In an interview with UK magazine GQ, the world boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, basically made a statement that broke the internet over the weekend.
“I don’t think I’m that strict with Joseph, I don’t know why. But with my niece I’m strict. I think it is because she is older, But also he’s a boy- he’s going to be a man’s man, he’ll want to spread his wings, be a Jack-the-lad, build his character. but I am sure there are things I will be strict about. But with my niece, there is none of that Jack-the-lad nonsense for her! My view is you have to be a good woman, respectful, one day you will be someone’s wife, you will have to learn family morals….what it is to be a good woman.”
This statement shows how deep patriarchy runs in our society and the huge burden placed on the female child to be good wives and the male child to be horrible husbands. Michelle Obama couldn’t have said it any better, “we love our boys and we raise our girls”
So much responsibility and pressure is placed on the female child, she’s trained to multitask, to be a mother, a cleaner, a cook and she’s also trained to break grounds and excel in her career, to be independent while the male child is left to be a strong man with so much sense of entitlement, which in the end we are most likely to pay for, because the male child will grow and expect so much to be done for him.
Both genders should be trained alike, they should teach both genders how to fend for themselves, teach them to be both independent, house chores shouldn’t be gender based. In the same way that a female child is taught to take on roles and responsibility, a male child should be taught so too.
Gender should never be a pre-requisite for home training.
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