Equal Opportunity Kids

I don't hit girls.

It's not because I've always, as a guy, been told that it is wrong. Well in a way it is. But not directly.
Have you ever questioned why it is wrong for a guy to hit a girl? If you have, you were probably told that it is because they are not as strong as you and, well, with great strength comes great responsibility. But that's not why I wont hit a girl.

I hate to break your illusion, and deflate your ego, but you aren't naturally stronger than women. Studies show that it is the way in which a boy is raised that gives him is physical superiority. Tests done on pre-teen children showed that boys were significantly better at throwing than girls, BUT, when tested with their non-dominant hand, all children were roughly equal. What does this mean? I'll tell you: It means that society tells us that boys should be rough and physically active, and girls should work in the kitchen and be responsible for raising families. As such, boys are raised playing rough games, and girls are raised with toys that replicate the kitchen or household. Of course the boys will be more physically capable as they get older.

One could almost argue that a boy should be able to hit a girl, because the girl has the potential to be stronger than the boy. Almost. But I'm not justifying domestic abuse. It is true, the girl could be stronger, and some are, but in reality they are not raised like boys. They may be strong, but they have not had the same opportunity to be strong that we take for granted.

So no, I don't hit girls because I am stronger than them. They have just as much potential to be as strong as I am. The reason they are not is not biological, it's social. I refuse to hit a girl, not because she is weaker than me, rather because she has not been given the same opportunity to be as strong as me. To believe that girls are not as strong as boys is to replicate the situation and reinforce it, restarting the cycle.

will you give your children equal opportunities?