Michela


 * Why isn’t there Girl Football or Stay-at-Home Dads?**

In this generation, being a boy and a girl is very different. Girls often try harder in school but boys often do better in sports. For example, my dad is so worried about my brother doing well at soccer and other sports, while he doesn’t care how well I do in sports as long as I get good grades. If my brother and I got the same bad grade, I would be punished more because while my priority is supposedly getting good grades, Alexander’s priority is supposedly doing well at soccer. Girls and boys have different opportunities, and having different opportunities continues through out our whole lives. But has it always been like that? And was it different in different countries. My parents, Tracy Stein and Marco Masotti, grew up in very different parts of the world. My dad grew up in Durban, South Africa and my mom grew up in Fox Point, Wisconsin. I learned that being a boy or a girl then is really not that different then being a boy or a girl now and that no matter where you live, nothing is ever equal. How is it fair that boys get the best jobs and get the best sports positions? Or that people think that girls are smarter? Living in Durban, South Africa, girls and boys had a lot of differences. Life was very different for the two sexes. There were very different sports opportunities and boys and girls were not able to participate in sports that weren’t meant for your gender. Girls were only allowed to do drum majorettes (dancing drills), field hockey, netball (basketball without dribbling), and volleyball. Boys did soccer, rugby, and cricket. While both girls and boys had sports, boys’ sports had more popularity. The reason for this was because people thought boys had more talent in sports and that is still thought by many people. While boys were thought to do better at sports, girls had better grades then boys in school. It was a bigger priority for girls to do well because it was harder for girls to get jobs. In South Africa, in the 1970s, it was hard for women to get jobs. They were expected to stay at home and take care of the house. My grandma, my dad’s mom, was once lectured by a friend about not being a good mom because she didn’t stay at home and take care of the house, she had an actual job. When girls and boys are children they are considered equal. But when they are older women have bad jobs that don’t pay as much. Another difference in Durban was that boys had harsher punishments in school then girls. If you were a boy and you got into trouble, you would be slapped with a cane. But if you were a boy, you would get a painless detention. It was against the law to cane girls because girls were more delicate and couldn’t handle it. But other then facing more pain, it was easier to be a boy because the community was more oriented for the boys, for them to do well and be happy. Living in Fox Point, Wisconsin and Durban, South Africa was similar for boys and girls. There were also a lot of differences. Again, different sports were offered. And again, boys couldn’t participate in girl sports. But in Fox Point, there were certain exceptions in which girls could participate in boy sports. A girl in my mom’s grade named Sarah was amazing at basketball, much better then the other girls on her basketball team. So she wanted to join the boy’s team to have more of a fun challenge. She was put on the boys’ team because of her talent. She got picked on and the boys on her team hated her but she ended up doing amazing on the team. The girl sports were volleyball, track, basketball, and softball. The boy sports were baseball, basketball, and football. Like in Durban, boy sports were more popular to watch because usually boys tried harder while girls tried harder in school. Girls usually got the better grades. Boys were more likely to fool around and get in trouble. But unlike Durban, neither gender got caned. Although, teachers were usually easier on girls because they thought girls were more likely to do well and listen. But like in Durban, it was easier for men to get jobs. The women in Fox Point, often had jobs but the jobs usually weren’t that good and were only taken to get money. These jobs did not pay as much as male jobs. Now, in Fox Point, jobs were given to people who had good grades. So, there are more of equal chances between boys and girls for jobs. Today there are more opportunities for girls and boys, but things are still not equal. Sports are still separated between genders but there are more options. Now, instead of having a couple of sports for girls and boys, each gender has a lot of options. Girl sports are volleyball, track, lacrosse, hockey, soccer, tennis, basketball, and softball. Boy sports are football, hockey, soccer, tennis, track, lacrosse, basketball, baseball, and softball. Boy sports still have more popularity. In little towns and on television screens, more people watch boy sports. The reason for this is that it is thought that boys have more talent and are therefore more entertaining to watch. Girls are not considered to do better in school then boys and teachers treat girls and boys the same. Mostly moms are stay-at-home parents but both girls and boys have good and well-paying jobs. Except, things are changing for the better. I saw a stay-at-home dad for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Having more stay-at-home dads will mean that more women will be able to have careers and opportunities. So although being a boy and girl is very different, things have become more equal since my parents were my age in the 1970s.