Saplings In The Storm

Gender is defined as “organisms are classified on the basis of their reproductive organs and functions” (American Heritage Dictionary), nothing more than your reproductive organs. There are no cultural traits that go along with one’s gender, everything that you have been taught as to what a girl or boy may be, has been taught to you through social constructs. All of these constructs are taught during adolescence. “Saplings in the Storm” by Mary Pipher explores the young females and their challenges in their adolescent and teenage years. Essentially the girls lose all of their value during these years when they trade it for traditional female traits such as being idealistic and superficial. In Philip Cohen’s “Still a Man’s World”, he explains
how women are still facing constant boundaries in the workplace and at the university, even though many women are working harder than men. Historically men have always been in the position of power, growing up as a female is much harder than growing up a male, since the world is quite literally working against you. If you want to succeed in life girls are faced with an upward battle that is riddled with obstacles and oppression. They quite literally work twice as hard for half of the success.
The transition of a girl to a woman is not only a physical transition, but also a sociological transition. When girls and boys are born their minds wired completely the same, none of the social constructs have not been implemented into their lives yet. However, once they grow up into adolescence is when they start getting ideas that they are not as smart or as capable as the men. Influenced by the media, and their peers girls start to change into the “women” that the culture says they must become. The girls lose their strong attitudes and their interests in science and mathematics plummets during these years. As Pipher adds, “They are sensitive and tenderhearted, mean and competitive, superficial, and idealistic.”(Pipher, 345). The main stream media is to blame for the change that is going on, they see all the of actresses and celebrities on television and social media, and how many followers and the attention they are getting. This is also a very confusing and contradictory time, as one person say one thing and someone say another; for example, girls are taught they should have a petite figure and a slim body, but then also taught in middle school about how awful it is to be anorexic. These two ideas clash, as one says that the boys love slim girls, but another one tells you that if you get too slim you will do harm to yourself. These stereotypes and social constructs begin to be ingrained into these little girls mind, that they should look and act a certain way so that you become more attractive to the boys. The gender role of being a submissive girl who goes along with whatever the man says, that you should just stay home and raise kids while the man gets a real job is drilled into your head at an early age. If you ever want to go against these beliefs, you will casted out and face many challenges in the university and the workplace.
In the last several decades there has been an enormous increase of women in the workplace and women furthering their education.
While it is amazing that these women are getting the opportunity to be apart of society, we must face the fact that they are still not being treated the same, and there is still a lot of work to be done.But you are not alone, in Cohen’s article states, “Women earn the majority of the college degrees in the United States, and they are the majority of college students.” (Cohen, 383). This is also something I can attest to, at my high school eight of the top ten graduates were females. Even though the majority of the best students are women, are still seen as inferior to the men, that they do not hone the skills to become a professional. If you want to pursue an education, many times you are limited to only “womanly” subjects, like education, english, or being a nurse. If you ever want to study engineering, mathematics or any type of sciences, many of the men and society will quickly renounce your work and opinions as many times these disciples are boy’s clubs. It hasn’t even been one hundred years since women have gained the right to vote, so to some people seeing women in a professional environment is new territory. If one were to take a look a workplace, the senate for example, twenty-one female senators in a group of 100, there is no scientific reasoning as to why that number shouldn’t be 50. Statistically speaking there are fifty percent men and
fifty percent women, so workplaces should reflect that, but they do not.Another example of discrimination of women in the workplace is that when a women tries to be assertive they can quickly be labeled as a bitch or that she is hormonal from her period. But when a man takes charge, he is being assertive and putting himself in a position of leadership.
Both of the genders do face challenges in their own rights, the girls challenges are much harsher, but the overall enemy is not which gender has it worse, but the gender roles that are put on them. While the ideal man, is tall, strong, and assertive. The standards and expectations set by society is daunting to the average man, a bar is set very high for you, so if you do not meet these standards many people will no longer respect you because you are not “man” enough. Physically, you should have muscle to show your strength. Growing up you are almost forced to work out to stay competitive with other boys, a big problem with this is is that many of these middle school aged boys do not know what they are doing to their own bodies. Starting from when they are young all the male figures have the same physical traits, muscular. GI Joe’s and superhero action figures all of the same body type send the signal of what you should aspire to look like. While the boys growing up face an issue about not achieving the standards set for them, girls have to work against adversity to get to their goals. When girls are growing up they must face upward battle against because people who are putting them down and do not want them to succeed. No one should be forced to act or look a certain way just because of their gender. Physically, yes they different, but in a mindful sense any boy or girl can attain whatever career or goal they want to in life. Girls should not be limited to only a certain amount of knowledge, and there should not be a standard of what a man should look and act like. When something like this is achieved both girls and boys can express who they want to be without regard to what others think of them or what others want them to be.
One of the best ways to combat gender roles posed on them as kids, is to teach them, when they are young that they can be whatever they want to be.
Teachers must also convey this to the boys as well, that just because a girl wants to become an engineer or a politician, being a girl does not make her less qualified. It all starts in schools and at home, parents teaching equality and not forcing gender roles onto their children. Do not show only your daughter how to do her laundry, do not only have your son do sports. At the end of the day you will get competent boys and girls who can sustain their own lives, without the necessity of another that possess certain traits. Setting role models that do not affirm gender roles, but break them. As parents, they way you act in front of your children is also very important, showing equality between parents can put your words into actions. Helping one another in the kitchen, and having a strong female in the home can challenge traditional views and promote equality. The toddler and adolescent years are essential to the young one’s minds, this is the time that will shape their views of the
world.
The only thing that gender should be associated with it whether you are a boy or a girl, nothing more. You should not be raised a certain way or being taught how to do certain task because you a girl. In a male dominant world, it is much harder for a woman to become successful, the lack of opportunity and gender roles that are put on them at a young age are tell-tale signs that women are taught they are inferior to the men in the world. However, with the growing feminist movement, the world is starting to hear their perspective. The Women’s March this year was one of the most attended in The United States, with almost half a million protestors in Washington D.C alone and almost three million worldwide women are fighting for their equality. Time and globalization will aid this situation, women in Saudi Arabia will see the message that is being conveyed in the world and demand their rights in their country. With the removal of gender roles, the world can open up new perspectives and we can progress not only as a country but as a species.