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Saving the Boys
by Vivianna Lin
A book called “Save the Boys,” written
by the deputy director of China Youth
and Children Research Center, Sun
Yunxiao, claims that China’s boys are
currently undergoing a masculinity crisis.
Sun believes that boys are becoming
less capable than previous generations,
having weaker bodies and a lesser sense
of responsibility. Other educators describe
the “crisis” as a fallacy and believe girls are
finally gaining equal rights with boys.
The most glaring signs of the masculinity
crisis are found in education. In all levels of
academic performance, boys have poorer
academic performances than girls. Sun
believes boys are discouraged from acting
like boys in school and are forced to sit still
and be obedient. Some become frustrated
because their natural hyperactivity and
rebelliousness are criticized, thus lowering
their self esteem. According to Sun, both
boys and girls are oppressed in schools
where high academic performance is
prized and physical activities are regarded
as rebellious, though boys are affected
more than girls. Sun believes the academic
burden in China should be relieved and
more attention should be paid to the allaround
development of children.
Sun emphasizes gender education’s
importance in boys’ childhoods, as boys
and girls have differences that should
be respected. He believes characteristics
such as responsibility and exploration
to be intrinsically male, and the loss of
these traits to be ‘feminization.’ Currently,
gender education in China is poor, and
many teenagers are confused about their
identities. Sun also believes that some
curriculums, such as physical education
and crafts, should be separate for boys
and girls to develop different skills and
abilities.
Boys also suffer from the lack of role
models in primary schools because the
overwhelming majority of teachers are
female, and Chinese fathers are absent due
to work, which Sun claims makes boys
more feminine. Furthermore, strong role
models need to be put in place for boys,
and there should be a strong emphasis on
responsibility and courage. Sun uses the
example of boys running away rather than
saving people in danger as a testament
to the weakening sense of responsibility
in boys. As shown with Western studies,
same-sex streaming has raised boys’ test
scores and is beneficial psychologically to
them as well.
Gender-blurring male icons have also
appeared in China’s popular industry in
recent years. Television icons influence
those watching them, and the boys will
try to imitate these role models. Teenage
cross-dresser Liu Zhu became famous
overnight for participating in a talent show
like that of American Idol. Sun believes
that more masculine role models should
be put in place, as these more feminine
role models can mislead young boys.
Sociologist and sexologist Li Yinhe, of
the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences,
however, finds nothing wrong with boys
expressing feminine beauty. She believes
the blurring gender divide to be a global
trend that is a form of entertainment.
The one-child policy enacted in the
1980’s has also contributed problems
to the masculinity crisis. As a result of
China’s patriarchal society, parents tend
to spoil their sons and take delicate care
of them, leading to a weakening of boys’
willpower, some educators say. The
parents treat their boys like little emperors
and do not encourage independence. Boys
do not become ‘real men’ unless they learn
to stand on their own without the help of
their parents, something rarely practiced
in China. Parents have high expectations
for their daughters however, wanting them
to outdo boys in school, thus causing the
better academic performance of girls.
The traditional patriarchal society
of China still exerts a heavy influence
on the modern-day China, despite
the achievements in women’s work
and education. Many detractors of the
masculinity crisis have attributed it to
patriarchal discrimination. For many
years, women had been viewed as lesser
beings than men. Now, however, girls
enjoy equal education opportunities
and women can take the lead. Li Yinhe
describes the current epoch an age of
‘girl empowerment,’ rather than that of
a masculinity crisis. There has also been
success in changing the views of girls and
boys, and the practice of valuing sons
more than daughters has diminished.
Whether boys currently suffer from a
masculinity crisis, the debate over “Save
the Boys” has forced many to consider the
way education, family values, and national
policy shape gender identity.
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