Researchers and academics search for the answer to this question and offer varying theories.
Category Archives: Gender Roles
When Did Girls Start Wearing Pink?
Blue is for boys and pink is for girls. Or are they? Read about how the colors associated with gender have changed over time.
Redshirt the Boys
Gender, age, and socioeconomic status play a part in how well someone performs in school. Read about the complicated and layered issue “redshirting” could help solve.
I’m an engineer, not a cheerleader. Let’s abandon silly rules about gender roles.
In this article, 17-year-old science student Sara Sakowitz shares her experience being a girl who loves science.
From Boys to Men: How Mentoring Is Smoothing the Road to Adulthood
A Band of Brothers is an organization in England that pairs troubled male teenagers with older men living in the same community to provide positive role models.
Are you ready to heal?’: Nonbinary activist Alok Vaid-Menon deconstructs gender
Read about Alok Vaid-Menon’s thoughts about gender and gender deconstruction.
City Unveils Campaign to Improve Girls’ Self-Esteem
An innovative New York City program seeks to protect girls from developing a negative body image.
Achieving A Gender Just World: Thought Leaders Provide Actionable Ways To Break Through Equality’s Biggest Barriers
Men and women are still not guaranteed equal rights in the U.S. Constitution Read about concrete actions which thought leaders suggest we take in order to achieve equality.
Research finds gender differences in fear, risk perception during COVID-19
Researchers have discovered that COVID-19 fears tend to be split along gender binary lines.
‘Serious ramifications’: Why unshakeable gender stereotypes prevent men from taking paternity leave
Parental leave policies are largely not distributed equally along gender lines. Read about the people looking to change that.
What a 13th-Century Medieval Text Can Teach Us About Queerness and Gender
While people may not typically look to the 13th-century medieval texts for shining examples of equitable representation, an old text about a knight in shining armor inspired author Alex Myers.
You Can Give a Boy a Doll, but You Can’t Make Him Play with It
Why do boys want to play with trucks, while girls prefer dolls? Are these stereotypes that our society forces on children, or are such preferences innate? This article explores those very questions.
Tacoma teen speaks with Dr. Jill Biden on transgender, nonbinary rights
Stella Keating, the youngest transgender person to testify in front of the US Senate, spoke with Dr. Jill Biden about her advocacy surrounding transgender and non-binary youth.
Has the pandemic shifted traditional gender roles in childcare?
Although the current pandemic has disrupted the way parents work, childcare duties still often fell to women.
What Is Gender Blindness?
Is it better to acknowledge differences in gender or ignore those differences entirely? Read about the pros and cons of gender blindness, and how the ideal approach may be a delicate mix of both gender awareness and gender blindness.
How to identify and deal with toxic masculinity
Read this article to learn more about how to identify and fight against the perpetuation of toxic masculinity.
The Real Reasons All the Top Chess Players Are Men
A former competitive chess player challenges the widely-held belief that men are innately better at chess than women.
Can early computer science education boost number of women in tech?
Computer engineering and related fields are historically—and continue to be—dominated by men. Many universities are now looking to increase the number of women who graduate with programming degrees.
How to be an ally to friends who’ve changed their pronouns
Everyone wants to feel accepted and respected. Read this article to learn how to be a better ally to friends who change their pronouns.
Coronavirus face masks: Why men are less likely to wear masks
Around the globe and regardless of politics, men are less likely than women to wear facial coverings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read about some of the reasons for this disparity.