David Quinn
Boys are more boisterous than girls. Are we still allowed to say that, or has it fallen into the category of forbidden thoughts and utterances?
A new study is being undertaken in the French city of Strasbourg which believes that yes, boys are more boisterous, and this is a bad thing, and boys must be curbed.
The study, authorised by a local council, will see tracking devices attached to boys and girls at playtime to see who dominates playgrounds.
A report in the London Times says: “Proponents of the scheme say it will provide data on pupils’ movements that will enable officials to make playtime more inclusive, in the hope that boys will grow up to become more tolerant and respectful adults.”
We can assume the study will find that boys run around a lot more than girls and therefore boys must be taught to play in more confined areas and be aware of how their play might affect girls.
The London Times report adds: “Critics, however, denounced it as left-wing social engineering that borders on totalitarianism — and bemoaned the use of taxpayers’ money on acquiring the 125 digital [tracking] devices.”
Dominated
The council behind the plan is dominated by the Greens. Children can refuse to have the devices attached to them (will they really know what they are for?), but parents will not be told what is happening at all. That should set off an immediate, and very loud alarm.
What we can see is that the natural energy and boisterousness of boys is seen as problematic. Most parents of young children will tell you that boys are more energetic than girls and are happy to see their boys run around so that they burn off some of it and become more manageable.
‘Boys’ play is characterised by higher levels of competition and aggression, while girls play is seen to foster creativity and nurturance’”
An article by Dr Cathrine Neilsen-Hewett for the website Huggies, which is aimed at parents of young children, says: “Gender researchers suggest that boys and girls do in fact play quite differently and show clear preferences for different toys from an early age.”
She goes on: “Boys are seen to be more active in their play while girls’ play is more sedentary and focused on verbal interaction”, and that, “boys’ play is characterised by higher levels of competition and aggression, while girls play is seen to foster creativity and nurturance. Boys show preference for outdoor play activities, and enjoy playing with large toy vehicles, construction sets and climbing equipment; girls prefer puzzles, art materials or playing with dolls.”
None of this should be surprising. But clearly the council in Strasbourg believes this is all a bad thing and must be changed.
Traditionalist
Last week, Women’s Aid, a charity which does the extremely important work of helping victims of domestic abuse, published the results of a new survey which purports to show that a lot of men hold worryingly ‘traditionalist’ views.
Respondents were presented with a series of statements and asked whether they agreed or disagreed with them.
‘Men should use violence to get respect if necessary’. Just under 20% of men agreed with this, and 12% of women”
One statement read: “Men should be the ones to bring money home to provide for their families, not women.” 39% of men agreed with that, and interestingly so did 28% of women.
Another statement said: “Guys should act strong even if they feel scared or nervous inside.” Nearly half of men agreed with that, and a quarter of women.
A further statement read: “Men should use violence to get respect if necessary”. Just under 20% of men agreed with this, and 12% of women.
Agreeing with that last one is very worrying. Agreeing with the other two merely makes you old-fashioned.
But on the question about who should earn the most money, perhaps action speaks louder than words. In theory, most people have no problem with a woman earning more than a man, but in practice, women rarely marry men who earn less than them, and one reason a growing number of women don’t marry at all, is difficulty in finding a man who will earn the same or more than they do. We might say this is because both men and women suffer from the societal expectation that a man should earn the same as, or more than, his wife, but the fact remains that women still rarely marry ‘down’.
Man Box
The researchers behind the survey discuss something called the ‘Man Box’. The ‘Man Box’ consists of “rigid masculine ideals”, such as “toughness, self-reliance, and dominance” which the researchers say, “are frequently reinforced by social expectations”.
The argument is that “rigid masculine ideals” can lead to bad outcomes such as a reluctance by men to seek help for health problems, or at the extremes, to domestic violence.
This is all linked to the concept of “toxic masculinity”, which we have heard so much about in recent years, and obviously there are “toxic” men.
But is it fair to see traditional masculine behaviour as a problem in itself and therefore to be weeded out, starting with how boys play in playgrounds? I don’t think so.
There are plenty of women with lots of energy, drive and competitiveness, but why are these things only considered suspicious when found in men?”
For example, is there anything wrong with self-reliance per se, that is, withstanding on your own two feet and doing your best to get by without help? Yes, we all need help sometimes, but there is nothing wrong in itself with being as self-reliant as possible.
Obviously, women can be self-reliant, but the point is that no-one believes there is anything amiss about that. In fact, women today are always being told to be independent, that is, self-reliant, so why is that only suspicious when it comes to men?
And what is wrong per se with male energy, physical strength, drive and competitiveness? These things are only bad if put to bad uses, but they can also be the things that help to keep the world turning. Again, there are plenty of women with lots of energy, drive and competitiveness, but why are these things only considered suspicious when found in men?
Men are definitely more likely to engage in physically risky behaviour than women, and we see this in how small boys play as well. Why should this be discouraged? Obviously, there is such a thing as overly risky behaviour, but if everyone played it safe, and never took a risk, then where would we be?
The fact is that men are far more likely than women to do physically risky jobs like oil-rigging, construction work, firefighting, commercial fishing, mining and so on. Men are also more likely to do literally dirty work, like garbage collection.
Someone has to do these things, and if men are more drawn to risky or dirty jobs that is hardly a bad thing, is it?
Therefore, traditionally male behaviour is often to be applauded, not derided. This is not said often enough. Men should not be under a pall of suspicion simply for being men, and nor should boys for being boys and for doing typically boyish things.