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How Gendered Childhoods affect Women in the Workplace

Historically gendered beliefs often still affect the way children are treated.  Girls are taught to be polite and lady like, to like dolls, and playing house and things like that.  Boys are taught to be tough, defend themselves, and to play with “boy” toys like cars, action figures, etc.  A boy’s parents usually dissuade their son from playing with dolls or dressing in pink.  Girls may not speak up for themselves because they feel they are supposed to be good, polite, and subservient, while boys can be aggressive and think it is okay.  Girls and boys may choose careers that are dominated by their gender, rather than looking at all available options for careers.  Although I have always felt like I could do any job, I have tended to stick with jobs that are majority female, such as retail and office work.  I wouldn’t want to do hard manual labor, typically jobs associated with men.

Women have historically been limited in the educational opportunities available to them.  Women in the past were forced to dress certain ways, sometimes sexually in the workplace.  Some women were forced or pressured into sexually compromising positions, such as “entertaining” male clients.  Women were subjected to blatant sexual harassment.  Women were also limited to certain careers, such as teachers, nurses, and secretaries.  Even though some of these things still happen today, they are not as prevalent and out in the open.  I am most happy that education and career opportunities are more open now than they have been in the past. 

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