Why Boys Don T Play With Dolls Summary

Since the beginning of time it has always been set in stone that girls are to enjoy jump ropes and Barbie dolls, while boys are to be fascinated with athletics, and monster trucks. Anything opposing society’s views and preference on gender roles, is automatically considered wrong and intolerable. If a male is more interested in baking, or a female is intrigued by mustangs and motorcycles, that should not be unacceptable or an issue. Male or female, anyone should be allowed the right to be whoever they please, while enjoying the activities of their liking without being criticized for it. In the article Why Boys Don’t Play with Dolls, Pollitt discusses her stance on gender roles compared to how society views it. Pollitt states, “We don’t need studies of sex-differentiated brain activity in reading, say, to understand why boys and girls still seem so unalike”.(254) In fact, males and females are different in many aspects, by the way they think, act, and how they often perceive things. Even so, with their many differences it does not make it impossible for both sexes to enjoy the same interest and hobbies. Referring back to the quote, “girls can do anything boys can do”, …show more content…
The government? Adults? Parents? Pollitt reveals, “Instead of looking at kids to prove that differences in behavior by sex are innate, we can look at the ways we raise kids”.(254) When growing up, the same way children are taught right from wrong, they are also taught what is and is not acceptable conduct for boys and girls. The author continues with “How tentatively it is embraced even by adults who fully expect their daughters to enter previously male-dominated professions and their sons to change diapers.” (Pollitt 254) In spite of that, even when children are raised to become and behave a certain way, they are still held under high expectations to do the inevitable. Surprisingly, even if it is indeed outside of their gender