Saplings In The Storm

Gender is defined as “organisms are classified on the basis of their reproductive organs and functions” (American Heritage Dictionary), nothing more than your reproductive organs. There are no cultural traits that go along with one’s gender, everything that you have been taught as to what a girl or boy may be, has been taught to you through social constructs. All of these constructs are taught during adolescence. “Saplings in the Storm” by Mary Pipher explores the young females and their challenges in their adolescent and teenage years. Essentially the girls lose all of their value during these years when they trade it for traditional female traits such as being idealistic and superficial. In Philip Cohen’s “Still a Man’s World”, he explains
While it is amazing that these women are getting the opportunity to be apart of society, we must face the fact that they are still not being treated the same, and there is still a lot of work to be done.But you are not alone, in Cohen’s article states, “Women earn the majority of the college degrees in the United States, and they are the majority of college students.” (Cohen, 383). This is also something I can attest to, at my high school eight of the top ten graduates were females. Even though the majority of the best students are women, are still seen as inferior to the men, that they do not hone the skills to become a professional. If you want to pursue an education, many times you are limited to only “womanly” subjects, like education, english, or being a nurse. If you ever want to study engineering, mathematics or any type of sciences, many of the men and society will quickly renounce your work and opinions as many times these disciples are boy’s clubs. It hasn’t even been one hundred years since women have gained the right to vote, so to some people seeing women in a professional environment is new territory. If one were to take a look a workplace, the senate for example, twenty-one female senators in a group of 100, there is no scientific reasoning as to why that number shouldn’t be 50. Statistically speaking there are fifty percent men and
Teachers must also convey this to the boys as well, that just because a girl wants to become an engineer or a politician, being a girl does not make her less qualified. It all starts in schools and at home, parents teaching equality and not forcing gender roles onto their children. Do not show only your daughter how to do her laundry, do not only have your son do sports. At the end of the day you will get competent boys and girls who can sustain their own lives, without the necessity of another that possess certain traits. Setting role models that do not affirm gender roles, but break them. As parents, they way you act in front of your children is also very important, showing equality between parents can put your words into actions. Helping one another in the kitchen, and having a strong female in the home can challenge traditional views and promote equality. The toddler and adolescent years are essential to the young one’s minds, this is the time that will shape their views of the