A Disadvantaged Start Hurts Boys More Than Girls

ShortTailBoa · 2021-01-27T17:26:26+00:00

And the worst part of all this is that the very people who claim to be the protectors of the poor and disadvantaged don't care about them.

It's scary and heartbreaking. That's the only way I can describe it.

2021-01-27T17:10:04+00:00

When we tend to think of Male Fragility, we typically associated with a fragile ego, or an insult against toxic masculinity or toxic displays of masculinity but I think it’s damaging to assume that male fragility is a personal failing rather than a failing of our upbringing and environment. The term male fragility tends to be used to castigate, humiliate and punish men rather than to acknowledge the ways in which our fragility makes us vulnerable to our environment.

Also I’d like to note that this isn’t solely class based issue as some users might be quick to suggest because even though having a higher economic standing might protect you from some ill effects of discrimination from your environment, there is still a gender gap between boys and girls.

For instance, while boys in well-off families have almost the same test scores as their sisters, the gap is more than three times as large in the most disadvantaged families, the study found. While well-off boys are 3.1 percentage points less likely than their sisters to be ready for kindergarten, the most disadvantaged boys are 8.5 percentage points less likely.

This line especially stood out to me personally:

By the time boys from poor neighborhoods start kindergarten, they are already less prepared than their sisters. The gap keeps widening: They are more likely to be suspended, skip school, perform poorly on standardized tests, drop out of high school, commit crimes as juveniles and have behavioral or learning disabilities.

Specifically because as a black boy, and more importantly as a boy, I found myself, and other boys (of all races), punished more frequently and harshly than those who were not boys and it’s interesting to know that this perception was not all in my head.

YesAmAThrowaway · 2021-01-27T18:01:31+00:00

"and nearly half are minorities"

So it's basically everybody. The only special thing about minorities is that they are more likely to have a low economic status, but otherwise I am completely surprised a male-friendly article made it into such a mainstream outlet. Nice!

RockmanXX · 2021-01-28T09:38:05+00:00

One of the naked truths about Society is that it kicks Men when they're down.

qemist · 2021-01-29T19:41:44+00:00

That fact is as old as the hills. Pretty girls have been escaping poverty via the altar since time immemorial, and that path is not available to boys. In the modern economy young women are much preferred by employers in customer facing positions.

Dunkolunko · 2021-01-31T01:57:35+00:00

Better article than I expected, even though intersectional feminist biases peek in periodically to add some reality disconnected bullshit. They at least got that mothers prioritize their daughters and that boys lack role models. They didn't quite pick up on how schooling is catered to female learning styles and that boy's instincts should be channeled into productive efforts instead of just labelling boys as undisciplined.

Comments