Jacqueline Lawrence Gender Roles

The second individual, Lawrence, grew up on the opposite side of Canada in the suburbs of Toronto. He is the only boy of three children, and because of this, he experienced special treatment from his father growing up. This became evident when his father allowed him to drink alcohol at a younger age than his sisters and allowed him to have more freedom with the car than his sisters once he got his license. He found throughout his childhood and teenaged years that more was expected of his sisters than him. Growing up, there were huge pressures on Lawrence to be masculine – he often recalls his father telling him to “man up.” Throughout high school he played basketball and soccer and while he did perform in one school musical, he chose not to pursue arts any further after he became subject to judgement for engaging in a “feminine” activity. Eighteen-year-old Lawrence is the youngest child, and even through his parents had higher expectations of his sisters, he always felt that he had something to …show more content…
Being the only daughter, Jacqueline felt like she had special treatment from her parents and was subjected to feminine gender stereotypes from a very young age. Likewise, Lawrence, the only son, was given privileges that his sisters did not receive, but he also felt pressure from his father to be masculine and tough. Both individuals experienced the pressure of gender stereotypes growing up, either feeling an obligation to be overtly feminine or masculine. For Jacqueline, this affected her social identity because it changed the way she presented herself to others, always keeping in mind her manners and her looks. Gender affected Lawrence because he felt deterred from some activities during his life that were considered too feminine for him. Because of this, he chose to focus on activities that would reinforce his masculinity and not leave him vulnerable to