Extra Credit
Since my respondent was a female who grew up in the system, she believed that had she been born a male, she would've in fact wound up worse off in life and wouldn't have managed to come so far. As she talked about growing up in the system she said that, although there aren't just two ways a girl can turn out in the system, one way is by becoming a drug addict, getting pregnant, or becoming a prostitute. The other way is by fighting for yourself since there isn't anyone else who would fight for you. However, although men have similar statistics for becoming addicts they just have it easier. She had a brother who was one and she said that it seemed like he used it as an excuse. Furthermore, she's says the system treats women the same way they've been treated throughout history and still do today. By how women are still paid less, treated like they are pieces of meat, and have different expectations placed on them especially when it comes to kids. That a woman who abandons her baby for drugs is a whore but a guy who sells the drugs or kills people is a deadbeat father. She states that the women who fought on women's behave to get their rights during the Civil Rights movement would be rolling over in their graves since even now women are treated like sex symbols or feel inferior to their husbands, because of these preconceived notions of how men and women should act. She told a story of how her niece said she wanted to be a firefighter, but her aunt told her that it was a boy job and wouldn't she want to do some nice girl job like dealing with cute clothes. Instead, she said if she wants to be a firefighter then let her be a firefighter. She thinks that had she been a male, that although there would be some ways that might make it a bit hard, that it wouldn't have mattered how she turned out and that she wouldn't have gotten very far in life.
In my eyes had I been born a male I think I would be drastically different from the person I am today. I think that my beliefs, values, and notions of what should or shouldn't be wouldn't be the same. Being a woman, as you grow up you're kind of pushed into being "girly" and doing "girly things" so it makes you more sensitive to things. When I was little I had an older brother and I followed him around constantly. So when I saw him playing in the mud, or with frogs, or with toy cars, or watching teenage mutant ninja turtles that's what I wanted to do too and I enjoyed it. But as I grew older I was labeled the "tom boy" and was usually ignored by the boys my age since it seemed so strange that a girl would like the same things they did. It made me feel really uncomfortable for acting the way I did or enjoying the things I did. So, I tried to do more girly things like play dress up or with dolls, but never completely gave up the things that I liked. I think if I had been male, I wouldn't have been as sensitive to the way others viewed me, because I would've been doing what was only the natural things a boy should do and wouldn't think anything of it anymore. But, being a girl gave me a different perspective and I grew more aware of what our society has labeled normal girl and boy behavior. Due to this I grew to dislike these norms that are demanded of us and began to think that there was nothing wrong with a girl liking so called "boy things" and a boy liking so called "girl things." I don't believe that there should be any kind of distinction at all. You like what you like regardless of what sex you are or perceive yourself to be. Being born a man I'm not sure I would've had the same mindset that I do now.
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