Comments on: Empowering Girls (& Boys): Reading and Math http://thegirlrevolution.com/empowering-girls-boys-reading-and-math/ Growing Girls With Purpose Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:56:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Karen_thrifty http://thegirlrevolution.com/empowering-girls-boys-reading-and-math/comment-page-1/#comment-1666 Karen_thrifty Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:54:00 +0000 http://thegirlrevolution.com/empowering-girls-boys-reading-and-math/#comment-1666 I hated reading class and I always did really well in math. Guess I'm wired wrong. lol I hated reading class and I always did really well in math. Guess I’m wired wrong. lol

]]> By: Tracee http://thegirlrevolution.com/empowering-girls-boys-reading-and-math/comment-page-1/#comment-1604 Tracee Sun, 08 Jun 2008 06:01:00 +0000 http://thegirlrevolution.com/empowering-girls-boys-reading-and-math/#comment-1604 Oh Peggy, I read that experiment and wanted to do it with my son and his same-age female cousin. My mother in law kept saying, "he's such a boy" when he was days old - hours even. I tried to cite this study and said, "Let's dress them in different clothes and take them to the mall and we'll see if strangers says he's such a boy." <br/><br/>"No way! We can't make him wear girl clothes!"<br/> <br/>That's when I realized MOST people like the genderization and therefore it's much harder to change and quite a large part of it is out of my control. Oh Peggy, I read that experiment and wanted to do it with my son and his same-age female cousin. My mother in law kept saying, “he’s such a boy” when he was days old – hours even. I tried to cite this study and said, “Let’s dress them in different clothes and take them to the mall and we’ll see if strangers says he’s such a boy.”

“No way! We can’t make him wear girl clothes!”

That’s when I realized MOST people like the genderization and therefore it’s much harder to change and quite a large part of it is out of my control.

]]> By: Tracee http://thegirlrevolution.com/empowering-girls-boys-reading-and-math/comment-page-1/#comment-1603 Tracee Sun, 08 Jun 2008 05:58:00 +0000 http://thegirlrevolution.com/empowering-girls-boys-reading-and-math/#comment-1603 I bought that book for my daughter from a used book store Peggy! <br/><br/>I think we're afraid to turn our sons gay by letting them play with dolls. For some reason the risk with girls is just that they'll get a better/different job and we can see how that's pretty useful. <br/><br/>I agree. I only wore dresses to church growing up. I think we do genderize girls earlier now. <br/><br/>Tune in later in the week when I'll feature a company selling actual high heals for infants! We're genderizing them younger and younger - not to mention consumerizing them. I bought that book for my daughter from a used book store Peggy!

I think we’re afraid to turn our sons gay by letting them play with dolls. For some reason the risk with girls is just that they’ll get a better/different job and we can see how that’s pretty useful.

I agree. I only wore dresses to church growing up. I think we do genderize girls earlier now.

Tune in later in the week when I’ll feature a company selling actual high heals for infants! We’re genderizing them younger and younger – not to mention consumerizing them.

]]> By: Peggy http://thegirlrevolution.com/empowering-girls-boys-reading-and-math/comment-page-1/#comment-1601 Peggy Sat, 07 Jun 2008 04:13:00 +0000 http://thegirlrevolution.com/empowering-girls-boys-reading-and-math/#comment-1601 I believe the brain is pretty plastic, especially in infant and toddlers, so it's not easy to separate what might be hardwiring from wiring that is shaped through early social conditioning. And much of the influence we have on children is unconscious on our part - like giving baby girls dolls and baby boys trucks, and praising them when they seem to adhere to stereotypical gender norms. There was a study I read a while back, (which I can't remember the title of, unfortunately), where people were shown video of toddlers in gender-neutral outfits.The way the toddlers' behavior was interpreted differed depending on whether they had been identified as girls or boys. I'm not sure that's something we can easily change.<br/><br/>This may be off topic a bit, but when I was a girl back in the 70s there was a movie and recording called "Free to Be You and Me" . The songs were about breaking out of gender stereotypes and being kind to people who were different from you, etc (see <a HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LNwUjd0gLo" REL="nofollow">William Wants a Doll</a>). I'm not sure what happened, but it seems like girls today are expected to be even "girlier" (with everything pink and princessy) than they were back in my youth and it's no more socially acceptable for boys to play with dolls than it was 30 years ago. It doesn't seem like we've made much progress on that front. I believe the brain is pretty plastic, especially in infant and toddlers, so it’s not easy to separate what might be hardwiring from wiring that is shaped through early social conditioning. And much of the influence we have on children is unconscious on our part – like giving baby girls dolls and baby boys trucks, and praising them when they seem to adhere to stereotypical gender norms. There was a study I read a while back, (which I can’t remember the title of, unfortunately), where people were shown video of toddlers in gender-neutral outfits.The way the toddlers’ behavior was interpreted differed depending on whether they had been identified as girls or boys. I’m not sure that’s something we can easily change.

This may be off topic a bit, but when I was a girl back in the 70s there was a movie and recording called “Free to Be You and Me” . The songs were about breaking out of gender stereotypes and being kind to people who were different from you, etc (see William Wants a Doll). I’m not sure what happened, but it seems like girls today are expected to be even “girlier” (with everything pink and princessy) than they were back in my youth and it’s no more socially acceptable for boys to play with dolls than it was 30 years ago. It doesn’t seem like we’ve made much progress on that front.

]]> By: Tracee http://thegirlrevolution.com/empowering-girls-boys-reading-and-math/comment-page-1/#comment-1599 Tracee Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:00:00 +0000 http://thegirlrevolution.com/empowering-girls-boys-reading-and-math/#comment-1599 I hear you Therapydoc, but this particular study seems well executed and it's focus wasn't gender, it was on science preparedness. <br/><br/>It involved 400,000 15-year-olds in 57 countries in a broad spectrum of socio-economic status and teaching and education styles and curriculum. <br/><br/>I'm great, by the way. And yourself? I hear you Therapydoc, but this particular study seems well executed and it’s focus wasn’t gender, it was on science preparedness.

It involved 400,000 15-year-olds in 57 countries in a broad spectrum of socio-economic status and teaching and education styles and curriculum.

I’m great, by the way. And yourself?

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