Category Archives: Gender Socialization & Identities

The “leftover women”in China

Culturally, Linguistically, and Socioeconomically Diverse Adolescents in Urban Contexts: Framing the Conversation, Gender Socialization & Identities, Urban Adolescents

Name: Tianling Zhu
# MVP 3 “The leftover women” in China
According to the article “Long road to adulthood is growing even longer” published in New York Times, a new period of life is emerging, a period that refers to the time between adolescents and adults and lasts longer, meaning that nowadays more and more people become independent later than before. As far as I’m concerned, among the many influential factors of resulting in this phenomenon, further education and late marriage might be the most two contributing ones.  It reminded me that in China, this phenomenon is more amplified in women, and those who remained unmarried after 27 are called “leftover women”.

 

Decades ago, Chinese women got married around 22 because they didn’t need to receive much education so they finished school very early and then got married; however, nowadays, the average age of marriage for women is 26 since independence has become an essential part to define a “successful woman”, and with the increasing number of woman pursuing higher degree of education and career, it takes longer for women to reach adulthood—being married or financially independent. It is not uncommon that most of women who are either attending schools or working at late twenties or early thirties still rely on their parents, financially and emotionally. Just like me, most of my friends are taking a master degree either abroad or in China spending our parents’ money, which to some extent makes us feel frustrated considering the fact that we are already over 22, not 18, but still not independent, taking less responsibility and enjoying being protected by parents.

 

Obviously, women spend more time getting educated, pursuing better job, and improving social status, in consequence, they marry much later and more or less depend on parents until get married.  Being a “leftover woman” is like a double-edged sword, on the one hand, it means women are chasing their own career and making effort to realize their dreams; on the other hand, they require more support from their parents and remain dependent longer.

Breaking down the stereotypes of racial identity

Gender Socialization & Identities

Name: Tianling Zhu

#MVP2 Break down the stereotypes of racial identity

Nowadays, race is recognized more as a social than as a biological construct, meaning that it is not only about physical difference, it’s also closely related to our society. As it mentioned in our book “adolescents at school”, kids become aware of racial differences at a very young age and more aware of themselves as social beings as they grow up, thus it is very important to inform them the right way to view themselves and explore more about the issue of race. However, according to Steele’s research, particularly in the school settings, even teachers and educators develop stereotypes which relate racial identity to academic ability, not to mention students themselves. Under this circumstances, students easily form a wrong way to think about the race issue.

 

I felt so bad when I read about some adolescents realized that in our society to be black or brown means “less than”, less smart, less capable, or less attractive. It’s hard to imagine what these young people experienced and suffered during the process of realizing the “fact”. The worst thing it that they are going to view themselves in this way ever since, which will definitely harm their mental development. What makes adolescents develop this sense of inferior is the environment teachers create, in which students are labeled according to their race. Although they’re not done on purpose, for example, the grouping practices reinforce the racial separation indeed. There are several ways educators can do such as mixing students in groups and encouraging them to take extracurricular activities, nevertheless, I think these kinds of strategies can only make a difference for a short time, since the process of becoming racial cognizant starts at a very beginning and is influenced by so many factors including families, communities and schools that maybe even for teachers or educators, it’s not an easy thing to eliminate all the unfairness in terms of race, but of course, everyone has responsibility to try their best to achieve the goal of breaking down the stereotypes of race.

Question: What are some other ways that teachers can get rid of the stereotypes and give all students equal opportunities to achieve their best?

THE SELF-CREATION OF SAFE SPACE BY LGBT.

Gender Socialization & Identities, Urban Adolescents

After reading this chapter and from our classroom discussions, I am thinking about my country ‘Nepal’ Why in my country we never identified these kinds of people. May be they are few in my country, may be because of our culture, may be they are not open because of safe space or lack of diversified and complex community. Now I realize that before we don’t have space for third sex even in our Constitution, while making citizenship and passport, they have to select either male or female. But I heard that in our new constitution, just released a couple of months ago have provision for third sex. The most amazing things for me is that I spent almost a decade in teaching field, always surrounded by adolescents and adults, I didn’t even realize about LGBT. Not only me, we never discussed about these things in our teaching community. In my culture we believe in early arranged marriage, now I am thinking why there is a higher suicidal rate either male or female in newly married couples. I am not sure but now I can guess the reason is.They are in high risk,they get married because of family pressure even though they understand their biological differences. I think, they need some safe space like GLBFO to open up, interaction and exchange their feelings in my country too.

Feelin’ the Skin You’re In

Friendship, Love, & Sexuality, Gender Socialization & Identities, Urban Adolescents

“The rigid area of the club room bound by the four walls became a mobile liminal “space” that the members carried with them as they moved throughout the rest of their world…A place did not have to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual to be safe any longer…This mobile safe space forced nongay environments to become gay-friendly in their eyes.” – Richard Barry Sheltered “Children”

“Anywhere I can feel comfortable being gay is a gay place.” – John

Continue reading Feelin’ the Skin You’re In →

Let’s Talk About Sex (and gender in relation to violence)

Gender Socialization & Identities, Urban Adolescents

“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 School Continue reading Let’s Talk About Sex (and gender in relation to violence) →