“I think boys on average are predisposed genetically to patterns of behavior and arousal that make then more vulnerable to learning aggression it it’s taught. The fact that boys are more physically aggressive than girls in virtually every culture in the world suggests that boys are more ready than girls to learn and demonstrate aggressive behavior.” – James Gabarino, p. 112, Adolescents at School

“…girls are also able to hear, smell, and feel tactile sensations better; have better overall verbal abilities; and are better able to control their impulses than boys because of differences in the ways their brains are wired. …those differences result in girls being less likely to take risks and cause boys to show a tendency toward aggressive behavior, both of which greatly affect how they see themselves and interac with others in the school context.” – Michelle Galley, p. 87, Adolescents at SchoolThe fact of the matter is – there are not women committing mass shootings. Incidences of adolescent and school violence are overwhelmingly committed by males rather than females. Race, social status, socioeconomic level – these are all important factors in this conversation. But I just want to look at gender right now.

We know girls and women are more genetically predisposed than boys and men (to an extent) towards impulse control, self-assessment and reflection, and emotional articulation. This makes some girls “poster students” – high achieving, well-behaved in class. It can also make girls less vocal, more self-repressed, and self-doubting.

We talk about having a gender-equal society and treating all students equally. But there is still a cultural undercurrent pushing boys towards (sometimes deadly) violence. Gun culture, “red state” attitudes towards gun rights, hyper-masculinization of males in the media – where do we start sensitizing men? What is the first step?

I cannot help but reflect on this pattern at root of the issue: Boys externalize their anger at their flaws. They blame others for their failures (“it was a bad test”). In extreme cases, they kill others. Girls internalize shame about perceived flaws, blame themselves, hurt themselves (see: eating disorders, teen suicide statistics). I don’t have a clear thesis to this post, but I am wondering: how does the rest of the world see America’s boys and men? What cultures can we look to with more peaceful male communities? What positive male role models will step up to cut down male stereotypes in this country?