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What are little boys made of?
"Snips and snails, and puppy dogs tails
That's what little boys are made of!"
What are little girls made of?
"Sugar and spice, and all things nice
That's what little girls are made of!"
Admit it - we all do know at least a line or two from that
nursery rhyme. Being able to trace the origins of the rhyme to as early
as the 19th century, it's evident that gender roles go a
pretty long way back. The question is, even after a couple hundred
years later, have things really changed?
We think not.
WORK
He Says: I haven't done this yet, but I can well imagine waking up everyday and heading off to work from 9-5 isn't the most fun thing to do. Every guy is subjected to this ordeal, because we are the ones responsible for bringing home the bread. From the time of the cave man, it's the man who has had to go and fend for the family.
While the very concept of a stay home husband/dad is mocked and ridiculed, women have the liberty to choose. A working woman is admired for the fact that she is doing beyond what is required of her, and a stay home wife/mom is duly given credit for taking care of the household.
So while women have the luxury of choice, we guys don't, and that, I'm sure, is something all of us envy about women.
She Says: Truth be told, the luxury of choice might not be as liberating as it seems.
Having grown up in an age where liberation and freedom are the words of the day for women, where a woman is running for the United States presidency, we are sent conflicted messages as to what our place in society really is. Women are often found sailing uncharted seas.
Even then, might I dare say that it is not really a choice. A career woman, who chooses to have a family are often expected to take on both roles. Her role as a mother is not exempted and society will still continue to judge her success as a woman, based on her family life in addition to her career.
Torn between the mixed messages that society is sending us, we can't help but envy the men for having their path thrown upon them.
CLOTHES
He Says: We all hate the way women take hours to get ready every time they have to go somewhere. At the same time, we envy the fact that they have the choice of so many clothes to wear.
We guys are simple - it's a T-shirt or a shirt and pants, shorts or jeans. But with girls you've got so many different kinds of things to wear and so many different combinations. I'm not saying that I'd want a closet full of shoes - one of every color - but I wouldn't mind being able to choose more than which color tie to wear, every time I have to go somewhere.
She Says: I catch myself all too often bemoaning the lack of clothes in my wardrobe, despite having two exploding ones. Admittedly, we don't want to be seen in the same outfit more than once. I don't even know where this strange notion comes from, but it seems universal to all women.
The issue at hand is the need to look good, the pressure and stress of having to look immaculately dressed and different each time is not something that guys can understand. Having a variety of clothes is merely a means to an end.
In all honesty, all men ever need to look good is a great fitting pair of pants. It doesn't even matter if they wear it all the time, 24/7 and never seem to have anything else. The fact is, nobody cares!
RELATIONSHIPS
He Says: In this male dominated world, the one thing that women get away with is always being right. In any relationship, it is the guy who must bend over backwards, irrespective of who is in the right or wrong. The girl is always right, and nothing anyone says can change that!
We all do envy the ability of women to have us spinning around their pretty little fingers.
She Says: Sex! Quite possibly the most controversial, and yet the most startling difference in our attitude towards the different genders. When a man is promiscuous, he is seen as somewhat of a ‘champion' - someone desirable and with the charms to get any girl he wants.
Yet, when a woman does the very same thing, she is labeled a slut and as being easy. Chastity is of a much higher value in women than in men. Speaking for the girls, we want to feel valued too! If you expect such purity, it is only right that we be offered the same in return - or at least mutual treatment (which means you don't call us sluts for doing the same thing you guys do).
 JOB/STUDY OPTIONS
He Says: It seems like we guys envy all the freedoms women have, one of these being able to study anything.
In Asia, more than anywhere else, conservatism has led every guy to pursue courses in engineering, medicine, management and the likes. A lot of us get the hang of subjects like Math and Physics better than our female counterparts, but the fact is it wouldn't be easy for most of us to pursue courses in art or social sciences.
Social pressure on us guys is one thing we'd do anything to get rid of!
She Says: With the not so recent removal of the quote of medical students, I am inclined to agree that we are given more options with regards to the education aspect.
However, I must concur that the freedom to study any subject they want does not necessarily translate into the freedom to succeed in that particular field.
The engineering sector still continues to be dominated by men. A female engineer would then be an oddity and not included into the ‘circle'. We all study with the aim of pursuing our desired career - what then is the point of being able to graduate with a degree only to enter a field with a glass ceiling.
Liberation and freedom seems to come with fine print.
Conclusion
He Says: Despite envying some of what women have, the fact is that boys will be boys. This is just the way we are, and we'd probably hate reversing roles with women, because there are certainly a lot of areas in which we are better off than women. And so I think guys are a lot happier being guys, and given the option, would not want to switch places with the girls!
She Says: Having said all that, I wouldn't want to trade my gender for any other (notwithstanding that there is only one other choice). It is not that I prefer being a woman over a man. In fact, I don't have a particular preference at all. I simply feel that regardless of which gender we happen to be born with, there are both disadvantages and advantages that come along with it.
We simply play the best game we can with the hand we're dealt with. Hooked
Images courtesy of Google Images
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