Gender stereotypes
- Mia Freedman
- August 27, 2008
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This week EB blogger Mia Freedman tackles the topic of gender stereotypes related to raising children. How many of them are true?
Who's easier to parent, boys or girls? This subject seems to come up a lot among my friends lately and I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's because some of us are pregnant and are mulling over which gender of baby will give us less drama.
And the general consensus? Boys are easier. Much.
As the mother of a boy and a girl, I'll admit to agreeing with this sentiment. My son is a thinker. My daughter is a firecracker. I didn't realise quite how low maintenance he was until she came along and helpfully redefined high maintenance for me.
Often, when she is doing something loud or naughty, my husband and I will turn to each other, gesture to our son, shake our heads and mutter "He would NEVER have done this at that age."
Even before I had a daughter, all my friends who had girls assured me that girls were hard work. Challenging. "You just clash with them more," said one friend "maybe it's because they're more like us." "Girls are so much more feisty," agreed another. "The moods drive me insane" complained a third.
And what did they say about boys? "Boys love their mummies," cooed one "it's such a beautiful uncomplicated relationship". "They're just….simpler," agreed another. "You always know where you stand with boys," explained yet another. "It's all out in the open, more predictable."
There are other gender stereotypes too. Girls are more independent. Boys more clingy. Girls are easier to toilet train. Boys start talking later.
Generally, I found most of this to be true. Not just for my own kids but also most of the other kids with whom I'm in regular contact. But I often wonder how much of the difference between children is due to gender and how much is due to other things like star signs or birth order or just…their personalities.
I recently had coffee with a girlfriend who I hadn't seen since she'd given birth to her second child, a girl, six months ago. Her son is four years old. While the little girl slept peacefully in her pram, we ate toasted sandwiches and I asked how it was going. "Oh. My. God. She is so…" "Full-on?" I interrupted. "Difficult? Feisty?" "No!" she replied, wide eyed. "She's the easiest child in the world! She's slept through the night from three weeks! I have to wake her at 8am! She NEVER cries! She's an absolute dream!" Continued...
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There are other gender stereotypes too. Girls are more independent. Boys more clingy. Girls are easier to toilet train. Boys start talking later.
