Boys vs. Girls

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Girls Vs. Boys Are boys socialized differently than girls? I think yes. I believe that gender socialization begins the second a child is born. The way children are spoken to, played with, touched, etc. I think the expectations from society influence the way parents raise their children. Growing up, children are completely stereotyped. For example, boys are thought to mostly play with toy trucks/cars, action figures, and tools and girls are thought to mostly play with Barbie dolls, makeup, and kitchen sets. Mainly because that stereotypical societal behavior is encouraged through advertisements on a daily basis. In the middle school years, the messages we send to boys and girls begin to hit them with full force as they become aware of and struggle to understand what it means to be a man or a woman in our society. We know that in adolescence girls self-esteem suffers. They often begin to feel less than competent and unsure of themselves. Some girls begin to lose their "voice" or "go underground" with their gifts and abilities as they absorb messages about what it means to be "feminine" in our culture. In response, girls tend to act in, which expresses itself in eating disorders, depression, teen pregnancy, and lowered academic achievement in core academic areas such as higher level math and science. On the other hand, adolescent boys, experiencing pressure to conform to "masculine" stereotypes, often "toughen up" and act aggressively in all facets of their lives. Boys receive messages that it is not all right to be nurturing and caring, to express their feelings. In response, boys tend to act out, which can express itself in disruptive or violent behavior. In middle school, academic failure puts many boys at risk and studies show there is a positive correlation between failure in school and disruptive behavior. They are more likely than girls to be suspended from

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