[LMB] OT: Gender Roles

[Sylvia McIvers]

On Mon, Sep 27, 2021 at 7:50 AM Peter Hews via Lois-Bujold <
lois-bujold at lists.herald.co.uk> wrote:

>
> (snip)
> It's the same with other secondary sexual characteristics.  European
> women, on average and absent haircuts, have slightly longer hair than men,
> so the little man-woman icons include long hair on the female, and I'm old
> enough to remember when conservatives got hysterical at men growing their
> hair.  Men on average have denser body hair, so women feel required to
> shave their legs or look "unfeminine".  It's all about taking an average
> and making it the law.
>
> Peter Hews
>


It's all about taking an average and making it the law.
Yes, this.
How many boys do something and get told taht "boys don't do this" , same
for girls.
Obviously it's not true, since the boy / girl was actually doing it and
told to stop.
But - most of this gender don't, so it's not allowed.
And so "boys don't" is enforced.
And "girls don't" is perpetuated, until it becomes "girl's can't".

A generation or two ago, "boy's can't" included any form of daily food
shopping & cooking, such that a widower alone* in the house could starve
because he had no idea how to feed himself.
[*] alone, ie no housekeeper, helpful neighbors, or siblings.

Sylvia