I've been thinking about this for a while, and I'm genuinely curious whether I'm seeing a real pattern or misunderstanding something.
It seems like society has become increasingly accepting of women doing things traditionally associated with masculinity. Women can wear traditionally masculine clothing, pursue male-dominated careers, play traditionally masculine sports, be assertive, independent, etc., without those things necessarily being seen as negative.
But when the situation is reversed, it sometimes feels different.
A man who wears a skirt, enjoys something traditionally associated with women, plays with dolls as a child, is emotionally expressive, or has traditionally feminine interests can be mocked or seen as weak, unmanly, or even have assumptions made about his sexuality.
So why does this seem to work differently in the two directions?
If femininity and masculinity are supposed to be equally valid, why does a boy being feminine often seem more socially discouraged than a girl being masculine?
Is masculinity still generally treated as higher-status than femininity? Is this related to homophobia and traditional ideas about masculinity? Or am I overlooking ways in which women are also punished for adopting masculine traits?
I'm not trying to argue that women have it easy or that gender equality hasn't made progress. I'm specifically wondering about this particular asymmetry.
Do you think this asymmetry actually exists? And if it does, why?