What did you think of the Barbie Presentation?

Do girls have more flexible gender roles?

Is it all biology?

Gender Differences -- Are they real?

Towards the beginning of the semester I went to visit someone in Scott Hall when I saw a poster for a hall/floor activity to learn how to do laundry. It made me laugh then, and when I think about it now I realize how even something as simple as the activity of doing laundry can relate to gender. This is the second year I’ve lived in Johnson and we’ve never has a “how to do your laundry” session.  So what's the deal? While I know that girls also live in Scott, I think we can all probably agree the activity was targeted at the guys in the building. So is it that there is something naturally ingrained in a female's instincts that make her capable of knowing how to do laundry, and guys simply lack this natural ability, or do we just underestimate the capabilities of men, or what?

I think one thing that we fail to realize sometimes is how prevalent gender differences really are. I know sometimes in class or when you are reading the book it can be difficult to find things that relate to the topic of gender. But in reality, gender is EVERYWHERE.

With this in mind, for the first discussion topic I thought it might be interesting to consider these gender differences (whether they are real or perceived): define what they are, determine why they exist, and perhaps evaluate if they are "real" or simply stereotypes.

So, to start the discussion, let's think consider what some gender differences are. They don't need to be scientifically precise differences (like how men typically have larger brains). Let's also look at other differences we encounter in our day to day life and actually find interesting/care about. Are guys messier than girls? Do women have better handwriting? Just throw some ideas out there... there is no right or wrong. It's okay if you think the differences are only stereotypes; still share them. Maybe you even have a personal story about when you were treated differently based on your gender.

If you are having trouble thinking of differences, or are simply curious to see what others think, just do a google search for "differences between men and women."  I got everything from a BBC article to humorous cartoons.

After you think of some differences and read what others have posted, think about whether you think the differences are real, or simply stereotypes.  (What makes a stereotype?)  Perhaps you can also think of the source of certain differences: are they due to biology, family influences and how someone was raised, society, etc.?