Do Parents Have Different Hopes and Standards for Their Sons Than for Their Daughters?

All parents have different hopes and standards for their children. And of course, they want the absolute best for each and every one of them. The US is a nation that is bulit up on the idea of gender equality, and where there should be no gender discrimination. However, many studies indicate that parents overlook how they treat their children. For one, they want their sons to be smarter, and their daughters to be skinnier. These different hopes and standards may result in negative impacts on the development of their children.               

It’s not that parents don’t want their daughters to be smart or their sons to be in shape, but they are much more focused on the intelligence of their sons rather than their daughters. Of all Google searches starting with “Is my 2-year-old,” the most common next word is “gifted.” But this question is not asked equally about boys and girls. Parents are two and a half times more likely to ask “Is my son gifted?” then “Is my daughter gifted?” In addition, negative emotions are usually evaluated when it comes to girls, being constantly described as “moody” or “dramatic.” Boys, on the other hand, are usually taught to hold in their emotions, and remain tough and unbreakable. These qualities were taught and encouraged to children at very young ages.                        

Some parents will think otherwise, saying that their daughter is only useful for taking care of the house and working middle-level careers while the son will be there for them and pursue top careers. But if you think about it, who are the ones that gave the idea of sons being able to achieve more than daughters? The expectations of parents very much influence the development of a child, and they may feel inferior compared to others and this should not be the case.                  

Parents believe that boys are more likely than girls to use big words and show signs of giftedness. But if anything, it’s the opposite. Girls have consistently been shown to have larger vocabularies and use more complex sentences. They are 11 percent more likely than boys to be in gifted programs. Despite all of this, parents still view their sons more gifted than their daughters.                    

All in all, children should have the same expectations all around no matter if they are boys or girls and parents should try to be fair and equal to both children and not treat them differently based on their sex or gender. So rather than focusing on what you can’t control, the comparison of your children, focus on what you can: creating a loving and supportive atmosphere in your home.                   

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6 thoughts on “Do Parents Have Different Hopes and Standards for Their Sons Than for Their Daughters?

  1. Love the intro, very interesting, it grabbed me in, intriguing, smart, statistical, gorgeous, and just over all beautiful. I agree, we are taught that we have equality, when we know that everything could be more equal. We may state that we are the best when it comes to equality but that doesn’t mean that there still isn’t room for improvement, we may be the “best” but we could still be better.

  2. Fazila, I love this. It had a great hook that got my attention and with the use of facts and emotion, you kept my attention throughout the whole piece. I also think that, especially for a girl, you made me think about all the times I have been told to eat less and get better grades and at awards ceremonies accomplishing more and still being told that boys, who hadn’t worked as hard as I had, did better and I should strive to be as good as them. It was a great piece that made me think a lot.

  3. Fazila, from the moment I read the title I knew I had to read your piece. I do not regret my decision at all. I especially favoured the part in your piece where “Parents believe that boys are more likely than girls to use big words and show signs of giftedness. But if anything, it’s the opposite. Girls have consistently been shown to have larger vocabularies and use more complex sentences.” It made may day!
    So, thank you and I hope you continue writing pieces like this!

  4. Fazila, the hook you used was very good and it really grabbed my attention. I love your writing and it made me think about your topic in a different way. I have always thought of this problem as something that men started many years ago. After ready this piece, I now am thinking more deeply into how parents are the ones who are creating different expectations for their children. The topic you have looked into is spread even beyond this, gender equality as a whole. I like how you went farther into the topic to make this problem clear. I agree with everything you said in this, and I think you have a good, clear call to action.

  5. Fazila, this was really well written. I liked how you supported your point with a lot of evidence. This was a really good piece of writing.

  6. Fazila, great job with your argument. I never thought about this before but, I agree with you. This was very interesting to read. Good job!

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