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Why does society focus so much on the problem of gender roles rather than attempting to fix the problem?

What are the differences in gender roles around the world?

Why are women questioned a lot more than men? Why do people think that what they might be doing is wrong?

How can we find an equilibrium of work life and family life for women?

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Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.” (Genesis 29:16-18)

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“Certainly I will go with you,” Deborah responds with a hint of mockery. “But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman” (Judges 4:9). Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim, and all Sisera’s troops fell by the sword; not a man was left. Sisera, meanwhile, fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was an alliance between Jabin king of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite. Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come, my lord, come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket (Judges 4:16-18). But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died. (Judges 4:21)

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When the attendants delivered the king’s command, Vashti refused to obey. Her defiance infuriated the king, who consulted his closest advisers on how to respond to his wife’s disobedience. A confidant named Memukan replied, “Queen Vashti has done wrong, not only against the king but also against all of the nobles and the people of all the provinces of King Xerxes. For the queen’s conduct will become known to all the women, and so they will despise their husbands and say, ‘King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to be to be brought before him, but she would not come.’ This very day the Persian and Median women of nobility who have heard about the queen’s conduct will respond to all the king’s nobles in the same way. There will be no end of disrespect and discord.” (Esther 1:16-18)

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Days for Girls is an organization that provides reusable sanitary pads for girls in third world countries. Without this service, girls will continue to miss school due to their menstrual cycle, continuing the education gap of the genders.

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Let's shatter the stigma
of menstruation

Days for Girls works to eliminate the stigma and limitations associated with menstruation so that women and girls have improved health, education and livelihoods. To date, we have reached over 3 million women and girls with our life-changing menstrual health solutions.

WHY PERIODS?

Menstrual health management is a matter of human rights, and a critical component to achieving gender equity.

SEE THE POTENTIAL FOR CHANGE

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Days for Girls International is a global nonprofit working to eliminate the stigma and limitations associated with menstruation.

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They strive for equality of women. They do not only strive for equality among women but for equality between young men and women. They have different programs and activities to help end this separation between men and women.

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On 6 February, two massive earthquakes devastated southeastern Türkiye and northwestern Syria, leaving tens of thousands dead and many more injured. As the death toll continues to rise, survivors are facing freezing temperatures without shelter, clothes or food. UN Women is on the ground, responding to immediate humanitarian needs and developing longer-term recovery strategies that ensure women's agency and leadership. Support women, girls and families in Türkiye and Syria today.

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UN Women is the global champion for gender equality, working to develop and uphold standards and create an environment in which every woman and girl can exercise her human rights and live up to her full potential. We are trusted partners for advocates and decision-makers from all walks of life, and a leader in the effort to achieve gender equality.

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In this article I learned that toys are still highly marketed to a specific gender. This article goes into detail about the history of marketing and toys created by companies. In the 1920s toys pushed traditional roles and marketed specifically towards gender. In the 1970s with the second wave of feminism there was almost an elimination of gender targeted toys. However, in the late 1980s with the introduction of ultra sounds and knowing the gender of your baby. Then with the introduction of shows connected to toys gender specification became even more prominent. Toys that are considered gender neutral always have typically masculine colors like red, grey, and blue. Even if toy stores try to stop specifying toys by gender the toys that are being made are still strongly directed to girls or boys. Not to mention the toys that are made for girls aren’t allowing them to develop their minds like boys. Boys typically play with legos or puzzles or things that will develop spatial awareness and helps with math and science. Whereas Lego’s line for girls is more about play acting then actually building therefore not giving girls the same development.

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This story appears in the January 2017 issue ofNational Geographic magazine. Read the print version in stores December 27, purchase a copy by mail by calling 1-800-777-2800, or come back to read the full digital version of the issue online on December 19.

For adults, play is a break from life. For children, especially in the earliest stages of childhood development, play is life, and toys are the tools of early learning.

That includes lessons about gender. American society has made significant strides towards gender equality over the past century, but children's toys seem to be moving in the opposite direction, reinforcing traditional roles rather than expanding them. The implications are serious: The way girls play may affect how their brains develop.

There's a long history of marketing toys by gender. Sociologist Elizabeth Sweet, at the California State University, Sacramento, analyzed more than 7,300 toys in Sears catalogs from the 20th century. She discovered that gender-based toy ads from the 1920s to the 1950s pushed traditional roles: the "little homemaker"; the "young man of industry." In 1925, about half the toys in the Sears catalog were marketed explicitly to either boys or girls. Many toy advertisements appealed to boys as "young entrepreneurs," with a sales pitch to use on their parents. In 1945, with World War II winding down and many women leaving factories for domestic life, Sweet says toys were "overwhelmingly targeted at girls in a very explicit way: Your little girl will love this dish set!"

It was not always this way. With the second-wave feminist movement in full swing, the 1970s saw a near-elimination of gendered toys: Only 2 percent of toys in the 1975 Sears catalog were marketed explicitly to boys or girls. Even the small fraction of gender-specific toys-Barbie, for example-were mostly outfitted in primary, gender-neutral colors: red, yellow, blue.

But in the 1980s, gender distinctions resurged in children's goods, especially clothing. Marketers may have seen an opportunity as ultrasound technology became widely available, says Sweet, and parents could learn the sex of their babies before birth.

It also became easier to reach kids. In the 1970s, regulations limited toy companies' ability to advertise directly to children on television, but deregulation under the Reagan Administration dismantled those protections in 1984. Toys and children's entertainment became heavily intertwined, and manufacturers developed shows based on toys-like My Little Pony and Transformers -that followed niche-marketing wisdom by appealing to just one gender, says Sweet. It was a boon for the toy business: By December 1985, nine out of the 10 best-selling toys were linked to television shows, according to Diane Levin, a professor of education at Wheelock College in Boston.

The onslaught of gender-based marketing has only become more pronounced. A 2012 study by Carol Auster, a sociologist at Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania, examined the retail website of Disney, one of the most powerful children's tastemakers, and saw that every single toy was categorized as either "girl toys" or "boy toys." Disney now cross-lists all its toys under both girls' and boys' sections, but at the time Auster conducted her study, only 91 out of 410 toys appeared on both lists. Those that were cross-listed were all of a color scheme more traditionally associated with boys: blue, green, red, gray. Even for ostensibly gender-neutral children's toys, masculine gender coding seems to be the default.

This is because girls have leeway in American society that boys do not. "We've really defined a much narrower role of what counts as masculinity," Auster says. " 'Tomboy' can mean anything from neutral to great. 'Sissy' is not meant in a positive way among kids." Children and parents alike often police masculinity in ways that can magnify gender distinctions in toys, she explains; it's hard to sell a boy a pink and purple play kitchen.

Even for ostensibly gender-neutral children's toys, masculine gender coding seems to be the default.

Targeting toys by gender has consequences beyond socialization. A 2015 study found that boys are more likely to play with toys that develop spatial intelligence-K'nex, puzzles, Lego bricks-than girls are. Marketing can certainly play a role, says study author Jamie Jirout, a developmental psychologist at the University of Virginia. The girl-oriented product line Lego Friends focuses on playacting rather than construction; aisles in some toy stores distinguish "building sets" from "girls' building sets."

Boys also appear to play differently. According to a 2012 study by Susan Levine, a professor of education and psychology at the University of Chicago, boys opt to play with more complex puzzles-and get more spatially related encouragement from their parents. Parents are more likely to use words that foster spatial thinking-tall, big, edge, top, and bottom-when their children play with more challenging puzzles.

These distinctions may shape later life: "Spatial skills are a piece of the explanation for the underrepresentation of women in science and tech," says Jirout. Informal activities like play are key to developing spatial skills, which, she says, are "not only important for math and science but for what we call 'executive function'-higher-level thinking." Being comfortable with certain types of toys may also shape kids' confidence in specific subjects, adds Auster.

There are signs things may be changing. Major toy retailers from Target to Walmart to Amazon are de-emphasizing gender labeling of toys. Even the oldest toy store in the world-Hamley's in the U.K., which dates back to 1750-dropped gender labeling in 2012.

Yet the toys themselves remain heavily split, the gender roles reminiscent of those pushed on kids in 1925, but more fantastical: The homemaker is the princess; the carpenter, the action hero.

"You take the pink backdrop down, but it's still a pink aisle," Sweet says of the toy sections of retail stores. In the risk-averse toy industry, where developing and marketing toys by gender is a reliable approach, companies like Hasbro divide their products into boy and girl categories on their annual reports.

Ultimately, it may be up to parents to bridge the gender divide. "Their biased views and their stereotypes might be influencing children," says Jirout. "Girls don't necessarily care about the color of their toys."

Editor's Note: The headline has been changed to better reflect the research described in the story.
The story has been updated to reflect the current status of Disney's online toy listings.

Natasha Daly is an assistant editor at National Geographic. Follow her on Twitter.

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How Today's Toys May Be Harming Your Daughter

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This story appears in the January 2017 issue ofNational Geographic magazine. Read the print version in stores December 27, purchase a copy by mail by calling 1-800-777-2800, or come back to read the full digital version of the issue online on December 19. For adults, play is a break from life.

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Men need help for mental health  more than women.

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Men need help for mental health  more than women.

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The society always requires men to “never show weakness, never show fragility and above all, never let them see your tears.” However, a recent study shows that male athletes have a 3-4 times higher suicide rate than female athletes. This draws the public’s attention on the mental health problem of male athletes. As males are always told to be tough, they wear the mask of being strong and a “real man” without showing their emotions to others. They are blamed as "blubbing big boy" when they do show emotions which is a normal thing for girls to do. The article suggests that the society should not neglect men’s mental health and only focuses on that of women. The conventional definition of being a “real man” is destructive to their health.

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I'm not sure how old I was when I was first instructed that boys don't cry - at a guess, maybe six or seven. Once it began, it came at me from all angles: family, teachers, friends, the myriad voices of media and culture. Like pretty much all boys, I learned that tears and sobs were markers of failure. Whether facing up to playground beatings, bullies or teachers, the rules of the game were simple: if you cry, you lose. As little boys begin to construct the identities of grown men, the toughest lesson to learn is toughness itself. Never show weakness, never show fragility and above all, never let them see your tears.

With such beliefs (literally) beaten into us from an early age, it is easy to be shocked by the candour of the former footballer Dean Windass. In a heartbreaking interview on Sunday he described two suicide attempts in the past few days. "Everyone thinks that Dean Windass is a laugh and a joke and a kid blah blah blah, and got loads of money and his wife and kids are lovely," he told the People. "But that's all a mask. I was in pieces, I couldn't stop drinking or crying. I've cried every day for the last two years."

Coming just weeks after the dreadful loss of Wales manager Gary Speed, the interview has again focused attention on the mental health of sports stars. Professional athletes undoubtedly face unique problems, but it would be a mistake to think this is just football's problem. One out of every 5,700 men will kill themselves in any given year. The rate is between three and four times higher for men than for women, and highest among men under 35. In recent years, suicide has become the single largest cause of death for young men, overtaking even road traffic accidents. In the UK, more people die from suicide every decade than have ever died from HIV/Aids.

We are looking at an epidemic, and worse, an epidemic that society seems content to accept. There is little apparent concern that men underuse primary healthcare, and are consequently less likely to be referred to mental health services. With most psychiatric professionals accepting a causal link between suicide rates and socio-economic conditions, worklessness, poverty and insecure employment, prospects of these statistics improving in the near future look bleak.

While politicians and health services could certainly do more, surely we have a wider responsibility as a society to examine how we implant and enforce the damagingly rigid, insular stoicism that underpins our understanding of what it means to be a man. Most of us recognise that women's sexual continence has been traditionally policed by prevailing social attitudes, but it's less often observed that men's emotional continence is policed in a very similar way.

As I've written before, attempts by men to address their own gender-specific issues are often greeted with hostility and disdain. Last year, the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, revealed that he sometimes shed a tear listening to a moving piece of music, and that he took personal attacks to heart. The response from some journalists, such as Christina Odone in the Telegraph, was vicious attacks on a "blubbing big boy". Jane Powell of the brilliant charity Calm, who knows more about this issue than most, responded : "Telling men that they should at least pretend to be invincible, shouldn't show feelings, should be strong and silent if they want to be a 'real man', is destructive, selfish and plain nasty." Even the Guardian is not immune. Recently one professional attempted to bring a successful Australian scheme to the UK, which uses the imaginative hook of garden sheds to get men discussing and addressing their own mental health and wellbeing. The response was an article mocking the very idea that men might need help, and demanding to know why it wasn't being offered to women instead.

There is no single, simple solution to the suicide epidemic. The first stage must be to acknowledge the problems, at both an individual and societal level. It takes immense courage and strength for men to speak about their own mental health, flouting our deepest conditioning. For that reason, we should not only wish Windass a full recovery from his current illness, but recognise that in speaking up and seeking help he did something more courageous, more important and, perhaps, more truly manly than anything in his distinguished career on the pitch.

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We tell boys not to cry, then wonder about male suicide | Ally Fogg

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I'm not sure how old I was when I was first instructed that boys don't cry - at a guess, maybe six or seven. Once it began, it came at me from all angles: family, teachers, friends, the myriad voices of media and culture.

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Gender Roles in A Year of Biblical Womanhood 

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Gender Roles in A Year of Biblical Womanhood 

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“Whenever Dan asked me to pass the salt– ‘Yes, Master’–or beckoned me from another room– ‘I’ll be right there, Master’–or requested help in located his car keys– ‘Well, where the heck did you see them last, master?’ ”(55)

“ ‘The Bible requires that a wife be available to her husband,’ he said. ‘This means keeping yourself beautiful for him.’ ”(99)

“Masters were encouraged to marry their female slaves instructed to treat all of their wives equally, granting them comparable food, clothing, and conjugal rights(Exodus 21:7-11.”(48)

“We both knew this whole exchange was a bit tongue-in-cheek, but I still felt kinda bad. Afterall, I didn’t marry Rachel because I wanted someone to make me lunch” (6).

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Kids around the world give their opinion on what it is like to be a boy or a girl.

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Kids around the world give their opinion on what it is like to be a boy or a girl.

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Hear Kids' Honest Opinions on Being a Boy or Girl Around the World | National Geographic