just a couple of things that I looked at the rest is readings...

http://www.dwell.com/articles/kyle-schuneman-on-masculine-design.html

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=TPZNAAB1xqUC&pg=PA72&lpg=PA72&dq=masculinity+in+graphic+design&source=bl&ots=ACHURaLcFC&sig=z8lJb3FiE1mNuqXHMvbaEbdNuFU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=F2idT6ODIIuR0QXv0r2KDw&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=masculinity%20in%20graphic%20design&f=false
reading

design

http://charlenetiedemann.com/alittledesign/2010/07/the-feminine-vs-masculine-graphic-design-style/

Talks about gender in the design industry to this date...

masculinity in graphic design

"Graphic design is constructed through history as a masculine discourse. The first hundred years of design history, the discipline was largely written from the stand point of men, it affected gender itself making it conceptulised. Explained until the late 1960's movement q feminist intervention was required in design and theory practice."
Don't know were this came from was in my notes from gender lecture...

i hate blogging :(

Sorry to Finish my posts on a weird one but I remember hearing about this story and thought I would share :)
This is the kind of thing that shows how sex change is not natural. But who can say they won't be a good parent?


Sex change British man gives birth to son

This selection from John Bergers' iconic work on they way we view and are in turn viewed give a better understanding to how some of the fore mentioned ideas of female self awareness and sexual assertiveness.

The social presence of men and women

Berger points out that traditionally, men and women have different types of social
presence. Men are measured by the degree of power they offer. The power may be
in any number of forms, for example moral, physical, economic etc. A man’s
presence suggests what he may or may not be able to do to or for you. In contrast
to this, a woman’s presence indicates what can or cannot be done to her. Every
thing she does contributes to her presence. She is born into the keeping of men, and
from childhood is taught to survey herself, with the result that her being is split
into two, the surveyed and the surveyor. Her own sense of being is replaced by a
sense of being appreciated by others – ultimately men. He acts, she appears, and she
watches herself being looked at. ‘The surveyor of woman in herself is male: the surveyed female. Thus she turns herself into an object – and most particularly an object of vision: a sight.’


Ways of Seeing by John Burger.
First published 1972.
2008 edition. 


Women (and to some degree men) view themselves as objects to be looked upon. Every single girl does it where she admits it or not. We continually watch ourselves, be it how our body looks or the clothes we choose to wear. We are continually judging ourselves and others and how they will judge us in turn.
Its not as if you put up pictures of yourself up on facebook looking 'horrible' or undesirable. (other people do that for you!)

Therefore I don't think that dressing in skirts, dresses and high heals means that you can not have feminist ideals and morals, even if you don't want to own up to being an outright feminist. Your choices don't affect your ability to want equal rights.
 Society has made women surveyors of themselves but that needn't pigeon hole women to see themselves as objects to be admired or on the other hand, dismisses her right to feel good in her own skin, even if she's only feeling good because of a social  myth of what 'Good' is.




In his (Berger) analysis of Giansborough's painting Mr and Mrs Andrews, he showed the intimate relationship between landscape painting and capitalism:


'The point being made is that, among the pleasures their portrait gave to Mr and Mrs Andrews, was the pleasure of seeing themselves depicted as landowners and their pleasure was enhanced by the ability of oil paint to render their land in all its substantiality.' (1972: 108)


Image and Representation, Concepts in Media Studies.
Nick Lacy
Second edition 2009


While this extract of Bergers book talks about Capitalism I feel like the ideas of post feminism can be applied to the idea of pleasure at seeing oneself depicted, for example in advertisements and photographs and seeing ones own 'wealth' which in this case could be feminine beauty or sexual assertiveness.

 I'm trying to weigh out the battles of the 'sexist' advert such as the previously examined Opium perfume ad and show that not all scenes of women in arousing or questionable positions are necessarily sexist but perhaps post-feministic. The women are aware of how old age sexism says they should act and how outdated feminism says they should fight and are sticking up the middle finger and giving a nod at the same time.

Then again who says what feminine beauty is?! Double edged sword time!

Then again who says what feminine beauty is 

Feminists by Attitude

What interests me about feminism and the feminist movement is how it is perceived now by a modern generation of women.
Women are so aware of the term and more notably the stigma of being a 'Feminist' that many refuse to label themselves such even though they live with the morals and ideals of one.

Call them granddaughters of feminism. This is the first generation of young women to have no collective memory of of the struggles their predecessors' have endured in securing the rights they now take for granted - the pill, abortion, and equality in the workplace, among others. While some double standards and glass ceilings still exist on the battleground of the sexes, Gen Y girls see very few barriers ahead. Confident and commanding respect, they are taking with them into the marketplace a vastly different view of their place in society. And their voices are loud and clear. Some 35 million strong, a group almost as large as their Boomer Fore-mothers, they are poised to alter every industry they tough. Just like their bar-burning elders, kit seems they too will forever change the practice of marketing to women.
In may ways, Gen Ys could prove more tricky to reach than the preceding generations. Four decades ago, advertising messages need only tell you how a product could make the sink sparkle. Tin the 1970s and 80s, ads like Secret's "strong enough for a man, but made for a woman," were enough to speak to that generation. By the 1990s. marketing to women evolved once again, this time reflecting women's "soccer mom" role as head juggler of career and family. But today's Gen Ys represent a more complex target for marketeers. They have to access, on average, to 62 TV channels, not to mention the internet, personal digital assistants and mobile phones- increasing the number of avenues through which advertisers can reach them. most important, they are the first generation to take women's equality for granted. "Feminism today feels like fluoride," says Amy Richards, co-author of manifest A: Young Women, Feminism and the Future, and co founder of the Third Wave Foundation, an organisation devoted to helping young women recognise and fight women's issues. "We scarcely notice that we have it - its simply in the water."
  Dr. Ellen Freidman, a professor of women's studies at the Collage of New Jersey, likes to illustrate this phononmen with  a classroom  exercise. She starts her first class of the semester by asking a roomful of freshmen students, "How many of you are feminists?" At most, one or two hands go up, says Freidman. Then she asks, "How many of you believe in equal pay for equal work" and all the hands are raised. According to an exclusive study conducted for American Demographics by New York City-based youth market research firm Element, just 34 percent of girls, aged 13 to 20, label themselves feminists. Yet, even if the word is outmoded, the ideas that define it are still alive in the attitudes of today youth. Ninety-seven percent believe a woman should receive the same pay for the same work as a man does: 92 percent agree that a woman's lifestyle choices should not be limited by her gender; and 89 percent say a woman can be successful without a man or children.
  Unlike their 70s feminist ancestors, who believed that 'acting like a girl' was asking to be treated as such, most of today's young women do not feel any disjoint between being a feminist (or identifying with feminist ideals) and being  feminine. "Just because you want to be treated equal doesn't mean you can scream when you see a spider," says Karisa Powers, 15, from Soldonta, Alaska. In fact, 56 percent of young women agree that, ' a man should always open the door for a woman.' according to the Element study. Only 8 percent disagree (35 percent are neutral.)
Just 25 percent of girls identify with the statement, 'there are still many inequalities between sexes and women need to combine to fight for their rights,' say the researchers at Element. 'These girls are not interested in hearing about organized movements or activism,' says  Marie C. Wilson, president of the Ms. Foundation for Women. 'They are feminists by attitude.'

Granddaughters of Feminism
By: Gardyn, Rebecca. 
American Demographics, April 2001, Vol. 23 Issue 4, p42




I think its definitely positive how women can now nod to the past of feminism and who live by its values without acknowledging it. In an ideal (and ironicly feministic) world the feminist movement shouldn't have to exist at all. Gender and Sex should be equal and the western world  does seem to be moving in the direction of this primarily in the attitude that active feminism is no longer needed or seen to be of great importance.

Knowledge and perspective are key.

I also find it interesting that we have been looking at this subject from a mainly western point of view. Perspectives change with knowledge and vice versa. 

closing post

Just wanted to write my own closing post to everyone, considering we are an all girl group looking at gender, i think we have done it justice from both sides (most times), i have learned a lot of things that i would never of though of before when looking into how children's can be gendered by media and things they see every day. Wish everyone the best in passing the second semester and enjoy the holidays and will see you all in september :)

Key text 3

Gender, youth and culture: young masculinities and femininities

Nayak, Anoop; Kehily, Mary Jane

Book. English.

Published Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan 2007

Wouldnt let me on the full thing, but i had this book out of the library and read the constructions of gender in youth part.

Women and Stereotypes

Really good blog. It talks about the show 'The Real Housewives of Orange County' which I really love!
Are the women on this shows and similar shows really independent or does the word 'housewives' show otherwise? Most seem to just live off their partners and try and look about 20 when they are really like 40. They just come across as desperate and act like immature girls with their cat fights. Does money really make a women elegant? I don't think so...they just look down on everyone else!

Key text 2

1. 
   

2. ‘Are You Guys Girls?’: Boys, Identity Texts, and Disney Princess Play

3. 
   
4. 
   
5. Karen E. Wohlwend, Literacy, Culture and Language Education, Indiana University, 3042 Wright, Bloomington, IN 47405,

Drawing from critical sociocultural perspectives that view play, literacy, and gender as social practices, boys’ Disney Princess play is examined as a site of identity construction and contestation situated within overlapping communities of femininity and masculinity practice where children learn expected practices for ‘doing gender’. The article presents critical discourse analysis of two instances of five- and six-year-old children’s doll play excerpted from data collected during a year of weekly visits to one focal kindergarten in a US Midwest public school, which is part of a larger three-year study of literacy play as mediated discourse. Through princess play, children enacted femininities and masculinities and negotiated character roles with peers in ways that enforced and contested gender expectations circulated in media marketing and enacted in play groups. Findings indicate that doll play is a productive pedagogy for mediating gendered identity texts circulating through global media and for creating spaces for diverse gender performances in early childhood settings.

Wouldnt let me get onto see the full pdf file ? but by the sounds of the abstract its what im wanting to go on about.

Key text 1

Deconstructing Childhood and Childhood ‘Innocence’

The new sociology of childhood field highlights how childhood is discursively and socially constructed and critiques modernist, universal, biologically fixed understandings of childhood, primarily perpetuated within developmental psychology. Within social construction perspectives, the notion of childhood is viewed as culturally inscribed on the physical bodies of children. That is, what it means to be a child differs across social, cultural, political, economic and historical contexts and that it is important to view child development across these differences (James and Prout 1990; Gittins 1998; James, Jenks, and Prout 1998). The more traditional explanations of childhood, those perpetuating white, Western, middle-class values, fail to recognise the instability, multiplicity and fluidity of childhood across a broad range of socio-cultural, gendered, sexualised, classed, racialised and historical contexts.

Hegemonic discourses of childhood artificially construct mutually exclusive worlds* the world of the adult and the world of the child*in which adult􏰀child relationships are defined and binarised, signifying hierarchical relations of power (James and Prout 1990; Cannella 1997; Gittins 1998; Dahlberg, Moss, and Pence 1999; Robinson 2002). In this binary, children are socially constructed as innocent, immature, dependent, and the powerless ‘other’ in relation to the independent, mature, powerful, critically thinking and ‘knowing’ adult (Robinson 2002). This relationship is perpetuated through what are generally upheld as logical and natural differences between adults and children and operates to exclude children from the ‘adult’s world’ (Gittins 1998). Berry Mayall, a theorist of the sociology of childhood, points out that children’s ‘lives are lived through childhoods constructed for them by adult understandings of childhood and what children are and should be’ (1996, 1). We argue that what adults consider appropriate knowledge for children*what children should know*often in the name of protecting childhood innocence, is a critical component of this construction.

Within hegemonic discourses of childhood, ‘innocence’ is a deeply entrenched value considered inherent in the child. However, as we have argued for the recognition of childhood as a discursive and material socio-cultural construction, we also view childhoodDECONSTRUCTING CHILDHOOD ‘INNOCENCE’ 345

innocence as a similar construction. James Kincaid (1992) in his critique of childhood innocence argues that innocence is not a characteristic that pre-exists in the child, but rather is a cultural myth that is ‘inculcated’ and ‘enforced’ upon children and generally viewed by adults as in need of protection. We argue that childhood ‘innocence’ is a part of the construction of childhood more broadly, and is a critical political site at which the adult􏰀child power relationship, and the mutually exclusive ‘world of adults’ and the ‘world of the child’ is maintained. Consequently, certain knowledge becomes adults’ knowledge from which children are excluded. Such knowledge, Robinson (2005a) argues, can be viewed as difficult knowledge (Britzman 1998) sites in which many adults experience great discomfort in dealing with their own understandings, values, prejudices and fears; they are points at which the discursive locations of subjects can become challenged and troubled. The discomfort often associated with these locations is intensified when considered in the context of children, their perceived inherent innocence and their learning, influencing what becomes constituted as appropriate knowledge to communicate with children (Robinson 2002, 2005a, 2005b, 2005c; Silin 1995).

Henry Jenkins points out that ‘childhood innocence presumes that children exist in a space beyond, above, outside the political; we imagine them to be noncombatants whom we protect from the harsh realities of the adult world’ (1998, 2). Drawing on the work of Carey Bazalgette and David Buckingham (1995), Jenkins highlights the way in which children are viewed as ‘asocial or perhaps, pre-social’, resulting in an emphasis on their ‘inadequacies’, ‘immaturity’, and ‘irrationality’ (1998, 2). Jenkins goes on to point out that because ‘developmental psychology focuses on defining and encouraging ‘‘normative’’ development, it does not provide us with the tools for critiquing the cultural power invested in childhood innocence’ (1998, 2). This is a critical point because developmental psychology is foundational to the hegemonic discourse of childhood, constituting possibilities of thinking about the child, thus preventing different readings. ‘Cultural power’ in childhood innocence operates to maintain adult􏰀child power relations, distinctions in what is constituted adult knowledge and appropriate children’s knowledge, but it also acts as a convenient excuse for adults not to address difficult knowledge with children.

‘SHE’S KICKIN’ ASS, THAT’S WHAT SHE’S DOING!’ Deconstructing Childhood ‘Innocence’ in Media Representations

Kerry H. Robinson and Cristyn Davies

Age 8 and Wanting a Sex Change

This is the type of thing that really interests me about this gender study. What makes someone male or female? I can't imagine feeling at age 8 that I wasn't the right sex but of course this is a lot more common nowadays. I'm not sure how I would feel if my child wanted a sex change, but if someone is so unhappy then happiness is more important that what society might say or think.

I can't help feel society has an input into why children feel like they aren't who they should be because literally being you is never good enough. I definitely couldn't cope with being a boy although I do wish it was as easy to get ready as it is for them :)

This is one of the comments on that page about the documentary:

'Look I'm transgender, born a girl, now a guy, I'm happy this way. I made this choice when I was 14, I'm now 22, at first my parents didn't accept it, said it was a phase, you'll grow out of it, refused to call me by my chosen name, refused to use mae pronouns, and tried to force me to be a girl.. It was too much I couldn't believe how unexcepting they were of it. After a month or so of this torment, I tried to take my own life. I thought that was better than being stuck in a girls body, being unhappy the rest of my life, thought i was causing all this distress on my family it was better that I was dead. I didn't die (obviously my attempt failed after i got rushed to hospital) after that my family tried harder to accept and now they do. They prefered to have me alive, boy or girl. But a lot of kids wont be so lucky. So any of you people out there who don't agree with what these parents are doing in this programme. Just think about that. Would you rather have your child alive and happy? Or unhappy then dead'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rT28Z0xM88&NR=1&feature=endscreen

Ok change of plan, kinda ?? going to focus more on what tv gives children expectations of :) Love Jenna Marbles !!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-aDuk5Oufc

Not a reliable source but i like what she has done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WjLG4c5sD8&feature=related

This is interesting, i like the part when she talks about Hannah Montana. even though it isnt what im really ment to be looking for the rest speaks strongly about how young men see women and how we feel we need to look to be wanted.

http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/hzi9402.html

Another piece i found really interesting was this, i had never thought about this before. It goes on about how children will pick up so much info from tv not just stuff that is ment to be learning tv but even adverts and normal programs. it tells you about percentages of woman to men playing leading roles in programs and how women are mostly playing 'housewife' type roles and if we ever see a man in this situation they are usualy strugiling to work the dishwasher or something. If children as exposed to this hours each day they will soon pick it up as the norm. even though in my sisters house it is? she is a stay at home mum while her husband works away off shore so to my nephews this is typically the norm but to other children it might not be and it is good for them to know that woman are just as equal and can have the 'boss' jobs just like the men and should not have to stay at home. Even when you look at films we were brought up with such as snow white and fox and the hound, etc. they all have manly 'bread winners' playing the male roles and rescuing women. And all they woman are seen to be stay at home baking and caring for the house type. Even the simpsons show this as well.

http://www.meac.org/Resources/ed_services/SG_WEB/SeeingGender/PDFs/SocialConstructionOfGender.pdf

This is a lot to read but i found it useful, helped me a lot, did not go into detail as much as i would of liked on the child side of how you are brought up with toys and how you were dressed would effect decisions you make in later life, but think everyone should give it a read.

Image is a tad crude but yeah you get the idea.

Are women really showing a post feminist view of themselves if they are involved in cybersex or is it just cause they can? 

Deborah Sussman on Women as Primary Breadwinners

It's a bit of a read so here's a snippet from it :)


'Secondary-earner husbands more likely to have been unemployed. Earnings disparities can arise not only from differences in age, education and occupation, but also from differences in labour force attachment and work patterns. Indeed, 16% of  secondary - earner husbands were unemployed at some point in 2003, compared with only 7% of  primary - earner husbands.

Moreover, the length of the husband’s unemployment spell was more likely to be longer when the wife was the primary earner. More than one-quarter of secondary-earner husbands who had been unemployed spent more than six months looking for work. On the other hand, only 12% of primary-earner husbands were unemployed for that length of time. The same held true in 1994 when 22% of secondary-earner husbands were unemployed at some point during the year, compared with only 10% of primary-earner husbands. In some cases then, the wife’s primary breadwinner role may not have been intended, but rather may have
occurred by default.'

How do you guys feel about a male/female dominated workplace? Do you think it's not as segregated today?

In terms of my own family, my dad has been unemployed since last September and my mum has been the breadwinner. I don't see any issue in this other than the obvious need for two incomes these days.

Do you think it should still be the man that goes out and works and the mother stays at home with the kids? Seeing as we are studying to be designers in our own right, we will have a strong opinion on how we feel we should be treated as an individual and not just as a gendered person.

Does this song have any relevance today?

Is Chivalry Sexist?

Click on link above ^^

Just another article that I found quite interesting!
Is it difficult to find a 'gentleman' these days ladies? Or do women not deserve this 'old fashioned' treatment anymore?

Sweden Thinks So

http://shine.yahoo.com/team-mom/kids-raised-gender-neutral-society-sweden-thinks-033400030.html

Some of the issues about males hitting females are mentioned in this article. I think if every country in the world tried to do this, there would be a lot less kids growing up thinking there are some things they can't do because of their gender. It's hard to say that stereotypes would cease to exist because like we have said, we do need them to shape our idea of the world.

The epic debate continues!!

Can you want to be treated as equally but still want the 'perks' of being a woman?

 Hypocritical or femanistic?

Should boys hit girls back?

No you should be the better man and turn the other cheek!

But lets be real. What do you gals and garth think?

I remember some heated discussion in the studio about this subject!

Should men and women be seen as completely equal in everything they do? Are we fighting genetics?

Does absolute equality mean no holding open doors for lady's and placing cloaks in puddles?! Is chivalry sexist? To both genders? 

I don't think chivalry is sexist much. I get just as hacked off with girls when they let doors slam in my face as I do with guys. 

But it does beg the question of equality when certain things are expected of different genders. 

As usual 'society' gets in the way. Surely its personal preference if your partner wants to buy you flowers or walk with you on the inside of the pavement. They shouldn't feel obliged should they because of your sex?  Expectations of gender should be personal to you. But of course they're not because we are all part of that society. Its such a difficult argument to side on! aggghh!

We have to have these divisions to make sense of each other and the world. Its just some could be less...sexist! 

What do you guys think? Can you explain your thoughts and feeling any better than me? Girl on boy fighting?

Sexism or sexually assertive?

I've been wanting to talk about the idealistic feminine beauty often portrayed in magazine ads and how confusing it can be defining the myth being sold. Are the products been sold by sex or by sexual confidence?
At the end of the day both use the promise of sex but first we must decode what's going on.

A lot of the time these ads are construed as sexist, prominently to women but also to men. Much of the way the advert is perceived has to do with context. An image of an ideal woman in skimpy lingerie in a womans glossy magazine suggests that the model is expressing her freedom, embracing her sexuality and showing confidence. In a mens mag she might be seen as a sex object or subservient.

I think that if the women and men in these ads have the confidence to show their sexual assertion then that is brilliant and inspiring but its when it comes to what the adverts are selling that it becomes a problem of morels.That's when the lines blur and it becomes harder to tell if the models sexuality is being used positivity or degradingly. And even then its a matter of opinion.

It kind of comes back to that age old argument, 'Flaunting your gender and thus sexuality is aright when it suits your needs but when it doesn't then its sexist.' Which is bullshit but there's some logic in it somewhere. (I want to be treated as a lady but I can go chop wood and fight mountain lions too!(yay stereotypes!)). There are no solid boundaries which leave the argument open for endless debate. What's your opinion on this one guys? And who the hell decides what the ideal feminine beauty is anyway? Is it different for men and women?


Image and Representation: Concepts in Media Studies. By Nick Lacey 
Second edition 2009
Chapter 5. 5.2 Representations of gender. 


In the thirty years since Goffman's study, we would expect that the representation of gender would have evolved to take into account women's increasing equality in Western society. Studies have found that women's freedom is now often expressed in consumerist terms: 'the traditional images of the 'with-mother-housekeeper' is now being replaced by images of sexually assertive, confident and ambitious women who express their "freedom" through consumption' (ibid.:81).
In other words, to become this 'ideal' woman, the target audience need only buy the product or service on offer; there's no need for any 'collective struggle for social and political change' (ibid.:95).
   However, it may appear that at least there is an acknowledgement that women do have active desires and can be confident enough to assert them. the 1998 Wonderbra advert, featuring Eva Herzigova and copy saying 'Hello, Boys,'arguably encapsulated this new idea of femininity. Angela McRobbie suggested this this image was indicative of post-feminism, the wearer of the bra was confident in her sexuality and actively soliciting 'boys'; however, her confidence was reliant on the display of her breasts: 'it was, in a sense. taking feminism into account by showing it to be a thing of the past, by provocatively "enacting sexism" while at the same time playing with those debates in film theory about women being the object of the gaze and even female desire' (McRobbie 1996:32)

More recently, the Opium perfume advert featuring model Sophie Dahl lying naked, apart from a pair of high healed shoes, with one hand on her breast and her thighs parted, simulated a debate about the extent to which this represented a self-contained female, in no need of a man, or a sexual exploitation:


The Opium picyure of the nude woman was really terrible...Advertisers feel they have to shock to be memorable, to be effective - a problem that's become worse in the last five years. People are so used to these images they no longer see or react to sexism. But when such intimate scenes are exhibited in public it threatens everyone, not just women. (Florence Monterynaud, the founder of the Chiennes de Garde (guard bitches), quoted in The Independent, 26 November 2000)


On the other hand:


Sophie Dahl's body is... available for reading as an emblem of liberation, fun, self pleasure and pride, not only within an older libertarian tradition which celebrates porn, but also a much wider readership for which sexy images have become the currency of the day. (Feona Atwood, quoted in Gill 2007: 38)

The context in which the ad was seen is also likely to have an effect on the reading. If the ad was in a woman's magazine, then the latter view is more likely to be predominate; however, if the same ad were in a men's magazine, it's likely that women would take the former view (the men, however, are likely to view the image with lust). While we would expect men to be more likely to see women as sex objects' theorists have suggested that the way we should see a text is inscribed in the text itself.

Things Girls Don't Understand About Boys

Felt bad for leaving Garth out.....

Things Boys Don't Understand

Sorry for the overload of posts guys but here's something to make you smile :)
And Garth maybe you can just listen and learn ;)

Last key text guys!!

The New Gender Gap: What Went Wrong? By: Wiens, Kathryn, Journal of Education, 00220574, 2005, Vol. 186, Issue 3

INFLUENCE OF CULTURE
Society has a profound impact on those living within it. Like girls, men and boys( n1) conceptualize their identities in response to cultural ideals, which are influenced by their homes, their schools, and the media. Boys embrace the messages that appeal to them and emulate the cultural norms they observe (Harris, 1995; Pajares, 2002). The difference between the masculinization of boys and the feminization of girls lies in the models and expectations society provides for each gender. Currently, society presents girls with models of success, sending the message that girls can do anything they want--the "girl power"( n2) movement is going strong. For boys, the message is very different. As a teenage boy in Iowa recently reported, "society says we [boys] can't be trusted" (Conlin, 2003, p. 5).

For boys, fathers are the most powerful models and transmitters of cultural norms of male behavior. When fathers are absent, boys' peers and the media fill the gap (Harris, 1995). The problems that may arise as a result of conflict in gender socialization are often referred to in the literature as "gender role conflict" (Watts and Borders, 2005). Gender role conflict and the problems it describes have been applied to the study of both boys and girls of every racial and ethnic group. Experiences that fall into the category of gender role conflict are negatively attached to several maladaptive behaviors, one being a poor academic self-concept (Reichert and Kuriloff, 2001).

While success in school has become a more gender-neutral than male-identified trait in most socioeconomic groups, it continues to be sex-typed as female among poor and working-class populations (Salamone, 2005). It seems the ability of boys, especially poor and working-class boys, to adapt to their school's social landscape has a marked effect on the way they feel about themselves, which in turn correlates with their educational success (Reichert and Kuriloff, 2004). Because the transition from boyhood to manhood is a result of responding to "situational demand and social pressures" (Harris, 2005, p. 9), boys in poor and working-class populations are at an immediate disadvantage in school. Black boys are at an even greater disadvantage, says Hooks (2004), who supposes that "…many black males in our society embrace the notion that they are victims, that racism, The Man, treacherous black women, bitches of all colors and so forth are all making it hard for them to get ahead" (p. 5). Hooks (2004) extends the victimization of black boys to those black families who have attained an education:
Anti-intellectualism in black communities is often a weapon used in the class warfare between those black folks who feel condemned to a narrow existence because they are not educated and therefore unable to be upwardly mobile and educated black folks who are striving to be among the professional managerial class. (p. 43)

It seems that, in almost every sphere, the construction of the black male involves the rejection of norms set by whites, which, some have suggested, can help explain black boys' deliberate underachievement in school (Reese, 2004). The result is that young black men who have put effort into school and put their intelligence to use have "been called sissies, among other names" by their black classmates (Reese, 2004, p. 68). The problem is not limited to black boys or poor boys; the definition of manhood, in general, has changed over the last three decades and, in many cases, the definition does not include academic achievement. As a result, it seems, boys have developed defenses that hide their effort and motivation or discourage effort altogether.

Second of my key texts

Women, men, and all the other categories: Psychologies for theorizing human diversity. By: Magnusson, Eva, Nordic Psychology, 1901-2276, 2011, Vol. 63, Issue 2

...However, exactly how the sex categories have been seen to differ has varied through history, and between cultures and subcultures (Scott, 1988).Thus, though cultures typically ascribe to sex categories a basic meaning of “difference”, belonging to a particular sex category does not have a fixed or universal content, in the sense of opportunities or tasks ascribed. Being a woman, though it has meant being not a man, and also meant being seen asdifferent from men, has not been filled with exactly the same meaning content everywhere, or in all time periods. It was this mutability that made many feminist researchers in psychology and other disciplines adopt the grammatical term for sorts, gender (Latin, genus) when studying social and psychological consequences of, and corollaries to, the sex categories. Feminist psychologists in the 1970s, for instance, began using the term gender as a way to point to the cultural, social and psychological meanings that are given to sex categories in specific social settings (Unger, 1979). Much feminist thought has since then developed more complex arguments around gender that move beyond the (today seen as oversimplified) distinction between “biology” and “culture” in these early formulations. A uniting feature of contemporary feminist thought is the use of the term gender to denote a cultural meaning-system, not a characteristic of individuals. This distinguishes feminist theory from much psychological theory, where for instance, expressions such as “gender differences” are often used to denote differences in personal traits or abilities between individual men and women (Ely and Padavic, 2007).

First of my Three Key Texts

Boys and Girls on the Playground: Sex Differences in Social Development Are Not Stable across Early Childhood

Sex differences in human social behaviors and abilities have long been a question of public and scientific interest. Females are usually assumed to be more socially oriented and skilful than males. However, despite an extensive literature, the very existence of sex differences remains a matter of discussion while some studies found no sex differences whereas others reported differences that were either congruent or not with gender stereotypes. Moreover, the magnitude, consistency and stability across time of the differences remain an open question, especially during childhood. As play provides an excellent window into children’s social development, we investigated whether and how sex differences change in social play across early childhood. Following a cross-sectional design, 164 children aged from 2 to 6 years old, divided into four age groups, were observed during outdoor free play at nursery school. We showed that sex differences are not stable over time evidencing a developmental gap between girls and boys. Social and structured forms of play emerge systematically earlier in girls than in boys leading to subsequent sex differences in favor of girls at some ages, successively in associative play at 3–4 years, cooperative play at 4–5 years, and social interactions with peers at 5–6 years. Preschool boys also display more solitary play than preschool girls, especially when young. Nevertheless, while boys catch up and girls move on towards more complex play, sex differences in social play patterns are reversed in favor of boys at the following ages, such as in associative play at 4–5 years and cooperative play at 5–6 years. This developmental perspective contributes to resolve apparent discrepancies between single-snapshot studies. A better understanding of the dynamics of sex differences in typical social development should also provide insights into atypical social developments which exhibit sex differences in prevalence, such as autism.

Citation: Barbu S, Cabanes G, Le Maner-Idrissi G (2011) Boys and Girls on the Playground: Sex Differences in Social Development Are Not Stable across Early Childhood

Ahhhhhhh

Have been sitting reading all my books form the library, and noted to many interesting pages, untill my scanner decides to pack it in ?? will type them all up and have them on here for tonight :)

Sexism in Football

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17598719

Watched this show last night.
Was pretty scary how much women are discriminated in football, considering how far females have come.
I know discrimination works both ways, but it feels to me that women have a lot to prove to be taken as seriously or be treated equally to men.

Some of the stories are shocking! How do you think females should deal with discrimination today? Should we grin and bare it or stand up and be accounted for?