Why do society wants girls and boys to live in different ways?

[Onedayprobably]

Basically, how did we even created "guys stuff" and "girl stuff", I find all this pretty dumb, I like to think of humans as "brains in a body" and I also think that every brain have the same possibilities and can think the same things. So why society wants brains that are in different kind of body to also think and live in a different way, like wearing things, liking things etc...

[dynamicyandere]

I’m guessing that it started way back. Like, further than 2000 years back. Division of labor. There was a lot of war.


Even if you wanted to live peacefully, you were attacked by surrounding tribes or warlords.


You were forced to protect your community or let everyone die.


Men were sent out to fight. Generally speaking, they were faster and stronger and were more disposable than women. (Women and children were necessary for the survival of the next generation.)


Men were trained for war and sent to war.


Women stayed behind and contributed to their communities in different ways.


There was this role specialization of male roles and female roles.


Men do this and women do that.


It was only natural that common practices and generalizations began to arise where men were associated with certain things and activities and women were associated with certain things and activities.


This persisted throughout time.


Fast forward to today, the division of labor and specialization of roles is much more flexible.


The the invention of firearms and military vehicles, women are able to fight in war too without relying on physical strength alone (vs wrestling grown men with a spear or something).


Jobs and occupations became more skill and knowledge-based. Instead of physically-intensive work (like chopping wood for 10 hours a day) both men and women are equally capable of performing well in an office settings.


So the playing field (in terms of roles) has been evened out due to the advancement of technology and the evolution of industries.


However, those old associations and generalizations of men should like X and women should like Y has persisted, when logistically such generalizations serve no purpose other than perhaps solidarity or camaraderie within gender groups.


But if solidarity and camaraderie are its only purpose, the backlash shouldn’t be so hard if someone wants to do something different.


If a boy wants to play with dolls, it shouldn’t be treated like a CRIME. I mean, what are “action figures” but dolls for boys?


And check this. With dolls you have a character that you dress up in different cloths and you have a story behind it, right?


That’s what RPG video games do, am I right?


You choose a character (doll) and you customize your character’s looks and choose your gear (clothes and accessories) and you enter the game world in story mode (story).


Video games and playing with dolls isn’t that different.


People should be able to pursue their interests and passions without being judged.


Before male/female role specialization served a practical purpose.


Now, roles should just be chosen by the individual, whatever makes them feel alive and fulfilled (as long as it’s not harmful to others of course).

[Onedayprobably]

I 100% agree with you

[Guy13]

We are designed differently in case you have not noticed. It is hormonal and anti intelligentsia design to force homogeneity on things that are designed to be differently.

It is Society and Culture that is messed up rather than Biological and Physiological Sciences.

[Onedayprobably]

Hormonal design have nothing to do with what we should like, watch, wear etc as a kid and later in our life. It looks like an easy way to resolve and explain every difference we do. I understand what you say about forcing homogeneity but what about forcing differences because that's what we do.

[PrettyPriya]

It just happens and then stereotypes form as to what is acceptable for girls to do and behave like and the same for guys. I think it has gotten better than what it used to be. Guys and girls are more accepted doing things that typically the other gender would do.

I posted a similar question about hobbies and how some are male driven and others are female driven. However, most agreed that everything should be open to both genders.

The problem is that not everyone will adopt this way of thinking the males and females can do the same things. There will always be those that ridicule a boy for liking collecting dolls and a girl that likes to work with tools. That is the problem that will never go away, sadly.

I am all for those people pursuing the things that they like, regardless of gender. Life is too short to worry about what others are going to think and say about the things you like to wear or do. I say go for it. For those that have a problem, they likely have their own insecurities that causes them to lash out at others.

[Onedayprobably]

I think that one day, eventually "those" will disappear but we're born too early to see mankind freed from all this "I am so I do" stuff

[PrettyPriya]

Well, that would be nice to live in a world someday that allows anyone to follow their passions, regardless of gender.

[Sour-rose]

Because money. It's designed that way to have something for this gender so it can make more money off it. Like toys for kids. The boys get this and the girls get this. And you know kids, they want something until they're throwing a tantrum. And like that, you got a pissed off parent but a happy little georgie with his brand new toy that will break in 3 weeks. No refunds. :D

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

Society and people like to dictate to others and put them in a box as a form of control.

A person that lives their life base on what society tells and dictate to them will never be free nor happy because they live just to please others and their standards, not theirs.

I say screw society.

[Onedayprobably]

I think you can still be happy with living how society wants you to. If you're born in a good position indeed.

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

You can never be happy trying to please people. It's impossible.

Please person A, B, C, and D still won't be pleased. Please E, F, G then J won't be pleased.

It's a miserable way to live. It's a prison.

[notwoke]

because girls and boys really aren't physically and mentally the same and these different characteristics make them tend to enjoy different things. Just like dog toys and cat toys, while some are interchangeable the ideal dog toys are not ideal for cats and visa versa.

[gorydetails]

Because boys and girls are different and have different desires/bodies/brains. This is kindergarten-level stuff, you should have learned this already.

[Onedayprobably]

Could you please elaborate further then. I quitted school early so I probably lack common knowledge, but how can you explain the different desires part? Is it something in the body that tells us what we want and it's divided between guys and girls automatically?

[gorydetails]

Yes. It's called genetics and hormones. Men and women have different sex genes. Also different sex hormones. Men have more testosterone and women have more estrogen. Both play a powerful role in our behavior.

[Onedayprobably]

So from the birth of humans, both have different behavior, wich in the beginning, is maybe some details, but then centuries after centuries and with fast evolution recently, these details amplified and took another level so people started to think "most men behave like this in their life, so they should have or do" etc. It must seem logic at the beginning but in the end, some people can't live how they want in some places. If Im not too wrong here, then I guess I see now 😅

[gorydetails]

Where you're wrong is the "they should have to" part. There have been studies of young chimpanzees done. They are put in rooms with a bunch of toys. The boy chimpanzees will pick up trucks, balls, bats, etc. Girl chimpanzees will gravitate towards doll toys and play house. It's what the different genders find interest in, not something forced on them.

[Onedayprobably]

wow I'll definitely search more things on these studies, thanks. That's kinda scary tho

[gorydetails]

Why would it be scary? It's a system that's worked for eons.

[Onedayprobably]

I dont really know, It's just how I feel about thinking that there is a chance that I have no "true" reason to think as I do, as someone who loves science, it will be embarassing to admit to myself that I was wrong about something like that. But I dont feel like Im wrong yet, just that I dont have enough informations for a good way to conclude this matter in my mind (before it comes back in some years)

[Anonymous]

I don't think society is doing anything. I think all of these so called forced behaviors are rooted in biology and society is built around that.

Males are prone to behave in a masculine manner and women feminine. Those traits are what attracts the sexes to each other and interfering with them will lead to a loss in reproductive potential in a society.

[bamesjond0069]

I think because men and women are different and therefore it's pretty normal they want different things. It's no different then saying why do monkeys and zebras like different food? Because they are different.

[Vaporvan]

It's clear that men and women are very different. It's only natural and even as children, they will look for and enjoy different things.

[In_Trance]

It's a segregation tactic