THOUGHTS of THE TIMES

‘Like a girl’

I have a friend who has grown up following Hinduism. Whenever the topic of boyfriends or marriage pops up, she says that her parents, having an ideal image of a “real” man in their minds, would decide who she can date and marry.

Furthermore, many of us teens live in families where the father has the biggest role in the house, relegating the rest of the members inferior. When I asked my friend about what she wanted to do in the future, she told me a stunning story.

Influenced by her two older brothers, who are pursuing their dreams in medicine and engineering, she became interested in the same fields. When she mentioned her interest to her parents, however, they said, “You are looking at the wrong fields. They are for men, not for girls.” Her parents demanded she pursue art or writing, which she has been enjoying as a hobby.

She is not alone. When I spoke with several other friends, I am surprised to learn that many girls feel restricted to strive for their choice of career path, particularly STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).

I also learned that other factors played roles to make girls feel confined. When I opened the first few pages of my physics textbook, I became curious about its content. The opening chapter discussed motion, covering position, speed, acceleration, and applications in the real world. And then I noticed that all the examples came from what boys would enjoy, such as race cars driven by male drivers on the track and a boy batting a baseball, something that girls would not get hooked on. Placing what girls enjoy or like would have attracted their attention. From the start, however, the textbook is biased.

Not only has religion, career, and education been male-centered, but the English language is as well. For instance, in my History class, we used words like humans and mankind, and gave credit for inventions and technologies with the term “man-made.” Furthermore, many occupations hold the word man in their title.

For instance, businessman, policeman, congressman and chairman are all words that are commonly used every day. Such male-centered terms automatically hinder women from pursuing or choosing those specific fields because these names leave an impression that only men can have those jobs.

In my school, many students use the phrase “like a girl” as an insult when one is not strong enough to do something or messes up in P.E class. During our badminton unit, when a boy missed the birdie that was hit over to his side, the other team yelled, “You hit like a girl.” The depicted stereotype girl, as weak, incapable, and untalented compared to boys, is certainly misjudged.

Although women have gained more respect and been given a more prominent role in society, gender inequality still remains. Instead of the commonly used insult “like a girl,” I hope to hear men saying “I like that girl,” who is not confined, limited, or treated with bias.