras, and I like that stuff too, but there’s more to us                    than that. There’s so much potential.” ~ Debra Sterling (2013)

 

While I do not agree with every line in the previous commercial (“That’s all we really need is girls,” “To bring us up to speed is girls,” “ Our opportunity is girls.”), I think providing little girls with toys that encourage them to develop some of these skills, and possibly peak their interest in these skills, will help them later if they choose to pursue some of the male-dominated careers. I also think that putting toys like this out there will slowly change boys’ perspectives of what girls are capable of, without putting boys down. If boys see girls playing with building and construction toys like their own toys, but in more feminine colors, they will be more likely to think of these careers as suitable for both males and females later in life, rather than thinking girls should stick to fashion design and nursing.

(Novemeber 9, 2013). Labels Against Women # Sine Strong Pantene retrieved on February 23,2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOjNcZvwjxI

(Novemeber 19, 2013). GoldieBlox, Rube Goldberg & Beastie retrieved on February 23, 2014, from http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/11/19/goldieblox_commercial_rewrites_the_beastie_boys_urges_young_girls_to_pursue.html.

Sterling, D. (April 19, 2013).  Yesterday’s Frontiers, Tomorrow’s Horizons. YouTube video retrieved February 23,             2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEeTLopLkEo.

One Response to “Working in a Boy’s World”

  1. Gaynor Yancey said:

    Well stated! Great advocacy!



Leave a Reply