Raise Sons Like Daughters

Today, we’re now more likely to tell our daughters they can be anything they want to be — an astronaut and a mother, a tomboy and a girlie girl. But the same is not applied to our sons. Even as we’ve given girls more choices for the roles they play, boys’ worlds are still confined, social scientists say. They’re discouraged from having interests that are considered feminine. They’re told to be tough at all costs, or else to tamp down their so-called boy energy.

Teach boys to show strength — the strength to acknowledge their emotions. Teach them to provide for their families — by caring for them. Show them how to be tough — tough enough to stand up to intolerance. Give them confidence — to pursue whatever they’re passionate about. It’s how we can build a more equitable and loving society – after all change always starts from within.

I’m glad we’ve begun to raise our daughters more like our sons, but it will never work until we raise our sons more like our daughters.
– Gloria Steinem